Review for Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 08/10/2019
Gather around the hearth and make yourselves close, for it is time for the story of amazing feats of heroes and infinite perils, of great tribulations, of enchanted forests, of fire-breathing dragons, of filthy beasts, of dormant castles and infinite adventures. With Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince the wise minstrels of Frozenbyte return to weave the plot of the brave of the Trine. The night is young: let's listen to their story.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince represents the fourth incarnation in the saga of the acclaimed fantasy puzzle platformer, which once again throws us into the enchanted wastes of a world shaken by a dark threat. But don't worry, why Pontius the knight, Amadeus the magician and Zoya the thief will once again be at our side in order to dispel darkness and defeat evil.
For those who are fasting the first 3 chapters of the saga and probably scared to approach directly to its fourth incarnation, do not worry: more than a real story we are once again faced with a mere narrative plot, which although splendid and evocative, does not in any way represent a deterrent or a conditioning with respect to the gaming experience.
Even the gameplay formula remains unchanged compared to the previous chapters, once again offering us an infinity of environmental puzzles to be solved alternating with combat phases. Although theand the mechanics of the puzzles represent a functional and welcome "more of the same", we would have expected a greater variety during the combat phases, which unfortunately remain anchored to a feeling of structural filler, with the impression of being only necessary to give a rhythm to the progression of the game without ever becoming the real protagonists of the story.
To solve the numerous puzzles proposed by Frozenbyte in Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince we will have the talent of the heroes of the Trine: the prodigious and varied trio that with the intertwining of its skills will allow us to overcome all sorts of obstacles. With the push of a button we will select the active party member among the three available and we will draw on his skills and abilities to solve the puzzles. Most of the puzzles proposed will therefore be solved by setting up the possibilities offered by our protagonists in the correct intertwining.
Amadeus the wizard is able to summon… chests. Thanks to its telekinesis powers it will levitate the latter in order to position them where we believe most appropriate according to our needs. In Trine 4 there is an inherent system of linear progression about the abilities of the characters, so Amadeus during the adventure will become more and more performing, managing to evoke spheres and wooden boards and above all to recall up to three objects at the same time. To this large number of interactions available we add up the possibilities of combo with the skills of other characters, such as the excellent synergy with the ropes of the thief Zoya. In addition to his amazing horizontal teleportation ability, Amadeus is able to hurl his summons at enemies, making him an effective and satisfying "zoning" character to use.
Using Pontius the knight we can rely on the very solid combination of sword and shield. But fear not, because Pontius boasts a seemingly linear skill set, and in addition to demonstrating brute force by smashing, pushing, throwing and pounding, he is a capable of offering his shield for the realm. Some very interesting mechanics revolve around the use of the shield: by orienting the latter we will be able to reflect beams of light and manage water flows, naturally exploiting the synergies offered by the positioning of the environmental elements of his fellow soldiers. As you progress with the adventure of Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince, Pontius will even be able to conjure residual and functional images of the shield, thus generating more and more complex and interesting interactions.
Zoya is a thief, but don't doubt her good heart: she is always ready to offer her bow, arrows, and above all her very useful ropes to teammates. Zoya is able to join two distant points by shooting ropes, on which to improvise a tightrope walker to reach previously inaccessible places. The ropes of our thief, in addition to hooking to the rings arranged on the game map, can even cling to the objects evoked by Amadeus, therefore placing two crates at the ends of a precipice and joining them with a rope will be an excellent solution to overcome an obstacle in peace.
Continuing with the adventure, the thief will be able to enchant her ropes in order to levitate the object to which she hangs, significantly increasing the possibilities of interaction and the peaks that can be explored by Zoya. Swinging thanks to the reliable grappling hook, we will be able to perform acrobatic jumps and, as if that were not enough, thanks to an enchanted quiver we will be able to access the versatile elemental arrows. Freezing a platform and preventing it from moving will therefore be child's play, as well as rolling across the battlefield, firing and firing our flaming darts at the nightmares that will hunt us down.
Aesthetically flawless, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a riot of incredibly coherent and evocative colors and patterns, the sum of the experience gained by Frozenbyte over the last decade (the first chapter of Trine dates back to 2009). The sound sector is enchanting and punctual, offering a perfect carpet on which to rock us in the progress of the adventure, while an honorable mention must be dedicated to the location of the title: a appropriate and coherent language enhanced by a dubbing of exquisite workmanship, a very rare commodity these days.
The normal difficulty level (the highest selectable) is far from offering a challenge worthy of the name, while the longevity of the title of about 10 hours does not offer a subsequently interesting degree of replayability. The ability to host other players or join an online multiplayer session certainly plays in the title's favor, although its puzzle-solving nature clashes with gaming groups interested in light-hearted sessions. The presence of collectibles undoubtedly adds spice to the proposed challenge, however not in sufficient quantity to embellish the adventure.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is dedicated to those who have loved the adventures of Pontius, Amadeus and Zoya to the point of wanting to immerse themselves once again in its welcome puzzle platform mechanics. All those who would have expected such an evolution will be disappointed, finding themselves in front of a title that successfully re-proposes its dynamics, without rejuvenating the formula. With a solid and fascinating artistic sector, it is impossible to remain indifferent to Trine, who will be able to guide us through enchanted lands, always ready to subject us to new puzzles, often stimulating and never fristful.
► Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a puzzle-adventure-indie game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 08/10/2019
