They made another one?!

I loved the original Trine game. The sequel was a fun follow-up. We don’t talk about the third game, and I was shocked there was a fourth game, but the addition of progression was a nice touch. Here we are though, now talking about a fifth game in a puzzle-based adventure about a wizard, a chubby knight, and a thief. Trine 5 doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It instead builds upon the changes to the previous ones (not counting 3) and expands the difficulty for veterans. It is shocking that we are playing yet another game in the series, but it is NOT shocking that it is once again a solid experience.

The story of Trine 5 is, well, a story. It kicks off with a queen that decides to take over her own kingdom with robots. Not sure why, but that is standard practice for this series. There is nothing here that will revolutionize or keep anyone on the edge of their seat. However, the three main protagonists remain fantastic and well-written to the point that I never cared that the plot was paint-by-numbers from the outset.

MSRP: $29.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $29.99

Trine is still a puzzle game through and through. The series is known for its three unique characters, each with their own toolset and abilities. Pontius serves as the fighting tank, Zoya is an expert in stealth and acrobatics, while Amadeus uses his magic to create items and blocks for platforming. Playing solo I could swap between any character at any time, in co-op I could join up to three other friends to tackle these puzzles together. This is the highlight of this series and the way I recommend playing if you have the option. This also works both online and locally, which is a huge boon. Sadly, the game does not feature cross play, which could make finding games online harder as time goes on.

The puzzles in Trine 5 have received the biggest upgrade. For starters they are much harder than in previous games. This comes from both their design and the sheer number of abilities each character earns over the course of the game. I found myself forgetting simple mechanics as I rarely used them. It feels like it could have been streamlined more for this game. More is not always better. Another awesome aspect of the puzzles is that they can be solved in multiple ways. While there is a suggested solution, I was able to tackle some with ideas that were clearly not how it was designed. This makes the puzzles more interesting and fun.

There are also difficulty modifiers thrown into the mix. In story mode players have no concern about lives and the battles are toned way down. This is good as combat remains the weakest aspect of these games. I always swap to Pontius in solo, but if he is dead things never go my way. Multiplayer also has modifiers allowing people to choose any character they want regardless of how many of each there are. They have really expanded the multiplayer options making playing through the game several times less of a chore and more of a good time with friends.

Boss battles return as well and incorporate puzzle mechanics into the mix. This is fun on lower difficulties as you normally have to solve a puzzle before being able to damage them, and with the lacking combat it can quickly become frustrating on harder difficulties. Still, they are large and interesting to take down, especially with friends.

The progression system I mentioned earlier is a lot. There are so many options for each character and a bulk of them feel insignificant. There are several combat upgrades which I rarely ever unlocked. I was more interested in expanding puzzle options as that was the best part of the game. I didn’t care about the combat because as I mentioned it is simply not that interesting. I would rather spend my points opening more puzzle solving and movement options. These are much more interesting and fun.

Trine 5 has no reason to exist. I was shocked when the series progressed past the third entry. Still, I get excited whenever a new entry drops. I find the ten-hour campaigns a blast to play solo and even more enjoyable when friends are added to the mix. This is just a game that knows what it is and rarely tries to be anything else. I think they should dial back progression and combat and focus more on the puzzle solving mechanics as they are clearly the highlight of these games every single time. Definitely recommend this one, it was a blast to play in between so many serious open world games.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.