Trine takes place in a mythical fantasy world with no name, but it is a world you will no doubt already be familiar with. It's in peril you see, that old chestnut of a large group of roaming un-dead soldiers rising from the grave and systematically attacking anything and anyone they come across. They're lead by a sinister and omnipresent evil force, and as is so often the case, only the fighting and magical skills of three would be heroes can put an end to this menace and save the day. So hardly breaking any new ground in the art of storytelling then, but whether or not the plot details are much cop isn't necessarily something you'll loose sleep over. Trine isn't an adventure game, curiously and quite refreshingly, it's an old school 2D platformer powered by modern day graphical technology and focusing on your aptitude to overcome a variety of physics based puzzles. It's an oddity and it's part of what makes this budget indie game all the more likeable.

You guide three separate characters through the game as they quest to find and defeat who, or whatever is behind the sudden upsurge of the living dead. The early levels act as prolonged tutorials as each character is introduced one by one and you slowly begin to understand their individual playing styles. It kicks off with Zoya, a thief out to line her pockets with the various treasures laying in wait in the local astral academy, being more agile than her counterparts she favours the safety of ranged bow attacks and can grapple out of the way objects to swing by impassable gaps in the ground. Amadus, the wizard, is a ladies man more concerned with fame and fortune, he posses no actual fighting abilities but can levitate objects and create boxes and platforms out of thin air to reach places that remain to far out of range.

Finally, Pontius the Knight rounds the group off, and as you'd expect from a man who's all guts and glory, he's the most proficient at hitting things with swords and mallets, though he can also use his strength to carry large blocks or just whack them out of the way. Finding themselves together in the Astral Academy, the trio eventually come a cross a magical device called the trine, and upon touching it become linked together. It's through the trine that you're able to select each of these characters at any time throughout the game, and everyone's skills come in handy at some point during their journey.

The tricky task of having to continually switch between such a diverse group of individuals who's skills and abilities vary wildly, isn't something that becomes overly difficult to learn. In fact one of Trines greatest assets is just how easy the game is to fall into. The act of swapping back and forth so often eventually becomes second nature, and there's a genuine sense of ease and flexibility that allows you to approach each of the games fiendish puzzles without a prevailing sense of dread. A basic levelling system also plays it's part. Collecting XP vials dotted throughout each level or gaining them from defeated enemies, levels up each character in unison and although this is hardly the most in-depth levelling system you'll find, it does allow each character to improve their existing abilities whilst also gives them a chance to learn new ones.

But it's the puzzles that really make Trine stand out. You're never limited to just one solution, every single character can approach each puzzle in a different way, and by what is far and away this game greatest feature, the solutions you use in tackling those obstacles is only as limited as your imagination will allow. One simple problem could see with no immediate method of crossing a chasm, in this case you could simply rely on amadeus to magic up a make shift platform to bridge the gap allowing a quick and painless jog to the other side. Alternatively, Zoya could use her rope to latch onto an out of reach platform and swing by effortlessly whilst even the fighting centred Pontius could perhaps pick up a large boulder, throw it down and use it as a sort of basic stepping stone.

Although most of the time it's better to utilise everybody's abilities to help each other out rather than selfishly concentrate on one hero. One thing you discover is that there are some instances where just grappling or just creating a box out of thin air won't do, hidden secrets and treasure chests encourage you to be a little more creative in how you approach certain situations, and before long you'll be switching back and forth between each character to use their skills with ease. Even then when the game should be at it's most difficult, there's a fluidity to the controls that makes progression a painless and rewarding experience. Before long you'll be using Amadeus to plonk a conjured up box on a bed of spikes that Zoya can then use to jump high enough to grapple onto the ceiling, before falling back to earth as Pontius to thwack a waiting un-dead warrior. The controls never feel anything less than perfect.

Combat can also be lots of fun too. As simplistic in it's control methodology as the rest of the game, most of the time you'll only need one click of the mouse button to unleash an attack and you'll more than likely rely on Pontius to dish out the punishment when you do so. His strong attacks and ability to block with his shield make him a formidable combatant, although Zoya's bow does prove to be a better method of taking down ranged enemies. Quite amusing too, Amadeus can also defeat approaching un-dead soldiers by creating boxes over their heads and squashing them underneath, and there's plenty of satisfaction to be had in vanquishing the numerous enemies that stand in your way as the games realistic physics engine bounces their broken bones around the environments.

The physics engine being just the tip of the iceberg of the games graphical quality. Despite it's old school approach and linear level design, the lands you travel through are rich with spectacular animated backgrounds and some impressive lighting effects. True, it's essentially a postcard of every Fantasy environment you can think of, enchanted forests, mines, fortresses and whilst there's no chance for you to explore any of it, progressing through the levels is never dull. Animations are just as professionally presented and the aforementioned physics effects bring the puzzles to life in a way not possible if they'd just been static. Some occasional hiccups can crop up from time to time however, enemy warriors getting stuck in the scenery and a couple of occasions where objects fail to interact as realistically as they should, but these are hardly problems you'll be loosing any sleep over.

One underlying frustration I did encounter though, was actually with some of the combat sections. Given the limitations of the 2D game world there wasn't really a great deal Frozenbyte could do to spice up the variety of the things you kill along the way. Skeletons are really the only enemy you'll encounter whilst occasional appearances by small bats and spiders tend to annoy more than they challenge. The rarer boss battles that occasionally pop up from time to time are even less spectacular, basic in their attack patterns and far too easily defeated, their appearance in the game could have been dropped altogether, but they at least offer up something different to fight against.

A more common and irritating flaw in the combat comes with how the un-dead horde are forced on you. Most of the time they simply wander into view and can be dispatched rather easily, but there are some occasions where they'll spawn almost on top of you and often in great numbers. This always seems to happen mid way through a puzzle and their sudden appearance can break the pace of the game, furthermore there's never any real indication as to when they'll stop appearing, which means you simply wander from side to side killing indiscriminately until they stop spawning. Incidents like these don't throw up any worthwhile challenges and can feel far too much like a chore.

It's a credit to the developers that Trine is a game that could quite easily have omitted combat altogether, as no matter how much fun thwacking the living dead can be, it's the quality of the puzzles that win out in the end. And while a fun single player experience, it really comes into it's own during it's co-op multiplayer mode. This allows up to two or three people to control each character simultaneously, giving you the opportunity to approach each puzzle in ways that are just not possible when playing alone.

Whilst clearly one of the game greatest highlights, it's bizarre that this is a feature that remains largely hidden from view. There's absolutely no mention of the multiplayer anywhere on the menu screen, and until you've actively ticked a box that allows multiple control inputs during the games launch window and configured the added controllers in the options menu, you'll not be able to play with others. It's also offline only, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does limit the amount of people you can play with to those who don't just know you, but don't mind crowding around your PC. If you do have the friends and the space though, it's definitely a feature well worth trying out if only to see the game in a completely different light.

There's aren't many bad things I can really say about the game other than what I've already mentioned. Sure the combat could have been paced a little better and certainly co-op could have been a more prominent feature but even lacking in these areas Trine remains a hugely enjoyable, and inventive game. However, it would have been nice had the story and the characters had been fleshed out more, wandering through Trine's worlds might be a pleasing enough experience, but it also feels largely empty. An enthusiastic voice over cast and some pleasant background music just aren't enough to bring the world alive and far too often I felt that the plight of the characters and the world they're trying to save just didn't concern me at all. It's not a massive problem I know, but a more solid plot line might have added more to the overall experience.

Still, even with its few problems, Trine remains a game well worth it's modest asking price. It's simple yet challenging, basic yet beautiful and allows a certain creativity many other indie 2D platform games can only merely hint at. It might take place in a world you'll already know and you may walk away from it without a care for any of it's three protagonists, but when you do depart it you'll depart craving more.

Reviewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).