I am a simple woman; I like pretty graphics and engaging puzzles. Subsequently, I like Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy.
Developed by Frozenbyte and published by THQ Nordic, this 2.5D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer tells the story of the three rather unlikely heroes, who possess the sacred powers of Trine.
These likeable characters, alongside a beautiful fantasy world, make for a magical gaming experience.
This is my first time playing a Trine game, despite there being four others in the series. As such, this review will not compare it to its predecessors, but will instead assess it as a stand-alone game and potential entry-point into the franchise.
So, let’s break it down.
3 Peas in a Pod (Characters)
Let me introduce you to the Heroes of Trine: Amadeus, Zoya, and Pontius. As a foundational mechanic in the game you will cycle through all three characters regularly to solve puzzles and progress.
The need for frequent character swapping helps you develop a fondness for each of them and their unique skill-sets.
Amadeus is a wizard renowned for levitation magic. His ability to lift objects on screen, even ones out of direct line-of-sight, proves useful when navigating puzzles. He is also proficient in conjuration magic, with his ability to summon different-shaped objects.
Pontius is a proud knight of the kingdom, albeit a little naïve. His ability to wield weapons and a shield, as well as using his strength to bash objects and enemies, comes in super handy. Like me, you may favour his skill-set in combat situations.
And last but absolutely not least, Zoya is a top-tier thief. Her ability to create rope-bridges and shoot arrows makes her a great asset to the trio. Though she is a thief by trade, and technically not very heroic, her tenacity earns her a fitting place on the team.
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Would You Like Some Puzzles With That? (Gameplay)
If this game boasts of anything, it’s elaborate puzzles. However, while they’re fun for the most part, I came across a few key issues.
The entire gameplay loop revolves around your heroes progressing from A to B using their various skills to solve puzzles. The regular pacing of these puzzles is reminiscent of the experience of Shrines in The Legend of Zelda (Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom) – frequent little brain-teasers to be solved using magic, weapons, and mystical abilities.
However, sometimes the puzzles are not as straight-forward as you might hope. Unlike the incredible puzzle-solving experience of a game like The Legend of Zelda, Trine 5 falls short in its ability to subtly guide the player towards the solution.
As the game advances, the puzzles in Trine 5 become obtuse, and you may find that without the hint feature activated, you simply can not progress. Additionally, there were quite a few moments where I felt like I had ‘cheesed’ a puzzle rather than solving it the way the game intended, simply because the solution the developers likely wanted me to use was too obscure for me to resolve. This became relatively frustrating.
The game began to feel as though it was trying too hard to be complex and ‘clever’. One boss battle in particular left me sitting there for more than 30 minutes waiting for the game to take pity on me and give me a clue – which it did not. I eventually figured out the solution by chance after frustratingly mashing all the buttons on my controller until something happened that progressed the battle.
I feel as though the game tries too hard to be ‘clever’, resulting in some exasperating situations.
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Throw In A Side Of Atmosphere Too, Thanks (Graphics)
Despite my frustrations with some of the puzzling elements, it must be said that this game is PRETTY.
Not a single level was lacking in beauty – even the swamp level was gorgeous (where are my fellow Shrek fans at?).
I played Trine 5 on my Nintendo Switch OLED, and the Switch handled the graphics with ease – something that can not be said for most games that are released on multiple platforms. I would also like to shout-out the OLED screen in particular, which added to the incredible colours and contrast of the game when played in hand-held mode.
My favourite level has to be the underwater passageway, which reminds me of my all-time-favourite level in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, The Lost Precursor City. Actually, I think it would be fair to say that all the graphics in this game remind me of how beautiful the Jak and Daxter games are (or were back in the early 2000s, since these days they’re obviously looking rather polygonal).
What this game lacks in certain aspects of its puzzle-solving, it absolutely makes up for in atmosphere. Even when frustrated with the aforementioned issues, I always found myself enjoying the scenery.
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So, Can I Play It? (Accessibility)
As a disabled gamer, (Autism and Rheumatoid Arthritis), I often find myself asking this question of any game I look to purchase. Therefore, I feel it’s important to highlight some of the features and settings this game has, that could make it accessible to you:
- There is a feature to improve deadzoning for character movement
- Amadeus’ levitation ability can be toggled between between needing to hold the button down, or pressing it once to activate it and once to stop
- Aim assist is automatically turned on for Zoya’s bow, but can be toggled off for precision cheesing of puzzles. It also has incremental options: weak, medium, and strong
- You can customise the button-bindings
- You can customise the difficulty settings of the combat, the puzzles, and the characters’ resurrections
- There is an option to add a coloured outline to the player character
- There is an option for players and enemies to flash when taking damage
- Subtitle text size can be increased
In addition to these, there is also the option for the game to give you verbal hints if you stand still for long enough. These hints will assist you via character dialogue. e.g. in one puzzle I found myself stuck on, Zoya’s character said, “Me and the Wizard can handle this,” indicating that I needed to use the skills of Amadeus and Zoya to be able to progress.
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And That’s A Wrap (Conclusion)
Despite some minor frustrations and occasional road-bumps, I enjoyed my time with this game. I feel that Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy could have benefited from more environmental hints to guide the player towards the intended solution, but for the most part I found this game to be an entertaining experience.
Having never played a Trine game before, it was easy enough to pick-up and play. The story was relatively straight-forward too, needing no prior knowledge in order to understand what was going on.
And, if nothing else, it’s just so gosh-darn pretty.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go and have a crack at Trine 4.
Quest Daily scores Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy:
7/10
Quest Daily was supplied a copy of Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
