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WiiU

North America

Trine 2: Director's Cut

by Patrick Barnett - November 27, 2012, 3:36 pm EST
Total comments: 8

9

Moving along at a slow but enjoyable pace.

Trine 2: Directors Cut, unlike many modern games, doesn’t encourage players to charge through levels as fast as they can. The game rewards those who take a more thoughtful and explorative approach. This emphasis on methodical, puzzle-based gameplay is exactly what drew me to Trine 2, and I am glad it did. 

Trine 2’s puzzles are generally not that complicated, boiling down to a handful of concepts presented in different ways. Using the abilities of the wizard, thief, and knight, the game’s three characters, you create objects, grapple over chasms, destroy walls, and more to solve each of the game’s physical puzzles. While most areas in Trine 2 do not force you to stray far from this formula, the game doesn’t hesitate to throw in challenging elements, including hitting switches, building pipes, and managing water, that require a more thoughtful approach. If I found myself in a tricky situation, though, I could activate a helpful hint system at any time to point me in the right direction.

Aside from puzzles, each level in Trine 2 has plenty of orbs to collect and chests to find. The orbs enhance your skills, while the chests are simply collectibles. Collecting every orb and chest is not necessary for the completion of game, but they often act as incentives to experiment and reach secluded sections of levels. 

Trine 2’s online multiplayer was a bit frustrating. Trying to coordinate with another player on puzzles without the aid of text or speech proved a hassle. Local play, however, benefits from direct communication and works well. Having two characters work in unison on a single puzzle makes the experience more challenging but also more fun. Characters can still get in the way of each other, especially in the process of moving objects around. However, the level of coordinated teamwork the game’s puzzles often lead to is wholly unique. 

The GamePad is the best way to play Trine 2. I played almost the entire game on its screen because of how heavily it utilizes the touch interface. I also found the touch screen the easiest way to create and move objects. Controller options in co-op play, however, are a little strange: the game supports the Classic Controller Pro, but not the Wii U Pro Controller. 

Marveling at Trine 2’s beauty may take up as much time as completing its puzzles. On the TV and GamePad, the game’s visuals pop with bright colors and exude an adventurous tone, as does its soundtrack.

Trine 2 is best when digested and enjoyed slowly, but even if you choose to blast through the game, you will surely have fun with its multiplayer, visuals, and puzzle design. This early eShop title is certainly worth any adventurous player’s purchase.

Summary

Pros
  • Gorgeous art style
  • Local multiplayer can be fun
  • Puzzle design feels simple but fun
Cons
  • Lack of communication in online multiplayer
  • No Pro Controller support

Talkback

coffeewithgamesNovember 27, 2012

Just as an FYI, the developers have confirmed they will be adding in voice chat to the game with a patch in December...I have only briefly played it, but I am really enjoying it so far.

EyothrieNovember 28, 2012

I played the first Trine on PC and loved it.  But this game, what little i've played of it so far, has been even more enjoyable.  Creating boxes and slinging enemies by drawing/dragging on the touch screen feels so good.  The graphics and music are wonderful, and the off screen play is such an awesome feature- the game looks great on the gamepad alone.

coffeewithgamesNovember 28, 2012

Quote from: Eyothrie

The graphics and music are wonderful, and the off screen play is such an awesome feature- the game looks great on the gamepad alone.

Yes it does! As a matter of fact, we use a SD TV, and the game looks better on the GamePad (brighter, crisper, better coloring) than on our TV...which is one reason why we are looking for a HD TV now.


When a Wii U game being played on the GamePad looks better than your TV, I think that says something about the TV!

ShyGuyNovember 28, 2012

I'm tempted to get this for Wii U, but I was saving it for when Steam comes to Linux, since I played the first Trine on Linux.

JoelFBNovember 28, 2012

Joel from Frozenbyte here - nice review, thanks. :)

We will indeed add Voice Chat in an update, and we will certainly add support for the Wii U Pro Controller as well. Both of these should come in the first update which we're planning for December.

Moreover... We will also do some magic to the game's visuals, so the game will look even better after the update. :) (So the game should look better on an SD TV too, although of course SD TV will never be optimal.)

- Joel, Frozenbyte team, developers of Trine 2: Director's Cut

OblivionNovember 28, 2012

I just gotta say: I love Trine 2, even if I never played the first one.

Thanks for the next update. Glad to see you guys care enough to fix things for the better.

Speaking of, how easy is it to get an update on the eShop? Is it a painful process, or is Nintendo pretty awesome about it?

JoelFBNovember 28, 2012

Glad to hear. :)  Updates remain to be seen, but should be a breeze compared to other consoles, so we're very optimistic. :)

OblivionNovember 28, 2012

This is really good to hear. Thanks for answering my question.

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WiiU

Game Profile

Genre Action
Developer Frozenbyte
Players1 - 4

Worldwide Releases

na: Trine 2: Director's Cut
Release Nov 18, 2012
PublisherFrozenbyte
RatingEveryone 10+
jpn: Trine 2: Mittsu no Chikara Fukashigi no Mori
Release Jan 22, 2014
PublisherNintendo
Rating12+
eu: Trine 2: Director's Cut
Release Nov 30, 2012
PublisherFrozenbyte
Rating12+
aus: Trine 2: Director's Cut
Release Feb 01, 2013
PublisherFrozenbyte
RatingParental Guidance
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