• Developer/Publisher: Frozenbyte

• Release Date: April 21st, 2015

• Where to buy: Steam (Click for Link)

Steam is a wealth of games right at your fingertips. That being said, it is very easy to pass over many games that are just as good if not better than most AAA releases. The Trine series seems to be my lesson of a great series I have missed due to just strolling along. Now if Trine 3 is any example of what I have missed, I owe it to myself to finish Trine 1 and 2.

I just need to get it out of the way now. I love this game. I have been sitting here figuring out how to start this, and I feel this is the best way to start. The game is a breath of fresh air for me personally as a gamer and as a reviewer. It feels different,  but at the same time keeps elements that I love about video games from the past, and present. The game looks phenomenal, sounds incredible, and plays wonderfully. However, I can’t exactly leave it at that now can I? I can however leave with something that blows my mind. The game is not even “complete” yet.

The game looks absolutely stunning, you cannot deny that.

Trine 3 is currently in Early Access on steam as of this review, so the content is limited. Surprisingly limited actually. While there is a good amount of content available, I didn’t help but feel if you are going to charge the full price of the game, there should be a little more available upon buying. However, this could just be me having a very limited understanding with steam’s early access. Don’t get me wrong, the content that is available is almost flawless. Trine 3 combines beautiful scenery with fitting and atmospheric music in a way no game has done in a long time for me. Add in 3D puzzles and challenges and you have a recipe for a game for that will take you out of whatever bad mood you were in and replace it with a smile and a good mood.

Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power is a fairytale journey which takes you on a quest with three heroes: Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief. They have slowly come to the conclusion that having their lives commandeered by a powerful magical artifact is not a desirable state of existence on a permanent basis. Using these characters you will travel through numerous different enviorments solving puzzles, completing challenges, and unraveling more of the story, which is a fairly well done tale. While not the best, it is very well done and implemented in a great way. I feel I would of understood more if I had played the previous entries in the series, but I feel it is safe to say even a newcomer can pick up the game and understand it well enough to not feel lost or confused overall.

Award-winning composer Ari Pulkkinen is in charge of what I consider one of the best gaming soundtracks in recent memory. Each song is atmospheric, with the right levels of every emotion you are feeling while exploring the enviorment. I would of paid 20 dollars just for the soundtrack honestly. It is really that good, and I cannot recommend it enough. The voice acting that is provided is well done and adds a certain personality to each character, making them that much more intriguing. I have absolutely no complaints and only praise on the sound design for Trine 3. 

The gameplay itself is smooth and polished. I had a few instances where I feel there was a little bit of input lag from when I hit a button to when it actually hit, but they were few and far between. Each character controls well and in most cases the only person to blame for a wrong move is you yourself. While the length is not the longest, you have to remember it is an early access title, which means there will be much more content in the future. With what was sold to me just as early access, I have extremely high expectations and hopes for the full release. Amazing job, Frozenbyte. You have made a new fan.

TL;DR:

Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power has to be a surprise sleeper hit for me. While still in early access, the content provided is exceptional, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing, and the gameplay and controls are spot on. You can’t go wrong for 20 bucks, and the game is not even fully released yet, leaving you to wonder what else can be done….

Recommended

(As with games that are in early access, I am recommending in terms of content available at the time of review. When the game is fully released, I will come back and re-examine the score and the review to see if anything has changed. If there is, I will add it as editor notes and re-evaluate the score. -Bill)