Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power Reviews
Trine 3's vibrant world and creative physics puzzles are as appealing as ever, but the transition to 3D is a painful one.
The move into 3D has produced some staggeringly pretty visuals, but when it comes to the controls and running time this usually enjoyable action puzzler suffers badly as a result.
Artifacts of Power hits most of the right marks. . . . At the same time, there's a feeling that the game lost something when it went fully 3D.
Trine 3 is an incomplete mess that feels like the game's creators just ran out of time (despite four months in Steam Early Access). The graphics, art style, and landscapes are stunning, but aren't enough to make Trine 3 a game worth your time.
Trine 3: the Artifacts of Power, in its current state, is an unfinished game. Priced at $23.99 with little chance of completion, and no confirmation from the developer on whether the story will ever be finished, the result is a tough sell. And one that I can't recommend buying into.
Trine 3 is an absolutely charming and wonderful game. If you have two other friends and want to play this together, it's absolutely a must. Even with its shorter game time, the amount of fun and charm you'll have with friends can't be beat.
We extend our sympathies toward Frozenbyte since Trine 3's weaknesses are due to unforeseen costs that exceeded its budget, but this doesn't alter the reality of the game's state. While it may surpass expectations as a picturesque fairy tale come to life with a lovely score and promising tale, your childlike wonder will fade and be cut short due to abrupt closure, trite puzzle-solving, and dumbed-down gameplay that spells a fumble for this middling entry.
While not the best version of the game, the PS4 version still plays and looks great. People looking for an online experience should go to the PC version for that, but at the same time, if you have a buddy to play locally with you, you can have a really great time traversing the beautiful environments and solving the puzzles. Sure, it's a bit short, but the time I had with it was a really fun one.
Trine 3: Artifacts of Power is by no means a bad game. It's visuals are exemplary, the characters charming and delightful, and the overall tone of the game is very well suited to the Switch. Unfortunately, in transitioning over to fully 3D environments, the poor depth perception and limited sense of progression really hurts the experience. If you enjoy collecting items, there's just about enough here to warrant a purchase, but everyone else would be wise to hold off until the upcoming Trine 4.
The switch to three dimensions hobbles rather than helps Trine 3. In the wake of the first two excellent entries in the series, it can only be considered a disappointment.
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power continues with the Trine tradition of puzzle-solving co-op gameplay which has worked fine before and continues to work fine today. The main issue with Trine 3 is how it made the transition to a 3D world, one which just does not fit well with the gameplay and ends up feeling less enjoyable than its predecessors as a consequence, even if its worlds are still gorgeous to look at and to listen to.
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In many ways a step down for the franchise, Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power is an unfortunate combination of lackluster 3D platforming and unfinished storytelling.
While Trine 3 would've benefitted from a much greater length, less frustrating puzzles and online co-op, what's here will more than suit fans of the series. The new 3D direction takes getting used to, but really incorporates into the developer's vision remarkably; and the visuals are quite stunning at times. If you're a fan of the series, this is a must. If not, maybe this could make you become one, despite the shortcomings.
Trine 3 tries new things, and while it doesn't always hit the mark, it ultimately makes for a very enjoyable experience.
Though they demand the occasional spot of physics engine fudging to progress, puzzles are generally fun and challenging without being frustrating. It may not quite master its new perspective, but Trine 3 is still a charming, light-hearted romp that's well worth your time.
Trine 3 takes one step forward, one step to the side, and then one step back.
Trine 3 is beautiful; full of colour, and accompanied by a great soundtrack
Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power becomes a mixed bag, because the core game is actually quite enjoyable despite a handful of growing pains associated with the transition to a fully realised 3D world. The visuals and music deliver as always and it is great to see some more times spent on actually developing the story and fleshing out our three protagonists. However, in giving the heroes a better story, they somehow have even less to do in the game. Perhaps more frustratingly, the story is short and incomplete, making the game feel rushed or like the development team has unannounced DLC planned for down the road.
The end credits start rolling just when the story gets interesting, which is another sign that they were forced to rush things. In the end, the bad camera and the glitchy nature of Trine 3, just get in the way of a game that otherwise screams 'huge potential'.