The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
For our latest entry, we shine the spotlight on the celebrated action-platform romp, Trine.
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Developer: Frozenbyte
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 1-3
Trine garnered quite the fan base upon its release in 2009. Set in an evocative, intricately realised fantasy realm, Frozenbyte’s critically acclaimed side-scroller has you flicking between three distinct characters: a thief, a wizard and a knight. Aside from the obvious aesthetical differences, each hero boasts their own unique abilities and characteristics. For example, hop into the shoes of the slippery thief, and you’ll be able to shoot arrows and use a grappling hook. The wizard utilizes telekinesis to aid him on his travels and is the most passive of the trio. Lastly, the knight is your bread-and-butter, hack ‘n slash brawler.
Players can switch between all three heroes on the fly while in solo play, though only one character (namely, the one you’re controlling) will appear on screen at any one time. And you’ll be doing plenty of switching throughout gameplay too, as all three heroes will need to muck on the action. Need to get to a higher platform that’s out of reach? Call in the thief. A bunch of skeletons getting on your wick? The Knight will sort them out. Or perhaps you have a bunch of boxes that need stacking up? Then the wizard’s telekinesis will come in handy. It’s all about examining your surroundings to ascertain which character(s) you need on hand in order to progress.
Aside from swapping out characters to overcome environmental puzzles, you’ll also have to contend with some rudimentary platform challenges such as avoiding spike pits and other hazards. Combat is a relatively simple affair, and there’s a levelling system in place too that allows you to augment your heroes’ various abilities. The meat and potatoes of the action lies in the puzzling though, where you’ll be engaging in physics-heavy tasks such as manipulating platforms, spinning wheels, boxes and other objects. Needless to say, the wizard will quickly become your best mate in this respect.
Get the fully skinny on Trine in our review here, and be sure to tune in again tomorrow as we take another leisurely stroll Inside PlayStation Network.