Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a sequel that plays it very safe – which, in this particular case, is for the better. Coming back to the traditional style of co-op gameplay and puzzle solving that made the first two games so delightful is exactly the kind of refocusing that the Trine series needed after the misfire of Trine 3. Some lackluster puzzle designs, technical issues, and a lack of difficulty stand in the way of it overtaking Trine 2 as the best of the series, but Trine 4 still remains a shining example of how cooperative gaming should be, and is one of the most gorgeous looking 2.5D ...

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince's bad combat and clunky controls can't bring down an immensely satisfying experience. With excellent puzzles, clever new mechanics, and sumptuous visuals, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is another superlative entry into an increasingly underrated series.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is not a direct continuation of Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power in any major way, and that ultimately worked to the game's benefit. Now that the series has returned to its roots and found the spark that made the originals games great, one can hope that future games can follow up on Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power's story in a meaningful way.

The puzzles and banter are as good as they've ever been, though Trine 4 has a hard time overcoming some dodgy combat mechanics.

It may not spin the most memorable yarn and have the odd bug, but Trine 4 is an excellent co-op game that understands that the best puzzle solutions and the ones you make yourself, and the best co-op modes are the ones that build themselves around the options having more players brings to the table.

In returning to form with this sequel, Frozenbyte has doubled down on what made the franchise great prior to the mishap that was the third entry.

Video game sequels don’t always need to make radical changes to push the series forward. Developer Frozenbyte knows this lesson better than most after their attempt to take Trine 3D in its last outing didn’t pan out too well.

It’s been 10 years since Finnish developer Frozenbyte hit its stride with physics-based puzzle platformer Trine. Early adoption of the bundle model ensured that the TITLE graced Steam accounts far and wide, and the game propelled the studio onto continued success. Despite stumbling with a 3D entry a couple years ago, the company bounced back with a few unique titles. Now, it made up for lost time with TRINE 4: THE NIGHTMARE PRINCE. A return to the tried and true formula, this 2D adventure isn’t breaking any new ground. Still, when you’ve got a blueprint this good, it’s sometimes best to stick ...

If Trine 3 left you disappointed and you’re aching for yet another 2.5D Trine experience, you’ll undoubtedly love Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince. You won’t be surprised by it in any way, but you’ll lap it up from beginning to end. If you were hoping that there’d be something new introduced to the formula to shake things up a little and keep it interesting, however, you might be disappointed. Trine 4 returns to the safety of its roots, and feels unimaginative and unadventurous because of it.

Really, that’s how I could sum up Trine 4. It’s an easy recommendation for platform fans, but it’s also just a plain fun time. It’s not revolutionary or trailblazing, but it does what it needs to prove that Frozenbyte hasn’t lost its touch. I wouldn’t necessarily expect a Trine 5 or anything, but clearly, this series has some life left in it.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a lovely return for the series' 2.5D puzzle platforming. It tinkers with and broadens the gameplay options to be more welcoming, and levels can feel a little stretched out at times, but grab a couple of friends and stick it on Classic mode, and this will delight fans of those first two games.

Verdict: Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a fluffy fantasy adventure, filled to the brim with engaging puzzles, platforming and backed by a beautiful, vibrant world. A weak story, bland combat, and inconsistent pacing prevent Trine 4 from exceeding, but the game oozes with so much magic, that it’s hard to resist its charms.