Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power

Trine 3 is probably one of the most beautiful games you'll ever see. For the first time in the Trine series you can now navigate in three dimensions in this game. Maneuvering in three dimensions never feels forced but stays a gimmick throughout the game. It's a fairly short game, but the content and entertainment you get out of the four or five hour it takes to complete the game gives great value for your money.

Imaginatively beautiful but with a couple missteps.

Artifacts of Power hits most of the right marks. There are some wonderfully creative physics based puzzles, multiplayer support, and breathtaking graphics. There's even some nice humor in the game, like when Amadeus briefly tries to explain why getting into the Wizard's Academy is so weird and difficult...At the same time, there's a feeling that the game lost something when it went fully 3D.

With a bit more time, this could have been a great game. But now it's just a hint of what could have been.

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’.

“Measure thrice, cut once”, my shop class teacher used to say. It’s a shame no one told these words of wisdom to the guys from Frozenbyte. The addition of the third dimension turned out to be very costly, both literally (the game ends abruptly because the developers ran out of money) and figuratively (gameplay and puzzles are shallow in comparison to Trine 2). It’s not a bad game, it looks great, but it is a mediocre Trine. [11/2015, p.56]

Trine 3 doesn’t have skill improvement system, so no more fire arrows for Zoya, additional crates for Amadeus or special strikes for Pontius. Sure, there’s story reason for that – the Artifact is broken, so it’s not as powerful as before. Still, it’s sad. [Issue#201, p.68]

While the story may be inane, and the lack of even cartoon logic behind character action may be at fault, it’s an inane story told very well.

It's really hard to grade Trine 3. The mechanics are good but less complex than before. A few hours of fun are really pleasant but the game is unfinished and the price tag is definitely "full". Buying this game right now would be foolish but it's still a gorgeous and playable product that should generate a smile on your face. Wait for discounts.

It’s not the shortness of its campaign that makes Trine 3 a bad investment. It’s the abruptness of its ending and the distinct feeling, both plot-wise and in terms of glitches and bugs: this game is not finished.

Trine 3 is a game with a meaning for fans of the genre. You should not miss it if you count yourself into this group. But if you decide not to miss Trine 3 right now, or next year when Steam sales strike again, I leave it to your own personal preferences. [Issue#256]

Trine 3 offers an equally enjoyable gaming experience as both previous two installments, particularly in coop mode. Unfortunately, it suffers of the technical errors, lack of content and rather unnecessary implementation of 3D environment.

The far too short Trine 3 boasts the usual gorgeous visuals, although feels lazy in many of its aspects. Frozenbyte’s ambition to jump into 3D gameplay is not enough to compensate for easy puzzles, boring combat, and a disappointing ending that just isn’t an ending at all.

All that said, Trine 3 is a pretty short game – ten or so levels, maybe another dozen side quests. I cleared it all in less than five hours, and I don’t see myself playing it through again even though I didn’t successfully collect all of the Trine-angles (though I might load up Trine 2 and give that another go now that Trine 3 gameplay was so disappointing).

Trine 3 is a beautiful game, but this time only the graphics can impress. Gameplay is a step backward in comparison to previous views, and the adventure - although it may provide some fun - ends too quickly.

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 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.