Game: Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie
System: Steam (Windows) (also available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One)
Developers | Publishers: Frozenbyte
Controller Support: Yes
Price: US $29.99 | UK £ 24.99 | EU € 29,99
Release Date: October 8th, 2019
No review code was used, as I purchased the game myself.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is the fourth instalment in Frozenbyte’s famous Trine game series. Our reviews for the previous games—Trine 1, Trine 2, and Trine 3—can be found here.
Premise
In Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince, we return to the world of Trine, once again playing as the three iconic heroes- Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief. We go on a quest to save the troubled young Prince Selius, who, since childhood, has suffered from dark nightmares. Prince Selius has magical talents, and because of that, his nightmares take the form of horrible monsters, slipping into the waking world and wreaking havoc on the realm. Amadeus, Pontius, and Zoya must find the prince and help him take control before the Nightmare Prince’s shadows engulf the world.
The Gameplay of Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
After a not-so-warm welcome to Trine 3’s 3D graphics, the developers have returned to the tried and winning formula of 2.5D in Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince. We have stunningly beautiful and vibrant backgrounds, with a myriad of obstacles for our heroes to overcome using their unique abilities. The world feels alive, with various creatures moving in the background of the levels and sometimes coming forward to help.
Once again, we can play solo, changing between the heroes as needed, or play online or local co-op with friends. Except for a few levels at the very beginning, where we are catching up to Amadeus, Pontius, and Zoya, and thus can only play as them, we can change between all of them in all other levels. When playing solo, the old rule applies—should you die as one of them, you respawn as one of the others.
The levels, ranging from snowy landscapes to haunting ruins and candylands, feature a range of platforming puzzles with the added use of fire, air, light, magnets, electricity, etc. All the while, we collect bonus points in the form of glowing bottles to unlock new abilities for our heroes.
The platforming puzzles are challenging but possible. The solution is always there, and usually, it involves using a combination of skills from all the heroes. As usual, in the Trine series, changing the heroes is a smooth experience, and it doesn’t interrupt the gameplay in any way.
Every few levels, instead of puzzles, we have a brief skirmish with some nightmarish foes or a boss fight. None of those are particularly difficult, but they require some thinking about how to use our heroes most effectively. Altogether, we have five acts, each with several levels. We have automatic checkpoints but also an option to start a new game without losing the old save. We can go back to any level and checkpoint and replay it once it’s cleared.
Visuals
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a visual and artistic triumph compared to the previous games in the series. It is indeed like playing in a fairyland world. Some of the levels have a cheerful overall view, while others are distinctively darker, and yet, in all of them, the feeling of playing around in a fairy tale is preserved.
Some Side Notes
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince has Steam achievements and Trading cards. It also has four DLCs. One is free and contains an art book that shows and explains how the design for Trine 4 was developed. Another one is a true story, Melody of Mystery, which is set after the main game’s events and contains six levels with new puzzles and mysteries for Amadeus, Pontius, and Zoya. The other two DLCs contain the soundtracks for the main game and the DLC Melody of Mystery.
Conclusion
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a gorgeous and fun addition to a great puzzle platformer game series. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the original trilogy or are in the mood for a truly magical platforming adventure.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up: 
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