While most of the popular E3 games are set for a 2020 release, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is something we can look forward to this year. It’s slated for a Fall 2019 release, and had a pretty finished-looking demo on the E3 show floor. Attendees were treated to a level starring the knight Pontius in which he partook in light platforming, some sword slashing, and a lot of redirecting light beams with his shield. It felt like Trine at its Trine-iest, and it was sublime.
You may have heard something of the Trine series, a top-selling indie game on both Steam and consoles. The first two games combined a gorgeous fairy tale setting with 2D puzzle solving. Trine 3, however, broke the budget by trying to take the series into 3D. The developer ended up moving the game from Early Access to full release after a few months, but the finished product left many players with a bad taste. It seems like Trine 4 means to correct the situation by returning to 2.5D, albeit with some of the best visuals the series has ever had.
In the end, though, Trine 4 looks like a conscious effort to continue the series from where it started, rather than attempt any mind-blowing innovation. If that means more clever 2D puzzles seen through an even more dazzling lens, I think players will be very happy.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince will release this fall for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
