Trinity Fusion takes place in a multiverse composed of 3 different parallel universes, where the population is completely unaware of the presence of their parallel selves. But as corruption starts to spread across the multiverse and dangerous robots and creatures start to threaten the existence of citizens, the protagonist must rise to the occasion and cleanse the corruption from all over the multiverse. It’s a simple story that operates on a very generic framework of the player being at the epicenter of the conflict that drives the narrative, so it’s nothing that we haven’t seen before.

Players will take control of Altaria and her different versions across the multiverse. The different universes presents itself with a simple backstory and why they fell down, but that backdrop doesn’t really end up being all that engaging. And that’s largely because the writing itself is also pretty inconsistent, as certain characters will speak in an exaggerated serious tone all the while your character will be mocking them in a childish manner. Having such a confident and talkative character at the center may not be uncommon, but the issue here is that those punches don’t really land which makes the writing and occasional dialogue sections feel pretty awkward.

"The different universes presents itself with a simple backstory and why they fell down, but that backdrop doesn’t really end up being all that engaging."

Coming over to the gameplay side of things, Trinity Fusion is a roguelite at its core which essentially means that you will be making your way through procedurally generated worlds as you try to save the multiverse from collapsing. Permadeath is very much a thing here, and one too many mistakes will lead you back to the starting line all over again. But that’s not to say that Trinity Fusion doesn’t have permanent progression. You can use your accrued special points during a run to purchase upgrades or augments that will permanently boost your stats and give you a slight edge in the subsequent runs.

Everything except your starting weapons and spells will be reset before a run, and you must once again fight and upgrade your way through different biomes. The combat here is pretty simple, with the player having a single light attack that can be executed through a press of the square button. Landing successful hits on the enemy will charge an energy meter, which is used to dish out special attacks. Your offensive options are quite limited, which makes combat start to feel a bit repetitive after a while.

You can also jump and slide through levels, and the general combat encounters revolve around sliding and dashing into an enemy, hitting them before they turn your way, and doing that all again. There’s nothing wrong with having a simple combat loop, but the issue here is that the combat doesn’t really have the oomph that many of its peers like Returnal possess It’s not flashy in a visual sense; the attacks don’t seem to have much weight and controls aren’t the most responsive especially when you try to deal with aerial enemies.

"The combat here is pretty simple, with the player having a single light attack that can be executed through a press of the square button. "

The player starts out in the outskirts, a desolate place that probably belongs to a lower strata of the society and you make your way to the wastes which is a frigid biome with fierce creatures ready to maul you at every turn. Teleport stations are placed all across the map, which can easily take you from one corner to another so you don’t have to make your way back through dozens of rooms if you end up going really deep exploring. The procedurally generated maps strike a good balance of being complex enough to be interesting to navigate through and not being too overly complex where you are constantly getting stuck in places with no way out whatsoever. However, I did notice some instances where map layouts were essentially identical during multiple runs. And in one instance, I got a map layout where I literally had no way forward given my current set of abilities even after thorough exploration of the environment. Of course, your mileage might vary but the map design generation wasn’t really up to the mark during my time with the game.

Trinity Fusion places a lot of focus on exploration, and players are advised to explore each map in a thorough fashion before proceeding on to the next biome. Each biome has multiple optional rooms that contain anything from a precious health resource to better weapons or an upgrade station where you can choose a temporary stat upgrade that will last you for the run.

These upgrade stations give you a total of 3 upgrades to choose from, and it’s vital that you chain the effects of these upgrades to maximize the damage output of your character. For instance, if you have an upgrade that increases your critical chance, you should choose another upgrade that would increase your damage with each critical hit and so on and so forth. Carefully engaging with these mechanics can significantly increase your chances of success, and it makes the moment to moment combat feel a bit more engaging as well. There are also cursed chests that you can find in rooms which offer a powerful weapon in exchange for a curse that will last with you until you make it out of that biome. It’s a classic risk versus reward mechanic which adds a neat twist to the gameplay proceedings as well.

"Carefully engaging with these mechanics can significantly increase your chances of success, and it makes the moment to moment combat feel a bit more engaging as well."

Unfortunately, Trinity Fusion doesn’t really have a good art direction. Sure, it takes place in a fantasy world filled with different kinds of beasts but the art direction feels extremely generic and bland with little in the name of distinctiveness. This combined with the previously mentioned simplistic combat makes the moment-to-moment gameplay feel somewhat uninteresting. I also felt that Trinity Fusion suffers from balancing issues since I couldn’t even make it past the first couple of stages without a good amount of permanent upgrades. The initial levels felt a bit uninviting to me since I didn’t really stand a chance against enemies without those permanent upgrades which can feel a bit cheap and unfair. Even when I got hold of a couple under my belt, they felt like very marginal upgrades to my character which didn’t really help me ease into the experience. As such, the first few hours playing Trinity Fusion revolved around grinding for upgrades before I was able to comfortably cross levels and start making some real progress.

For everything that Trinity Fusion does right, it fumbles in something that is equally crucial to nailing the experience of a great roguelite. As such, it was pretty hard for me to be impressed by this game. It’s not a bad game by any means, and it does have some cool concepts in its mechanics but the execution isn’t impressive which makes it a mediocre experience.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

After many open world games that were released in 2023, we have another game that looks to end the year on a high note with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Developed by Massive of The Division fame, it sees players traversing the new Western Frontier and meeting the different tribes. Of course, the RDA remains a threat, and thus, the player must fight back.

As a first-person game, players can use firearms and bows to take out enemies. There are other things to immerse players in the experience, from free-running through environments and checking landmarks to finding specific objectives to a mini-game for plucking fruit. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora launches on December 7th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, and should be a strong end to a year of blockbusters.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy (Switch)

One of the most acclaimed superhero games of all time and one of the best video game trilogies is finally coming to Nintendo Switch in Batman: Arkham Trilogy. It’s out on December 1st and includes Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight with all their skins, Challenge Packs and story DLC. Altogether, it requires 53 GB of space on the Nintendo Switch, with the physical version requiring a download of the second and third games. How performance pans out remains to be seen, but Batman: Arkham Trilogy warrants a look for newcomers on the Switch.

SteamWorld Build

Image and Forms’ SteamWorld series returns with SteamWorld Build, which launches on December 1st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Unlike previous entries, this is a city-builder with elements of Dungeon Keeper thrown in. As part of a group of robot settlers, you build up a town, aiming to excavate Old Tech from the mine to find a way off the dying world.

It’s your job to hire Workers, expand the town, rebuild the train station and mine, bring in Engineers, manage resources and expenses, and much more on the surface. Meanwhile, you mine different resources below, fight off dangerous creatures (including giant worms with an appetite for robots) and explore relatively unknown paths while delving deeper.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria (PS5)

Despite its flaws, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is an interesting take on Tolkien’s world and launches on December 5th for PS5. Set in the Fourth Age, players create their custom Dwarf and venture to Moria to reclaim it. One doesn’t simply walk in, even with the word “friend”, so you must navigate its once-grand halls, desolate caves and abandoned quarters filled with Orcs, Goblins and other nasties.

As a survival sandbox adventure, gathering materials and crafting new weapons and armor is necessary, especially when encountering powerful bosses like the Watcher in the Water. There’s plenty of mining, though staving off the darkness, eating and establishing bases throughout is also important.

Baldur’s Gate 3 (Xbox Series X/S)

Probably the biggest release of the month already available on other platforms, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a headliner for Game of the Year. The game features an intriguing journey with multiple quests, unique consequences and an incredibly reactive world, including the titular city itself.

With hundreds of different ways to play, a typical playthrough can take about 75 to 100 hours, depending on the player. The Xbox Series X/S version is out next month, with the developer to announce a proper launch date at The Game Awards on December 7th. Local split-screen won’t be available for Xbox Series S at launch, but it’s still in the works.

Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance

As a “gritty” real-time strategy game, Slitherine’s Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance focuses on future wars between humans and Legion in the Dark Fate timeline. As the Founders’ commander, you must fight back against the deadly machines, battling across maps and recruiting allies to your cause.

Between different tactics, unit training, vehicles, weapons and more, you can also make decisions that influence a faction’s behavior towards you. If that weren’t enough, physics-based destruction allows for even more mayhem, while Skirmish and Multiplayer allow for playing as the Resistance and Legion. Terminator: Dark Fate – Defiance launches on December 7th for PC.

The Day Before

After delays, a shift to Unreal Engine 5, even more delays, a trademark dispute, and – you guessed it – delays, Fntastic’s The Day Before is finally launching on December 7th for PC…via Steam Early Access. Players can explore New Fortune City and its surrounding areas, purchase and customize weapons, scavenge resources and fulfill requests for Woodberry Survivor Colony’s residents.

There’s an extraction shooter vibe, especially since you can encounter other players while battling against hordes of zombies. We won’t believe it until it’s in our hands, but The Day Before has our attention. Time will tell if the gameplay can keep us hooked until more updates roll out.

Custom Mech Wars

Craving mech combat action, especially after clearing Armored Core 6 three times? Need something to fill the void? D3 Publisher’s Custom Mech Wars probably isn’t the answer, but it looks like a fun time. Launching on December 14th for PS5 and PC, you can customize whatever mech you want. It can result in hilarious combinations, from tanks with legs to oversized arms and much more with no restrictions. A story mode with support for up to four players is available, promising a “variety” of missions.

Pioneers of Pagonia

Between SteamWorld Build and Against the Storm, it’s a month of city-builders, and Pioneers of Pagonia is yet another to add to the list. It’s set in a world of numerous islands, as you build a settlement, make alliances and explore the world (with maps procedurally generated). Of course, you’ll need to deal with bandits, wild creatures and more while helping fellow tribes. Launching in Steam Early Access for PC on December 13th, there are over 40 buildings and 70 goods to manage, along with a map creator and difficulty options.

Trinity Fusion

Currently available in Steam Early Access, Trinity Fusion is a rogue-lite action platformer where players control their parallel selves on a mission to save the multiverse. Levels are procedurally generated, with “hundreds” of custom rooms, though some hand-crafted areas and challenges are also in play.

There are three different parallel versions, each with unique abilities, and their worlds offer different biomes to explore, from caverns and labs to cities in the sky. Overall, the visuals look good and the gameplay smooth – we’ll see how the final version fares when it launches on December 15th for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and PC.