Trine 2 is an amazing game; let me get this out of the way first. It’s about teamwork and incredible platforming which challenges your wit to the limits. It’s also about using the powers of the three characters in the game, namely Thief, Wizard, and Knight to overcome obstacles. What makes the game so appealing is the setting, which oozes with spectacular art design and graphics that puts many other games to shame.

The powers of the three characters are quite simple yet unique. The Wizard can create items out of nothing and make them float in the air; the Knight can brute force his way through the enemies with his sword and mace; the Thief can use his grappling hook and do some clever things with the bow and arrow. You can switch between the characters any time, and this also helps if you are stuck in a place.

Trine 2 does justice to the fantasy setting, as it is one of the most beautiful games I have played this year. The PC version of the game sports superior image quality, and this is apparent when you plug in your PC to your HDTV and along with the Xbox 360 controller. It’s one of the best audio visual experiences of this generation.

The visual style grips you till the end with a wide variety of environments in display. From forests to caverns to beaches, yes, beaches, the game doesn’t disappoint when it comes to level design. Trine 2’s artists deserve a huge mention here, as the artistic design is spectacular. You don’t even need a high end PC to enjoy the visuals.

The controls are perfect, although, it may take some time getting used to it. Since the characters have different powers, mastering them can take a while and can also result in accidental deaths. You will encounter many enemies in the game ranging from, oversized spiders to snails. You can find yourself getting stuck in this game a lot, as the puzzles are quite hard here. How you use your characters and their powers determine how you solve the puzzles.

The game is short mind you. It took me 7 hours to complete it, and the great thing here was that there is hardly any filler material here. This is a great example of design, as it keeps the game interesting till the end. Trine 2’s music is wonderful, and really immerses you in the game. The game features co-op modes as well. Yes, you can play online or offline with your friends and it makes the game quite fun as you can combine the powers of all the characters to do some interesting things in the game.

The meat of the game i.e., the platforming is fantastic and quite challenging, and combined with the visual splendor, this is one of the best games of this year. You can upgrade your characters’ powers as you level up in the game. There are hidden experience orbs usually in the hard to reach places that make the entire game so satisfying.

The game costs $15 on PSN and PC and 1200 MSP on live, and you couldn’t spend the money on any better game this year than Trine 2. If you loved the first game, then this will shock and awe you a lot, as it is one of the best polished sequels I have seen.

This game was reviewed on the PC.