Trine 2

Soooo Amnesia scares the crap out of me, so I've been playing Trine 2 in the background....well it turns out I beat Trine 2 and the DLC Goblin Menace or whatever it's called.

Trine 2

What I expected:  Trine 1, but prettier.

What I got:  Trine 1, but prettier and a bit more depth.  Ultimately, what I think most sequels should be.

What I liked: Dear lord the art direction is fantastic.  Additionally it's a very beautiful game from a technological perspective.  There is a very healthy amount of organic objects in this game, and they all feel exactly as they should.  The DLC especially has some incredible vistas and environments.  While we're on the subject of the DLC,  this is exactly how I imagine DLC should be, a mini-expansion pack.  It gave new talents to the talent trees, and gave brand new environments and enemies.  One level inparticular, takes place inside a giant worm.  Holy crap it is amazing.  Everything feels like a giant worm's insides.  Almost everything moves, and drips with slime.  I almost wish there was a whole DLC pack dedicated to this level.  The DLC also was much harder than the main game, this is also what I like to see in DLC.

Some Trine does very well is the feeling of cheating the game.  There were many puzzles where I felt like I hacked my way through it, by building a very weird contraption that got me through it.  It didn't *feel* like I beat it how they intended, but perhaps that's exactly what they intended.  One of my favorite feelings in my gaming life has been world 1 level 2 of Super Mario Bros, when I jumped up on top of the level and zoomed past it.  I felt like I broke the game, and that was awesome.  Of course that was completely intentional, and that's how you warped ahead.  Not enough games recreate that feeling.

What I didn't like:  How I felt like I cheated the game....often.  I felt like I was doing something wrong half the time.  Every once in a while the feeling of cheating was great, but it happened multiple times in almost every level.  Each time I felt like I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to do it.  Maybe this is a minor gripe.

I also hated how it basically requires you to play through the game more than once to 100% it.  That's a major frustration for me in current games.  It seems like people like to introduce artificial replayability by making you play the game again to 100% something.  Look, I don't think replayability is all that important.  I think if your game is fun, people will replay it.  Consider movies, there is zero reason why you should ever watch a movie again.  Nothing has changed, no achievements to unlock by watching it again. Yet, we all watch movies more than once, because the feeling we get is great.  I think great games recreate that great feeling without gimmicks.

Final thoughts:  I really enjoy puzzle platformers that are quick to play and aren't very punishing.  This game delivered on all points, and was gorgeous to boot.

How much did I pay:  $4.37 (included dlc cost)

How many hours did I play:  13

Dollar per Hour:  ~$0.34

How much would I pay for this game in perfect hindsight:  $15 (including DLC)

Why?:  Incredibly pretty and solid game play.  Good length too (I like games to be 12ish hours).  No major complaints.  What else is there to say?  I didn't touch coop, but that's because I'm forever alone.