Trine is back, and it looks better than ever! Developer Frozenbyte (Nine Parchments, Has-Been Heroes) and publisher THQ Nordic have announced Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy. As we return to the world of Trine, we must repair the damage that has been done to our reputations, as the scheming from our antagonists has brought about distrust in the heroes of Trine. With your families in danger, will you be able to do what it takes to save them?
As part of our first-look preview here at CGMagazine, we were not able to go hands-on with Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy, but we watched a sizable chunk of gameplay, talked to the team, and were able to ask some questions as well. Originally released in 2009, the Trine series has deep roots in gaming for its on-the-fly character swapping and unique puzzles, and with Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy, things are looking good.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy returns to the 2.5D visual style—and with a gorgeous art style packed to the brim with colour—it couldn’t have done a lot more to make itself look better than it does. From the backgrounds to the character designs, and elemental effects, Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy leaps off the screen.
It really is amazing the amount of detail, love, and attention that went into showing off not only the parts of Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy that you interact with but the backgrounds and scenery, which come to life right in front of you. Flickering candles in the windows of far-off, spooky homes with mist and fog rolling through, flags waving off the side of distant castles, and individual leaves that could be plucked from the trees really show the attention to detail.
Gameplay seems to have remained steady across the series, with Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy following suit. Utilizing multiple characters (the knight, wizard, and rogue), the player must solve puzzles and fight enemies. Swapping on the fly between each is crucial to some of the puzzle elements, which appears a bit hectic at times but looks really impressive when completed by someone who knows what they’re doing.
While the swapping mechanic becomes less cumbersome in multiplayer, the player is instead working cooperatively to time out what you would otherwise be left to do on your own, making Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy a better fit for group play. Either way that you choose to play, combat seems pretty straightforward, with the knight taking on the majority of the load as the shield-bearing, sword-wielding member of this fellowship, while the rogue’s bow and mage’s spells come in handy on occasion as well.
“From the backgrounds to the character designs, and elemental effects, Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy leaps off the screen.”
More compelling are the puzzles and boss battles, which need a great number of abilities from the heroes in order to be completed successfully. You may find yourself needing to create a platform with the knight’s sword by throwing it against a wall, followed by the wizard moving a block onto a set of spikes while switching over to the rogue to swing over it all. Elements add in a fun piece of the equation, such as water, fire, air, electricity, and so on, can all be used in various ways based on how real elements work.
Luckily for players who aren’t great at puzzles, the difficulty settings not only affect battling but make the puzzles different as well. A run on the easiest setting may have the player simply use the knight to push a wall out of the way, but in harder settings, you may also need to use the wizard to rotate a platform prior to the knight being able to move said wall, for example.
While that may be an oversimplification, the sentiment is there, and it’s a huge plus for those who don’t like getting stuck while also offering multiple playthroughs for those who really want to see all the puzzle combinations. The puzzles really are the meat and potatoes of Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy, after all, with the hack-and-slash combat and basic platforming coming secondary.
“How beautiful Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is to look at is just the icing on the cake…”
Skill quests are one of several new features in Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy, where each character can complete challenges in order to get new skills, which can also be upgraded. The knight can learn to throw his sword to create a platform, as previously mentioned, while the thief could then learn to connect their rope to it or use a ricochet arrow off of it. Additionally, a ghost mechanic with which you can revive your fallen friends is now available (much like the bubble mechanic in New Super Mario Bros. U)
For those players out there who may be worried about jumping into a series’ fifth entry, fear not, as the team has assured us that the experience can be enjoyed entirely on its own. While there are obvious references to the previous titles for those fans who have been following along since the beginning, for those who make Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy their first time in the world of Trine, it should be just as dandy for you.
As someone who has only played a few bits here and there of the previous Trine titles, I can’t understate how excited this preview got me for Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy. As someone who loves puzzles, the complexity of some of what I saw and the need to master each character class scream everything I would like from a game. How beautiful Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is to look at is just the icing on the cake, even if the multiplayer focus and monotonous-looking combat seem less remarkable.
Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
