Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power (v1.11)

A storybook kingdom turns unexpectedly perilous when three familiar heroes attempt to repair the shattered Trine and instead unleash a threat tied to powerful ancient artifacts. Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power blends colorful fantasy adventure with platforming, light combat, and environmental problem-solving, trading the earlier games’ strictly side-scrolling levels for fully three-dimensional spaces. Its painted forests, crumbling ruins, and magical machinery retain the series’ lavish fairytale look, while the new camera perspective makes every jump and puzzle feel less predictable. The tone stays playful and charming even as the heroes’ mission grows more dangerous.

Players swap freely between Pontius, Amadeus, and Zoya, using each hero’s specialty to navigate traps and overcome enemies. Pontius handles direct fights with his sword and shield, Zoya relies on bows and agile rope-swinging, and Amadeus creates objects that can weigh down switches, form stepping stones, or manipulate the environment. Most levels revolve around spotting a route through a hazard-filled area, then combining abilities and physics interactions to make that path work. The campaign supports solo play as well as local and online co-op for up to three players, where teammates can experiment with solutions—or accidentally turn a simple bridge puzzle into chaos.

The move into 3D is the game’s biggest strength and its biggest adjustment: it opens puzzles up in interesting ways, but platforming can feel more awkward than in Trine 2’s precise 2D design. Levels encourage curiosity with optional collectibles and alternate routes, while cooperative play gives familiar encounters a more improvisational character. Its adventure also ends rather abruptly, so players wanting a complete, sweeping sequel may find the storyline less satisfying than its predecessors. Even so, it remains an appealing choice for players who enjoy the cooperative puzzle-platforming of Trine 2, the light physics experimentation of LittleBigPlanet, and richly illustrated fantasy worlds.