Trine 4 The Nightmare Prince is a 2.5D action-adventure game developed by Frozenbyte and published by Modus Games. The Nightmare Prince is the fourth installment in the Trine series and sees the series’ return to its 2.5D roots after venturing into full 3D in Trine 3. The protagonists of the series - the wizard Amadeus, Pontius the Knight and Zoya the Knight – unite once again to find young prince Selius, whose nightmares started to slip into the real world. 

Return of the 2.5D gameplay

With The Nightmare Prince, the series returns to its 2.5D roots. The player can play as one of three characters: Amadeus, Pontius, and Zoya. Each of the characters have their specific uses: Amadeus’ magic can move objects to open new paths for the party, Pontius relies on his strength to cut through the enemy ranks and Zoya’s archery skills and grapple hook will come in handy for many occasions. The characters have their own skill trees, which the player can develop to increase their strengths.

Trine 4 can be played solo or in local or online cooperative multiplayer. Both in single and co-op game, the player has to solve puzzles, often involving the characters’ particular skills. In multiplayer, the difficulty level is adjusted by how many players are participating in the game.

Prince Selius’ nightmarish story

The world is in trouble again and only our three protagonists can save it! Young prince Selius is troubled by nightmares. As his magical powers grow, more and more of the monstrosities that haunt his sleep slip into the real world, threatening to overrun it completely. Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight and Zoya the Thief unite once more and embark on a quest to find the Nightmare Prince and help him before the monsters take over the world.

Reception

Trine 4 received favorable opinions of the critics. In their reviews, they mentioned the audiovisual side of the game as one of its best components. They noted how the veterans of the series would feel right at home, with very little changes introduced to the core gameplay mechanics. All in all, the reviewers recommended The Nightmare Prince as a very good side-scrolling action-adventure game and the best title in the Trine series.