Trine 2: The Goblin Menace DLC for Mac OS X
Trine 2 for Mac OS X
Loading...The Goblin Menace is the name of the first expansion for side-scrolling puzzling platformer Trine 2 and the puzzles are just as menacing as the goblins.
Released on September 7th, by respected developers Frozenbyte, the expansion brings an entire new story line to Trine 2 and adds 6 brand new levels to the already existing 13.
Both of the Trine games are well-known for clever puzzles with elegant solutions and the release of The Goblin Menace stays true to this formula and features several new puzzles, based on light, water, low gravity and magnetic fields. You switch between three characters in order to use their special abilities and skills to progress through the level. Zoya the thief will aid you in navigating the level with her grappling hook. Amadeus the wizard is your problem solving extraordinaire, he can move and create objects with his magic. Pontius the knight is your beast-slaying, monster-murdering buffoon.
Whilst each character has a natural affinity for a certain task, the addition of six new skills, two for each character, arm your group of heroes with everything they need to overcome the Goblin Menace. Of these skills, each character gains one skill tailored towards one of the new puzzle elements, for example, magnetism or low gravity. As an extra gift, each character gets an upgrade of a previous skill. Amadeus, for example, can now access the ‘Monster Cage’ skill, allowing him to trap enemies in one of his magical boxes. The new skills merge into the base game perfectly and although some may not have much use in the original game, they could offer new ways to reach hidden areas.
Trine 2 is an unforgiving game. If you’re unprepared for the next situation you walk into you are likely to die and the death of one team member can cause large problems for the rest of the team. As if it wasn’t bad enough being killed by goblins, you also have to navigate around a very dangerous map, swinging over dangerous pits and avoiding spikes and being shot at by cannons make an extremely frustrating puzzle even more annoying.
The game is a great experience. Solving puzzles, killing enemies and moving onto the next set of challenges in a new level with gorgeous scenery and music tailored to each environment will leave you feeling utterly satisfied and longing for more.
The Goblin Menace expansion integrates with the existing Trine 2 multiplayer, the only exception being that the new levels are only available to people who own the DLC. However, playing multiplayer with a user who owns the DLC enables every player to utilise the new Goblin Menace skills.
If the only bad thing I can find to say about this expansion is that the puzzles are a bit hard, I think that proves that Frozenbyte have once again managed to provide players with a product that is more than worth the cost. The expansion brings new material to every aspect of the game and there’s enough to keep you occupied for hours.
If you enjoyed Trine 2 and are looking for something to extend the adventure, The Goblin Menace is a worthy purchase, increasing the amount of levels by around 50%, adding new terrain and skills to play around with at a stand-alone release quality.
Frozenbyte also used this release as an opportunity to fix and implement some new features so for everyone who does and anyone who doesn’t purchase The Goblin Menace there are a variety of new gameplay updates for you, including access to the new Configure Controls menu and an arrow showing player locations in multiplayer.
[Editor’s note: There are currently some minor bugs affecting things like the ability to use a controller, which the developer is working to get fixed.]