14 DAY TRIAL // I fire three quick explosive arrows toward a group of enemies advancing on me, pausing only to jump away from one of their own projectiles. I then slide forward, avoiding an incoming slash, and slice two mechanical opponents at the same time, before vaulting over them. They continue their attack routines in the wrong direction.
This gives me time to see that a flying robot is coming at me from behind. It has limited health, so two blade slashes eliminate it. But the other group of two has re-targeted me and I get a projectile to the face. Slide again, close the distance, and use the sword to finally take them down, not before one manages to deal a little more damage. Health is very hard to come by, so I need to do better in future combat encounters.
Trinity Fusion is developed and published by Angry Mob Games. I played a preview version on the PC using Steam. This is a pretty classic take on action-adventure mechanics, with a rogue-lite structure.
Players can choose from three characters: Altara, Kera, and Naira. They are all aspects of the player as the Hitchhiker, capable of moving from one universe to another. The game’s entire multiverse is slowly being destroyed and only these three characters, working across the different worlds, have the power to stop this.
They will do so by engaging in exploration and combat. All three characters are nimble and fast, able to double hump and slide both to reach new locations and avoid enemy attacks. Levels are pretty big and feature some environmental challenges.
But the meat of Trinity Fusion is the combat. Each universe features a range of opponents, with unique moves, mostly hanging out in groups. The three characters come equipped with different weapons and special abilities and can gain more while exploring a level. Success in battle is linked to good movement, quick slides, and well-time use of the equipped weapons.
Enemies hit hard and can easily take out a quarter of a health bar in two or three attacks. Gamers need to learn their patterns, see how the abilities of a group complement each other and then use their own skills to dismantle that. Solid reflexes also help.
After death, players will choose who they want to use for their next run. Then they can explore the core hub, which gives them a chance to unlock permanent upgrades that will improve the combat performance of all characters. All the mechanics fit well with each other but a little more innovation and weirdness could add an extra layer of attraction to the experience.
Trinity Fusion is decent looking but with no major surprises. The levels are a mix of procedural generation and hand-crafted space but look a little generic. Given the multiverse premise, I expected some extra weirdness. The good news is that movement and combat animations are smooth and do not get in the way of gameplay. The soundtrack seems ok, although I would like a little more impact from the battle sounds.
Conclusion
My biggest worry is that the entire experience doesn’t have enough of a twist to stand out in a crowded space. Maybe the multiverse concepts will be enough to attract players. Trinity Fusion is created by a team that clearly likes its core concepts but some innovation needs to join its solid execution to make it a success.
A preview code was provided by the publisher.
