Trine 5 gives the series’ heroes some new abilities

THQ Nordic has pulled back the curtain on the next game in the Trine series, called Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy. GamesBeat recently got the chance to take a peek at the upcoming game. We saw some of its gameplay, including puzzle and combat sections. It has a lot of the series’ familiar vibes, being a 2.5D puzzle platformer, though the three heroes are given a few more abilities.

As is typical for Trine games, the series gameplay is based around environmental puzzles more than combat. There is combat in the game, and the heroes can hold their own. However, most of the work that players will be doing is figuring out how to mold the environment to let them progress. Pontius the Knight now has the ability to wedge his sword into flat surfaces, letting him create a new surface from which to jump. Zoya the Thief gets ricochet arrows, an upgrade from Trine 4’s DLC. Players can upgrade characters’ skills with XP.

Trine 5 is also gorgeous, with the series’ signature bright, colorful art design on full display. This game appears to lean into the clockpunk aesthetic of previous Trine titles. This is in keeping with the game’s story, which features two villains in charge of a clockwork army. One slightly disappointing feature is the lives system, which feels like a relic.

The series still feels like it’s trying to recover from the disappointment of Trine 3. That game shifted from the series core gameplay and style to a fan-disappointing degree. Trine 5 looks much more like older games in the series, such as Trine 2, and seems to play like them as well. From the glimpse we were given, fans of the original Trine games may find this a return to form.