I've now gotten exactly as far in single-player as I did in multiplayer. It took me almost the exact same amount of time and I wound up with slightly more experience points. I guess it's fair to say that Trine works just fine as a single player game.
Some obstacles, particularly the large boss monsters, take a bit more effort to get past, but any savings there is offset by the ease at which I can simply switch to the optimal character to get past simple obstacles. The later games in the series definitely felt more optimized towards the multiplayer experience, so it will be interesting to compare once I get around to playing them. The game would probably be best with three players, each forced to stick with one of the three characters. It would actually be harder than single player, because certain characters are ill-suited to certain obstacles, and thus it would take more teamwork to get past them.
Although, I think it's fair to say that the aspect of multiplayer I miss most is the companionship of my good friend, and the unique challenges posed by the imprecision of communication.
I guess this is the part where I should actually try and explain what Trine is all about. It's a platformer/puzzle game where you can switch between three characters - a wizard who can conjure boxes and planks, but is useless for much else, a thief who is agile and has a ranged attack and grappling hook, and a knight who has a powerful melee attack and a shield that can deflect projectiles. The levels are scattered with various traps and obstacles that can be overcome with one or more of the various characters. The better traps are open-ended enough that you can take multiple different approaches. The best traps are the ones that require a combination of the characters' abilities.
I bought this game primarily for the plot. I thought it would act as an origin story for the heroes and the Trine, a mystical artifact that binds their souls together and appears, in later games, to force them to go on adventures. On that count, I am somewhat disappointed. Basically, there was an undead invasion, but it had not quite arrived at the Astral Academy, employer of the wizard and a place protected by the knight. For whatever reason, during this invasion, the thief decided to rob the Astral Academy while this was all going on, and the three characters just happened to be in the treasure room at roughly the same time. They then activated the Trine and the rest is history.
As of my most recent save, roughly half way through the game, the three are on a quest to undo the binding effect of the Trine. This involves finding its complementary artifacts - one relating to the mind and another to the body - and probably incidentally solving the undead problem along the way.
The characterization of the three is rougher than it is in the sequels, though I can see the shapes of the familiar characters starting to emerge. Their banter and overall group dynamics are the best part of the story, and it makes sense that future games will emphasize it more.
I expect I'll get through the rest of Trine with no real trouble and no real surprises. It will probably slow down in the second half, but I'd be surprised if it takes more than 4 more hours. Let's call it a prediction. My next post will be after beating the game (or becoming so hopeless stuck that I need to vent). We'll see how right I am.
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