Developer: Indie-us Games
Publisher: Indie-us Games
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5
Tested on: PS5
TrinityS – Review
Boss fights have been a vital part of games since the dawn of time, posing a big threat at the end of certain sections and pushing the player’s abilities to their limit. Since they’re so much fun, it’s no wonder that many games have focused on only delivering this part of the experience, making you face big bad after big bad. While most of these games focus on fast-paced single-player experiences, TrinityS tries to deliver a unique formula by presenting endgame MMO-style bosses that you will face with up to two friends.
Story
Since TrinityS skips over hundreds of hours of MMO gameplay where you will normally experience the game’s narrative, there isn’t much of a story to talk about. You take on the role of one of three adventurers, who are tasked with taking down a bunch of big monsters, and that’s it. There isn’t any context around who these adventurers are, where the game takes place, or why you are slaughtering these majestic beasts. The heroes themselves aren’t that memorable either since they fall under the stereotypical classes of warrior, black mage, and white mage, with not a lot of features that make them stand out from the crowd.
It is pretty clear from the start that this game focuses on gameplay over story, so the lack of narrative isn’t that big of a deal. It’s always a pleasure when a game like this provides a bit of context about what’s happening on screen, that’s why we would have loved to see some kind of bestiary to at least tell you more about the creatures you face.
Graphics
TrinityS is one of those games that doesn’t look bad, but also not very noteworthy. The character designs are pretty basic and what you would expect from the classes they represent. The same can be said of the monsters you face: the fire monster looks exactly like one you’ve faced thousands of times before, and the ones you encounter after that follow pretty much the same philosophy. This in no way means the game’s ugly, but it’s just as average as the cheap price would suggest.
Sound
The way we feel about the graphics can be applied to the sound design as well. Every character and boss sounds very generic. Each monster is accompanied by a soundtrack that has an epic touch to it, but we reckon it will not be making an appearance on your Spotify playlist. All of this together delivers a presentation that does its job, but won’t leave any lasting impressions.
Gameplay
TrinityS is an action game that delivers boss fights in the fashion of MMORPGs. Due to this gameplay style, there is also a big focus on co-op mechanics that puts a team of three players against these fearsome foes. You can choose between playing with other actual players or AI teammates.
The gameplay loop in TrinityS is a pretty simple one. You pick one of three heroes, each with their own role and playstyle, after which you take on monster after monster. The characters you can choose between are your classical warrior, black mage, and white mage. The warrior is focused on dealing damage and tanking a lot of hits from the bosses, making most of his abilities taunt the monsters and buffing his defenses. The black mage is a damage dealer as well, but due to his lower defense, most of his attacks are managed from a distance, and he has access to debuffing skills. Lastly, there’s the white mage, who is tasked with healing the heroes and making sure they can keep on fighting. All of these characters feel distinct and offer unique gameplay experiences, making them a joy to check out and switch between. During your playthrough, each character unlocks new skills that can be switched out, letting players build their heroes fit for their playstyle.
The same things about uniqueness can be said for the monsters. Although their designs are pretty basic, each boss has its own mechanics and attacks that make them stand out from each other. Taking advantage of the arena, learning attack patterns, and figuring out how to deal with unique attacks are some of the most fun parts of the game.
While these aspects would normally be a recipe for success, TrinityS does fall a bit flat when it comes to the actual fights. During these encounters, players are meant to stand still most of the time to attack automatically and regain MP to use their special attacks. This means you are only actively participating when dodging enemy attacks or pressing a button to use your specials. The long reload times for these special attacks and the large amount of health the bosses have don’t do the games any favors either. These things aren’t game-breaking problems, but they can make the fun first encounters leave a bad taste in the mouth after a handful of retries. This is especially true when playing solo, since the AI isn’t that good at figuring out what they have to do.
Another issue that needs to be addressed is the lack of replay value the game offers. While there are some challenges to unlock new cosmetics, these are pretty grindy and don’t offer any actual gameplay value. Most of the replay value comes from the fact you want to check out the different characters, but this is ruined by the frustrating experience consecutive retries have.
Conclusion
TrinityS is a fun concept that fails to deliver on its premise. The characters and bosses you face are unique and offer a ton of gameplay variety, but most of the fun is lost due to some questionable gameplay designs and unoptimized elements. The lack of presentation also doesn’t do the game any favors. If you’re looking for a game to waste some hours on with friends, TrinityS might be an option, but you better stay with real MMOs if you want a satisfying experience.
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