Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Score: 8.5 / 10
Trinity Trigger is a dive into the nostalgic past of JRPGs. A nostalgic dive done really well while also being modernized enough to keep it up to par in today's market. So let's dive into the review and see just what Trinity Trigger has to offer.
Trinity Trigger stars, surprise, three characters from different walks of life who come together through divine intervention. Quite literally, actually. You'll first be introduced to Cyan, a young man living with his sister after his parents have passed away. He makes a living as a Scavenger, someone who explores the local Arma to collect materials and defeat the monsters within. Well, he also happens to have a sigil in his eye, so there's that too. One day a girl named Elise stops by and tells him she can help him figure out the details about the sigil. It isn't too long before you meet Zantis and your trio is complete.
Trinity Trigger has a really interesting storyline and crafted world going on for it. In an age where the Gods of Order and Chaos have long since stopped battling between themselves for supremacy, the broken weapons of the Gods have fallen to the ground, forever altering the landscape in accordance with what the God presides over. These weapons, or Arma, are home to many mysteries, and monsters alike. Scavengers are those who make it their mission to explore the Arma in order to collect mechanisms or materials. Trinity Trigger is set in a continent with a vast array of different landscapes all caused by the descent of the Arma and the impact they have on the land around them, which is why you can have an ice filled mountain right next to an arid desert.
In terms of gameplay, Trinity Trigger takes on a bit of an old-school flavour. You have a top-down 3-D style where you explore areas, beat up enemies, break objects for materials, and solve puzzles. For combat, you have a range of options, consisting of three characters to swap between (if you aren't playing multiplayer), 8 different weapon types to unlock, as well as customizable combo options. That seems like a little much maybe, so let's break it down a little more for you. When you first start playing you'll be limited to what weapons you can use, and may have to swap between other characters who have different weapons. Each weapon type has its own benefits and demerits, as well as effectiveness against different types of creatures or bosses. As you continue through the game you will start unlocking more weapon types.
Now, with these weapon types you can swap on the fly in the middle of battle, but you can also equip different combo moves. Each weapon has a three hit combo that consumes stamina to use each hit. If you run out of stamina you can still attack, but your damage is SEVERELY reduced. Each hit in the combo you can select one of two different moves, some are lower damage ratings but have effects attached, such as small health regen on hit. Your combo moves can be upgraded with TP that you can acquire from defeating enemies. As you attack and get attacked, you also build up two different gauges: an aura and a trinity attack. The trinity attack will hit all enemies on-screen for large (but capped) damage, and the aura changes based on the equipped weapon, but can be anything from a boost to attack damage to a temporary health regen. There is also a weapon skill that recharges over time, and is like a special move for the weapon you have equipped.
In combat you also have a dodge, which is a fairly integral part for fighting, especially the later in the game you get. Dodging just before an attack hits will nullify any damage, as well as refill a chunk of your stamina gauge. At this point, I'd like to talk a bit about your teammates. GENERALLY, your teammates are rather competent. They will dodge, attack, and usually position themselves well based on the weapon they are using. What they won't do is use weapon skills or auras, or swap weapons, you'll need to swap over to them to do that yourself. The AI on deciding how to dodge is also fairly...temperamental. Thankfully your AI controlled teammates take reduced damage. Where the AI really falls apart though is in the late/post game of the primary storyline. Your buddies have very little grasp about the concept of sustained attacks or the introduction of lingering effects. For example, there is a boss that has a fire breath, and can also drop puddles of burning fire. At the time of writing this (not sure if this'll get patched), your allies will dodge the first hit, and then not care about sitting in the damage zone until they die.
Now, I'd like to point out right now that all these big attacks are VERY well telegraphed, either by a big wind-up from the enemy, or a glowing zone on the floor you want to get away from. These attacks hurt. Like, really bad. Late into the post game, there are some enemies that could 2 shot me easily with big moves. It's actually really fun, because the focus is on learning attacks and how best to avoid them and using good judgement. While you can carry around a small house equivalent of healing items, you'll find as the game progresses you'll be using more and more of those on your allies, leaving none left for you. Legitimately, some of the optional bonus bosses I just left my allies dead because it was less wasteful. Did this make the fight three times longer? Oh definitely, but it wasn't quite as frustrating. Luckily you could just play with friends, and get mad at them instead! Up to three people, which is really nice.
In relation to what I said above, there is more than just the...main, I suppose, storyline. After "clearing the game", a multitude of new sidequests appear, which you map will indicate to you if a sidequest is available in an area. As you clear these sidequests you get to unlock more things, gain access to new areas, and fight more bosses, as well as start new storylines. I'm inclined to say the game is probably twice as long as the first time you view the credits, if you want it to be.
Now, let's talk about another integral function to Trinity Trigger: crafting. While weapons are static and power increases come from unlocks and TP to increase stats, both items and manatite can be crafted once you get a recipe to what you want to make. Items are pretty self explanatory, so let's talk about manatite. Manatite can be slotted into weapons as both offensive and defensive options. Only one type of each manatite can be attached at a time, and depending on the rating and quality, can have multiple or increased effects. For example, a higher rated attack stone could increase damage by 30%, very useful for healthier bosses. You can craft manatite to slot in at any crafting store once you unlock the option.
I think that pretty much covers what you need to know about combat related things, so let's talk about the art-style and soundtrack decisions. If you've played Alliance Alive, that's a good basis for the art-style. Outside of the hand-drawn character portraits from some of the dialogue scenes, you have 3D characters in a sort of chalk-y pastel chibi like style in a really well-crafted world. It really brings that old-school nostalgia but with graphics that wouldn't be put down by today's standards. The soundtrack is also pretty good, doing a nice job of catching the themes and concepts associated with both area themes and the battle themes.
Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed Trinity Trigger. Even though the ally AI can get frustrating the later into the game you get, there is a lot to enjoy. The combat is fun, the customization is easy enough to deal with if you don't want to delve too deep, but is also expansive enough when combined with the weapon combos where you can really get into it. There are plenty of interesting sidequests and optional content to tackle, and the wide array of weapons really keeps things fresh. Whether you're looking for something to meet that nostalgic feeling you need filled or a new player to retro style themed games, Trinity Trigger is a great addition to your library.
Score: 8.5 / 10
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