While the game isn't due out until the spring of 2011, Big Download has gotten some of the first details about the sequel direct from Frozenbyte's CEO Lauri Hyvärinen. In the first official interview about Trine 2, he gives us the scoop about what to expect from the next game in the series:
First, Trine has become a cult success. Can you give us an idea on how many copies were sold for the PC version.
Our next PC milestone will be 200k units, and then there's the PS3 sales. For a downloadable title we feel it's quite good, and we are happy with the sales and the revenue it has generated for us. Trine reached the break-even point a while ago and the good sales mean that we are able to continue making great games. :)
When the time came to make the sequel what were your main goals?
We wanted to have online co-op. We've always wanted that but we never had the resources and time to do it until now. We also wanted to include all the cool features we didn't have time to do in Trine 1, and we wanted to fix a few things that people requested - these include the save system (in Trine 2 you can quit the game and later continue at the exact same place), release date and pricing stuff, difficulty spikes, boss fights and monster variety. And last but not least, we wanted to make the visuals even better. The first Trine is a very beautiful game... but Trine 2 looks even more gorgeous!
How does the sequel's storyline relate to the first game?
Trine 2 is set a few years after the first game. There's a lot more focus on the story this time around and you can expect to see some twists that bring our heroes to new and surprising locations...
Will we see the same three playable characters again or will there be new characters to play?
The characters remain the same - the Wizard, the Knight and the Thief. Their abilities have improved and they have gained a little bit more depth over the years, so there's still a whole lot of story left to be told.
Will Trine 2 retain its mix of puzzle and platform action game features?
Yes, the overall gameplay will have the same mix, although puzzles will now have even more solutions for each character and on the other hand puzzles will have a great deal of more variety. There will be enemies of course, and more than one enemy type. The skeletons have given way to something more challenging... Also, proper boss fights! :)
What sort of new features have been added to the mix?
Among the main improvements mentioned earlier we will also feature a lot of new level gameplay elements, such as giant mushrooms, magnets, air and fire flow, a lot of different machinery and some fluid gameplay, to name a few new elements.
Will there be co-op once again and how will it work compared to the first game?
Co-op will be there, online and offline. Finally! We have also paid great attention to make sure that each player has things to do, so it's not just the Wizard solving puzzles while the other two watch. :)
Any more multiplayer features planned for Trine 2?
At the moment we are focusing solely on online and offline co-op. The differences between the characters and multiple solutions to puzzles should provide a lot of replay value, though.
What graphical improvements can we expect to see in the sequel?
We have created completely new art assets from scratch to match our new internal quality standards. All the levels are also brand new so the experience will be completely fresh. Also, the whole game world will be alive, which is something we experimented with the first game but now we're kicking things in gear for real, for example all the vegetation moves in the wind. On the technical side, we have added a lot of neat shader effects, redone our particle system, added more shadows and otherwise focused on delivering one of the best looking games of 2011!
Any chance for a demo before the game is released?
Most likely, yes. We hope to have a demo available at the time of release although at this point it's still too early to promise.
What has it been like working with Atlus on the game?
It's been great. :) We've worked with a number of publishers in the past and Atlus is clearly the best. It's been clear from day one that they have worked on many games before and their experience will definitely help shape Trine 2 a better game.
Can you give us any hints on what other projects Frozenbyte is working on?
Well... We are working on another project in addition to Trine 2 and it will be a completely different experience. You will be surprised. That's all I can say. :)
Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Trine 2?
Keep watching the news and mark Spring 2011 in your calendars!
Our next PC milestone will be 200k units, and then there's the PS3 sales. For a downloadable title we feel it's quite good, and we are happy with the sales and the revenue it has generated for us. Trine reached the break-even point a while ago and the good sales mean that we are able to continue making great games. :)
When the time came to make the sequel what were your main goals?
We wanted to have online co-op. We've always wanted that but we never had the resources and time to do it until now. We also wanted to include all the cool features we didn't have time to do in Trine 1, and we wanted to fix a few things that people requested - these include the save system (in Trine 2 you can quit the game and later continue at the exact same place), release date and pricing stuff, difficulty spikes, boss fights and monster variety. And last but not least, we wanted to make the visuals even better. The first Trine is a very beautiful game... but Trine 2 looks even more gorgeous!
How does the sequel's storyline relate to the first game?
Trine 2 is set a few years after the first game. There's a lot more focus on the story this time around and you can expect to see some twists that bring our heroes to new and surprising locations...
Will we see the same three playable characters again or will there be new characters to play?
The characters remain the same - the Wizard, the Knight and the Thief. Their abilities have improved and they have gained a little bit more depth over the years, so there's still a whole lot of story left to be told.
Will Trine 2 retain its mix of puzzle and platform action game features?
Yes, the overall gameplay will have the same mix, although puzzles will now have even more solutions for each character and on the other hand puzzles will have a great deal of more variety. There will be enemies of course, and more than one enemy type. The skeletons have given way to something more challenging... Also, proper boss fights! :)
What sort of new features have been added to the mix?
Among the main improvements mentioned earlier we will also feature a lot of new level gameplay elements, such as giant mushrooms, magnets, air and fire flow, a lot of different machinery and some fluid gameplay, to name a few new elements.
Co-op will be there, online and offline. Finally! We have also paid great attention to make sure that each player has things to do, so it's not just the Wizard solving puzzles while the other two watch. :)
Any more multiplayer features planned for Trine 2?
At the moment we are focusing solely on online and offline co-op. The differences between the characters and multiple solutions to puzzles should provide a lot of replay value, though.
What graphical improvements can we expect to see in the sequel?
We have created completely new art assets from scratch to match our new internal quality standards. All the levels are also brand new so the experience will be completely fresh. Also, the whole game world will be alive, which is something we experimented with the first game but now we're kicking things in gear for real, for example all the vegetation moves in the wind. On the technical side, we have added a lot of neat shader effects, redone our particle system, added more shadows and otherwise focused on delivering one of the best looking games of 2011!
Any chance for a demo before the game is released?
Most likely, yes. We hope to have a demo available at the time of release although at this point it's still too early to promise.
What has it been like working with Atlus on the game?
It's been great. :) We've worked with a number of publishers in the past and Atlus is clearly the best. It's been clear from day one that they have worked on many games before and their experience will definitely help shape Trine 2 a better game.
Can you give us any hints on what other projects Frozenbyte is working on?
Well... We are working on another project in addition to Trine 2 and it will be a completely different experience. You will be surprised. That's all I can say. :)
Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Trine 2?
Keep watching the news and mark Spring 2011 in your calendars!
Big Download's E3 2010 coverage is sponsored by:
The Baconing (6/23/11)
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