8Bit/Digi

A Familiar Journey in a New World

Trinity Trigger isn’t a game that wants to reinvent the wheel or redefine a genre. It’s one of those works that accepts the genre norms while knowing the audience all too well. That is not to say it’s a generic experience that is devoid of anything original. It strikes the perfect balance of being what you enjoy and standing out. 

This is one of those games I started with no expectations only to enjoy the overall experience. Trinity Trigger is one of those JRPG titles that was obviously made for genre fans. At the same time, it’s extremely welcoming to curious gamers. 

A War Between the Gods

The world of Trinitia is one plagued by a hidden conflict between the Gods of Order and the Gods of Chaos. Players take on the role of Cyan and his companions, Elise and Zantis, who each have a special power (called a Trigger) that they need to master. Along the way, they get embroiled in this conflict and must find a way to bring peace to their world. 

From a narrative perspective, the story has a balance between the standard tropes and enough elements to keep players invested. On the surface, it’s a by-the-books story seen in almost every fantasy game or anime. What makes it unique is how the world is defined along with the many characters that populate it. Besides the core party, you will meet a variety of people who will help you along the way or add to the lore of the game. 

All of this is complemented by its visually stunning design choices. Cutscenes are anime style that borrows the design elements used in classics like Valkyrie Profile. This design choice also brought over to the game world but with a more colorful vision. Perfectly setting the overall tone of the players’ journey. 

A Divine Clash

The best way to sum it up, Trinity Trigger is a game that takes the best of PlayStation 2 era JRPG’s while incorporating modern mechanics and features. 

The gameplay mechanics are the standard ones seen in most action JRPGs. Players will work in a squad to explore numerous worlds while battling a variety of foes and bosses. During the journey, you will earn XP while also finding loot that will enhance your journey. At the same time, you will need to solve puzzles to overcome an obstacle. Combat is tied to the player’s weapon, skills, and stamina which makes each attack action having to matter. 

The world itself is massive yet perfectly proportioned. It offers abundant opportunities for exploration and discovery. Simultaneously, traversing it to level up or uncover its hidden wonders is easily achievable. Each world possesses its own distinctive theme, concealed secrets, and unparalleled challenges. Should you be pressed for time, fast travel serves as a convenient option.

Finally, I have to praise Trinity Trigger for breaking away from several annoying genre staples. While trivial at first glance, it’s welcoming once you put in a lot of playtime. From the start, it does not take its time to open up its gameplay or actually get started. Players will hit the ground running from the very start while every key gameplay element becomes available within the first 20 minutes. Another example is how entire conversations can be skipped instead of repeatedly pressing a button (some conversations I don’t need to sit through). 

Wrath of the Gods

For all Trinity Trigger does right, it also falls short on some obvious issues. Key among them is the inability to adjust the camera angle and how objective markers are unhelpful. 

The inability to adjust the camera angle is annoying from the very start as it becomes clear you will miss some secrets. It becomes a bigger issue when you need to explore the labyrinth. Not only will you miss hidden secrets but also the path you need to take. In regards to the objective markers, they only seem to show on the map once you’re in the correct stage. Prior to that, you will be wandering around aimlessly trying to figure out where to go. A problem that is made worse by the inability to adjust the camera angle.

It should be noted that these shortcomings are annoying but they don’t deter me from enjoying the overall game. I feel one should just be aware of these faults before going in but not to judge the overall experience by these shortcomings.

A New Adventure 

Trinity Trigger wants to recreate the experience of a PlayStation era JRPG’s while incorporating the lessons learned from the last 30 years. It succeeds at being a familiar adventure while also being its own story. While it does have some shortcomings but they can easily be overlooked. 

Disclaimer: XSEED Games provided the game used in this review.

This review is the critique and thoughts of one writer. If you want to see how other critics felt then check it out on OpenCritic.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides an insight into the gamer community of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Trinity Trigger (PC)

9

Excellent

9.0/10

Pros

• A familiar experience with elements to keep it unique
• Visually stunning design choices
• Easy to learn and master gameplay mechanics
• Breaks scrapes several annoying genre staples.

Cons

• Unable to adjust the camera angle.
• Objective markers are unhelpful.