For more on Trine 2, check out our full Trine 2 review. Or, for more of the best Nintendo Wii U games for a 10 year old, why not try our Family Game Finder
Trine 2 is a co-operative puzzle game for up to three players. Taking on the role of a choice of three adventurers - a wizard, a knight, and a nimble thief, you'll have to solve a collection of physics based puzzles in able to progress through the stunning fantasy world. Whether you're using a box to block a switch, moving a leaf to syphon water from one place to another, or building a pipe to reroute some hot air, which you can glide on to reach higher places, you'll need to make use of your surroundings if you want to solve the puzzles.
As it's been designed with co-operative multiplayer in mind, Trine 2 is a lot more challenging when you're playing on your own. When playing in multiplayer, there are a number of short cuts you can take to reach your goal, as the wizard can usually just get his friends to stand on a block, and then lift them all to the end - when playing on your own, you'll have to rely a lot more on your own skills, and trial and error, as you switch between the various characters to complete the puzzles.
As far as difficulty goes, Trine 2 can be rather confusing at times, with puzzles that you often seem to somehow muddle through rather than solve comprehensively. With an emphasis on observation, and putting your environment to use practically (along with, well, creating boxes), some puzzles don't seem to actually have a specific solution, instead requiring you to find your way to the end through pure luck alone, which may be particularly frustrating for younger players. While the game is fully voiced, the controls are also rather complex, requiring either an awkward mix of buttons and the touch screen on the GamePad, or, if playing in multiplayer, a Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo. All things considered, this is probably a bit too tricky for younger players.
As a mostly puzzle based game, Trine 2 doesn't contain much for parents to be concerned about. There's nothing in the way of swearing, or blood, guts, and gore - even arrows don't stick in your opponents. In fact, the only thing to really worry about is the difficulty of some of the puzzles...
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo Wii U
