Trinity Trigger PS5 Review – Trinity Trigger was hyped to be an excellent ARPG which brings together an all-star development team consisting of creators from titles like Xenoblade, Secret of Mana and Octopath Traveler. When I entered Trinity Trigger, I expected the next great ARPG to rival titles like the Y’s franchise.
Unfortunately, I ended up getting a game that exists and doesn’t show what these great developers were capable of in their past successes. Trinity Trigger doesn’t do anything unique or remarkable to elevate the ARPG genre, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an enjoyable title, as it still offers some fun combat and exploration.
Trinity Trigger PS5 Review
A Decent Story That Takes A Little To Long To Get Going
Trinity Trigger tells the story of Cyan, who joins allies Elise and Zantis as he journeys to figure out who he is and why assassins are after him. Throughout his adventure, he encounters a small creature known as a Trigger that can transform into a weapon.
Triggers of their own also accompany Elise and Zantis, but Cyan’s trigger has also lost his memories and doesn’t understand how he works and his purpose.
The story doesn’t leave a great first impression and only starts picking about twelve hours into the campaign. There are some great surprises in store, and it really lives up to the titles that came before it, but it’s also not anything we haven’t seen previously.
Nevertheless, its execution is what matters, and although it takes a while to get there, there is a good story to be told in Trinity Trigger. It’s just a question of whether you’ll see it through.
Fast-Paced Combat Is Fun But Uninspired
Combat is the bread and butter of games of this ilk, and Trinity Trigger does a good job of keeping it fast-paced. One cool aspect is the use of your Triggers. As you progress with the game, you’re Triggers will unlock new weapon types allowing them to take on a different weapon form.
Though this is a unique concept, it doesn’t make the characters memorable, as different characters can learn the same weapon types. The Bow, for example, is a Trigger both Cyan and Elies can learn, but they wield them precisely the same with the same attack animations.
Enemies have a weakness depending on the weapon type you’re using, and this in turn does inject some strategy into the proceedings when battling to switch up your weapon for the appropriate encounter constantly.
Attack Customization Adds Strategy To Every Encounter
Your Triggers can also be customized with different attacks. Each combo has a three-step attack. The nice thing is you can upgrade these attacks to be more powerful and switch them out between two different ones. Some attacks do more damage, but you may want to switch them up and make them more area-of-effect focused or equip attacks that increase your critical damage output.
This allows you to have two bow users on the field simultaneously but have their combos completely different, taking full advantage of the situation. You can also equip Manatites for each weapon type; accessories that boost your character depending on the weapon type they are wielding.
Manatites can also be equipped to boost your attack and armour, while some can be used to increase your defence or prevent poison and other status ailments from taking effect.
Elsewhere, crafting is a great way to acquire new Manatites. Monsters drop materials all the time, and this material can be used to craft new Manatites as long as you have the recipe to do it.
When crafting, the more of the required materials you use, the better you’re odds of building a high-quality Manatite that can provide the maximum stat boost. It can also gain a secondary buff like increased material drops and Libra (money) from defeated foes.
Plenty Of Locations To Visit And Explore
Exploration in Trinity Trigger can be fun. There are plenty of side quests from various townsfolk, but finding secrets and hidden chests is where I got most of my enjoyment.
Every time you enter a new area, a chest counter appears under the minimap, indicating how many treasure chests there are. Finding these chests felt great; some are well hidden, and you must look for secret paths to reach them.
You won’t be able to acquire all chests in some areas as you enter the location because you won’t have the necessary weapons to destroy the obstacles blocking your path. Still, you can return to any location whenever you want.
AI Allies Fall Apart When Exploring Dungeons
Dungeons, on the other hand, aren’t as fun to explore. Though most of these provide you with the best rewards, some even provide you with new weapons, traps, and unfair enemy encounters that hold back these dungeons.
The enemies in dungeons seem to enjoy a considerable level boost making them twice as hard as the foes you encounter in the areas surrounding the dungeons, even though you’re facing the same enemy inside.
The primary issue is the traps that populate the dungeons. These wouldn’t be such a problem if not for your AI teammates, who always get hit by the traps or get stuck in them.
The AI ignores the dangers of traps and runs through them, forcing me to use my precious healing potions, keeping them alive and having none left over for the boss encounter at the end of the dungeon.
Thankfully you can play the game with three-players via co-op, with each person controlling one of the three characters in online play. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any players to join me on my adventure for the review process to try this feature to see how well it works. Still, the option is there for those looking to play with their friends.
Not The Most Pleasing Title For The Eyes Or The Ears
Visually, Trinity Trigger is nothing special. Locations are bland and aren’t that populated, and while the character portraits look great, the in-game visuals look straight out of the PS2 era.
The same can be said about the sound design; most of the game’s soundtrack is unremarkable. The game has voice work, and for the most part it’s solid enough, but it won’t turn any heads or leave you with any memorable lines.
Trinity Trigger isn’t anything special. With an all-star development team, you would have expected a lot more. That’s not to say it’s a bad game. It doesn’t provide anything unique or memorable for you to care about.
Trinity Trigger is set to release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 release on April 25, 2023.
PR Code provided by PR.