Platforms PC
Developer Rat King Publisher Rising Star Games
Genre First Person Puzzle Platform Played On PC
As Rat King’s TRI: Of Friendship and Madness begins, a mysterious monk asks you to help him find his missing friend, the fox. His deceptively innocent request sends you on a first person adventure through the topsy-turvy dungeons and temples of the Odd Gods. The game’s soundtrack and brightly colored level designs work well together to create a unique and engaging world.
TRI offers 16 fairly expansive levels, and while each level contains three fox statues that you must find in order to advance, there are also smaller golden totems hidden around each map. If you are a completionist like I am, you may find yourself wandering one map for over an hour. Because of this, it can be a bit difficult to keep track of the story, which is told in cut scenes between levels. The story also does not seem to have much of an impact on gameplay aside from a glimpse of the missing fox every once in a while.
To assist you in navigating the realm of the Odd Gods, you must use the TRI, which grants you the ability to construct triangles just about anywhere you want (except on wood, for some reason). There are a couple of limitations, though. The three points of a triangle must be within a certain space in order to create a solid form, and if a triangle is red, it is too steep for you to walk on. At first, your triangular constructions will be simple ramps, platforms, and occasionally bridges, but as you progress, the TRI becomes more powerful.
In later levels the TRI disregards gravity entirely. As long as you are standing on a yellow triangle, that particular surface is considered the floor. This allows you to walk up walls and across ceilings, which creates even more options for solving the wide variety of puzzles you encounter. Advance a little more and triangles can become reflective surfaces that alter the paths of lasers, rays of light, and even floating spirit creatures.
Overall, I had a blast playing through TRI. If you occasionally find yourself missing the warm and welcoming Aperture Science labs, you should probably first reconsider your definition of “warm and welcoming.” After you have done that, then you should go check out TRI. It may very well be the most interesting game of its kind since GLaDOS forced you to set your only friend on fire.
The Good
- Engaging and colorful atmosphere
- Unique triangle mechanic
- Fun and funky soundtrack
The Bad
- Story can get lost between levels
