Trinity Trigger
Last updated: 2025-08-18
- Enjoyable gameplay and story
- Strong 'Secret of Mana' homage
- Appealing art style and visuals
- Poor AI companion behavior
- Technical and design flaws
- Repetitive post-game content
Emotions
Players experienced frustration due to poor AI companions, particularly their tendency to take unnecessary damage and waste healing items. Other significant causes included severe screen tearing and a lack of V-sync options, performance issues, and a perceived 'pay-to-win' element with DLC-locked items. Additionally, frustrating boss designs, slow attack animations, and a lengthy, mandatory tutorial contributed to this emotion.
Disappointment stemmed primarily from the game's generic and uninteresting story, lack of character development, and underwhelming antagonists. Players also found the combat mechanics to be rough and repetitive, and the overall game experience felt shallow and unpolished. The high price point combined with a perceived lack of content and innovation further contributed to this feeling, especially for PC players missing Chinese localization available on other platforms.
Satisfaction was derived from the game's enjoyable co-op feature, which many found fun with friends. Players appreciated the simple, pleasant gameplay and the overall experience, especially those who found it reminiscent of classic JRPGs like Secret of Mana. Good performance on Steam Deck, high-quality animated cutscenes, and a clear map also contributed to a positive experience.
Annoyance was mainly caused by loud and pronounced footsteps, repetitive voice lines, and confusing dungeon designs. Poor AI and world-building also contributed to this negative feeling.
Players found enjoyment in the game's initial visuals, overall feel, and combat, despite some acknowledging that these positive aspects were sometimes overshadowed by negatives. The story and voice acting also contributed to a fun experience.
Verdict
Mostly negative
Summary
Positive 42% · Negative 58%. Score: 58 / 100
Positives:
- Players generally found the game to be fun and enjoyable, often highlighting its classic JRPG feel and engaging story. It's seen as a pleasant and accessible experience.
- The game is frequently compared to 'Secret of Mana,' with many players seeing it as a spiritual successor or a modernized version. This connection is a significant draw for fans of classic action RPGs.
- The game's art style, including its cell-shaded graphics, character designs, and anime cutscenes, received high praise. Players found the visuals charming, well-designed, and a good blend of retro and modern.
- The voice acting, particularly the English dub, was consistently praised for its quality and for enhancing the characters and overall experience.
- The combat system was described as fun, engaging, and dynamic, with smooth actions and an impressive feel, despite some stamina mechanics.
Negatives:
- Player feedback consistently highlights significant issues with AI companions, noting their inability to dodge attacks, tendency to walk into hazards, and general lack of strategic behavior. This often leads to companions dying frequently, forcing players to expend resources on them or effectively solo boss fights.
- Many players report a range of fundamental issues, including numerous bugs, unintuitive mechanics, and overall poor game design. Specific complaints include screen tearing, performance stutters, and a general feeling that the game is shallow and repetitive.
- The post-game content is widely criticized for being repetitive, tedious, and poorly balanced. Players find the final bosses uninspired and the overall end-game experience to be a grind, leading to a quick loss of interest.
- The co-op experience is largely negative, with reports of significant lag and unplayability during remote play sessions. The fact that co-op is only local and unlocks late in the game also frustrates players.
- The game lacks essential display options, specifically V-Sync, leading to noticeable screen tearing. It also fails to support higher resolutions beyond 1080p and ultrawide monitors, limiting visual fidelity for PC players.
Gameplay:
- Players can unlock and utilize up to eight different weapon types, each with customizable movesets, combo chains, and gem slots. Weapons are crucial for exploiting enemy weaknesses, though some players felt the impact of weapon advantage was not always significant.
- The game features a traditional top-down action RPG combat system with real-time battles. Player operations are simple, focusing on basic attacks, dodges, and skill usage, making it beginner-friendly.
- The game supports up to three-player local co-op, which unlocks after a certain point in the story (approximately 3 hours in). While co-op is available, some players found the single-player experience, where the AI controls companions, to be more enjoyable.
- The main story takes around 15-20 hours to complete. Post-game content includes harder bosses, additional side quests, dungeons, and weapon upgrades, leading to a true ending.
- Game progression involves exploring open areas, towns, and dungeons, with a steady narrative flow. Exploration is encouraged to discover hidden paths, items, and side quests.
Performance:
- Players report that the game is generally playable on the Steam Deck, but optimal performance is achieved by setting graphics quality to 'Low'. This suggests good compatibility with the device, albeit with necessary graphical compromises.
- Some players have reported experiencing graphical glitches, specifically a black line appearing on screen, and general frame rate issues. These technical problems detract from the visual experience.
- Despite some issues, other players with high-end hardware, such as an RTX 4090, report that the graphics are great and the game runs smoothly at high refresh rates like 144Hz. This indicates strong performance on powerful systems.
Recommendations:
- Many players recommend the game, especially for fans of classic action RPGs or the Mana series. It's seen as a decent, casual, and fun experience, particularly for passing time or playing on handheld devices, despite some flaws.
- A significant number of reviews strongly advise purchasing the game only when it is on sale, ideally at a price point around $20-25. The full price of $50 is considered too high for the content and overall experience.
- Some players suggest that other titles, particularly Trials of Mana, might offer a better experience within the same genre.
- The game is generally considered good but not a masterpiece, with one review giving it a 7.5/10 and noting the story could use minor improvements.
- One review specifically mentions that the deluxe edition is necessary to access extra episodes.
Miscellaneous:
- The game is generally considered acceptable for its genre, offering a straightforward experience without high-end graphics or complex narratives. It's seen as a typical handheld JRPG with simple text and broad appeal.
- The game offers a relatively short main story, taking around 15-16 hours to complete. Players can expect a total playtime of 20-30 hours if they engage with post-game content.
- The game's overall feel and design evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminding players of classic PlayStation 2 era JRPGs like Shining Tears.
- There's a suggestion for future iterations or sequels to focus on enhancing attack customization, indicating an area for potential improvement in gameplay depth.
- One specific technical issue, a 'blurry line' problem, was noted, with an expectation that developers should have addressed it promptly after release.
