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Fans of 1990s JRPGs, especially those available for the SNES, have likely been closely following Trinity Trigger. The latest anime-themed RPG from Xseed Games was created by a group of programmers who also worked on Xenoblade Chronicles, Octopath Traveler, and Secret of Mana. It appears to be inspired by classic RPGs like Chrono Trigger.
The Story is Charming Enough
Trinity Trigger‘s story is a compelling one, helped along by top-notch voice acting within the cutscenes. Apart from these moments, however, it’s a bit hard to get past the characters’ annoyingly repetitive battle cries that seem to play every time they engage in combat.
The story of Trinity Trigger begins with Cyan, a young man who makes a living by excavating local ruins. After returning home from an expedition, he gets the unsettling feeling that he is being watched.
The ensuing adventure takes place in the beautiful world of Trinitia, the battlefield of an ancient war between the gods of order and chaos. This lush landscape hides many secrets, including massive weapons whose remains form holy towers that loom over the world.
Combat is Key in The Gameplay
Trinity Trigger is an action RPG that pays homage to classic RPGs from the ’90s with modern flourishes and fast-paced combat. It follows Cyan, a young man burdened by the gods with the mantle of Warrior of Chaos and an inevitable clash with the Warrior of Order as their proxy.
In the battles, players can switch between three playable characters at will: Cyan, Elise, and Vantis. Each character has a different set of attacks that can be combined into combos, and their power grows with leveling, but experience alone doesn’t dictate lethality; instead, players must invest in TP to increase stats like strength and HP.
Despite some minor issues with character progression and frustrating ally AI, Trinity Trigger is a solid action RPG. Its mix of classic RPG inspirations with modern gameplay and a stunning art style is well-executed.
The character leveling system is more efficient than in many ’90s JRPGs. Weapons share a pool of points rather than each weapon having an independent one, and this helps to make the gameplay feel more efficient.
The soundtrack is top-notch, with relaxing songs for towns and action-heavy music for battles, while the voice acting adds to the depth of the characters.
The Controls Are Straitforward
A clear love letter to the Mana series, combat in Trinity Trigger is fast and customizable. Players can rotate between three playable characters, each with their own personified weapon, in a free-form combat system that allows the player to select up to eight different weapons on the fly.
Crafting is also a huge component of the game, and enemies often drop crafting materials for both consumables and augments. These items can then be used to upgrade attacks, boost the character’s HP and MP, or power up their Trigger for a short period of time.
Final Thoughts
Trinity Trigger is a great entry point to the genre for players who aren’t looking for an intricate, 80+ hour RPG but still crave some quality RPG action. Its story is trope-filled and familiar, but it never feels stale, and the battle system will keep anyone satisfied with its fast-paced, customizable combat.
The game also has a solid visual style and a great soundtrack, with relaxing songs for towns and action-heavy music for combat. Its performance is also top-notch, running at a smooth 60 frames per second on PC and not suffering from any major slowdown or framerate dips during gameplay.
Xseed Games has a hit on its hands with Trinity Trigger. Everything comes together perfectly, from the story to the battles, and the flow between the hectic fights and relaxing town sections adds some nice depth to the world.
