Every time Jason passes along a new roguelike to me for review, I go through a cycle of sorts – I download it fully expecting it to be just as enjoyable as Dead Cells or The Binding of Isaac, get let down, complain about it, and then repeat the process. I will admit I put both of them on a set of pedestals, but they are worthy of them as both of the games are borderline masterpieces. Trinity Fusion has a really good chance of making me add a third tier to the shortlist of greats, but where would it land in that top three?

If you have watched the trailer, you’re probably thinking this looks a lot like Dead Cells. I won’t dispute that, because you’re right, this is very much the Pepsi to Motion Twin’s amazing version of Coke. The drink. Or maybe the drug because it was extremely addicting for me, so I guess it works either way. Both games task you with exploring a randomly generated area, finding upgrades, taking risks, and hopefully coming out on the other side just a little stronger – it’s just the little nuances that differentiate them from each other.

If we’re being honest, all I can tell you about the story is that it involves a multiverse, albeit a relatively small one that only comes in about four flavors. This was all explained in a relatively long-winded opening that I admittedly skipped through by mashing A so much that you’d think I was stuck in a really long QTE segment. As a general rule, I try to avoid multiverse narratives, because much like time travel, I feel like it’s a poor writing mechanic used to justify making up your own rules as the story goes along. The good news is, the story isn’t really important here, but it’s there if you absolutely need a reason as to why you’re cutting up bad guys.

For me, the combat was the main attraction, and it’s a show that had a bit of a rocky start. However, after a few runs I was able to jump, dash, and murder like it was second nature, even if it wasn’t quite as smooth as my time playing as The Prisoner. When I step into that zombie’s shoes, it doesn’t matter what weapon, upgrade, or item I am using, I feel like the baddest of asses running at a breakneck speed through each of the biomes. Our female protagonist here is a little slower, so much so that I feel like the game could’ve been sped up at least a half step, if not doubled. I also really wish it were a little more forgiving in terms of dodging right after an attack, as it always feels like there is a few-second delay when I need to get to the gone as quickly as possible. There is a fair variety of weapons at your disposal, but they feel somewhat same-y after you’ve completed twenty or so runs as most are swords of some sort with only a handful of other melee options. The guns offer a bit more variety if that’s the class you opt for, but for me, they were very situational.

Opposed to playing new variants of the same character, this is a situation where you can play as one of three versions of the same character on a class-based system, each with its own slightly different visual style and special abilities. Each variant can use a basic melee weapon and dash, rendering them invincible for a short time. Where they differ comes in the form of their movement (some can double jump and some cannot), their secondary weapon, and then their bonus ability. You can also combine variants into one super variant that takes on some traits from the original selection, but this comes at the cost of some of your upgrades – I am not sure what exactly, but I did notice a few times that previously earned health buffs were removed after merging my avatars. An upgrade should feel like I was becoming more powerful, not less.

Unlocking the additional characters means also opening new sets of starting areas which each have their own designated areas, bosses, and overall aesthetic. I can see why this would be appealing for players who are not as skilled or new to the genre and need to feel like they are making progress, even if it’s artificial; but for me, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth being limited to specific characters on specific levels. I particularly enjoyed my time with the variant who can call upon a drone that allows her to traverse areas that other characters can’t by teleporting to wherever you land it. Her moves, weapon options, and the ability to double jump matched well with my play style, so needless to say it was annoying when the reality set in that I needed to get used to the other not-so-enjoyable options. I wish I could just start from a random level and have randomized levels and encounters thrown at me regardless of which character I was using as opposed to being forced to get good with each class, at least until I can find a merging station.

The other variants are just okay. I didn’t mind the melee-focused one that has only a single jump and a limited grappling hook, but if you couldn’t tell, it’s kind of difficult to program your brain to remember you’re playing a game with a double jump that only gets taken away. The weakest by far is the gun-focused clone which relies on ranged attacks and unlocking doors from a distance. I found this one to be somewhat difficult to control since you have to shoot while using the left stick to point in the direction you wish to shoot which usually results in a ton of wasted ammo while you get lined up properly. It essentially feels like trying to play Super Mario Bros. as the dudes from Contra. 

Across all of the classes, there are a total of ten areas to master, a few from each corner of the game’s multiverse. These areas are varied enough that they stand on their own but feel cohesive enough that none of them feel out of place. The same goes for the enemies (even if there are a few obvious re-skins); there are enough robots, monsters, and things in-between to keep you on your toes and ensure you take every new encounter just a little slower to learn specific enemies nuanced attacks and patterns. The same can be said for the bosses, which like everything else, are restricted to the character you started playing as at the beginning of the run, at least until you unlock the boss rush mode or pay a premium at the time of purchase, but we’ll circle back to this in a bit.

The replay factor is here, but not nearly as strong as my own shortlist of nigh-perfect roguelikes. I started the game on the second difficulty, skipping whatever equates to easy or normal since I am what I would consider to be an S-tier Dead Cells player. It only took me two attempts to make it to the first boss, and by my fifth, I had beaten the entire game with the first character. Now, thirty or so runs in, I’ve unlocked almost everything from the hub area, and beat the game with all three of the classes, with only one single boss eluding me and no idea how I need to get to him.

There is some extra content to be found, such as additional difficulties, the previously mentioned boss rush mode, and of course some obligatory day-one DLC included in a deluxe package that I did not get to partake in, but just reading about it kind of bums me out – not because it costs more money, but because it legitimately feels like it would just be a mode similar games would have added initially. With a $10 difference between the base game and the deluxe option, I wish we could’ve forgone the deluxe, gone with a single price point, and included everything in the single package, because there isn’t anything else there outside of early unlocks and some cosmetics to warrant the price difference.

In all of my runs, I’ve only experienced one bug that caused me to lose a significant amount of progress, about twenty minutes give or take, as the mini-boss I was fighting in a gated-off room was knocked clear through the barrier, where neither his half-snake/half-cat looking ass nor myself could get at the other. We had a nice staring contest for about two minutes, I cursed a lot, and then had to quit out of the game. Thankfully, there was an auto-save at the beginning of the biome, but it was annoying to lose not only my time but all of the XP, coins, and upgrades I had earned along the way.

Trinity Fusion really never had a chance of taking the place of my favorite roguelikes, but it’s a solid effort that with time could easily remain in my top three and has broken the cycle of disappointment I’ve found with similar games. If you’ve seen everything Dead Cells has to offer, it’s a worthwhile, albeit slightly flawed successor. Hopefully Angry Mob will show the same level of devotion and care for it in post-release content. Be it free or paid, I’ll use it to lift its bronze pedestal up just a little more with each new addition.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Solid Combat that Dead Cells Veterans Can Easily Adapt to
• Substantial Long Term Upgrades
• Varied Biomes and Enemies

Cons

• Some Key Content Locked Behind a Paywall
• Class-Based Characters Feel Restrictive at Times
• Aiming Guns is Somewhat Awkward

Trinity Fusion was developed and published by Angry Mob Games. The game launched on PC, PS4, PS5, X1, and XSX. The game was provided to us for review on XSX. If you’d like to see more of Trinity Fusion, check out the official site.

 

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