Trine 2: Complete Story

Trine 2 sends a wizard, a thief and a knight through a lush, storybook fantasy kingdom, solving physics-based puzzles and fighting off goblins along the way. Frozenbyte's sequel to their 2009 debut Trine remains, more than a decade later, one of the most visually acclaimed games of its generation — and this review sample makes clear that reputation is both entirely earned and, on the mechanical side underneath it, a little more complicated than pure spectacle. This "Complete Story" listing bundles the base game together with its Goblin Menace expansion, and it's the only version of Trine 2 Steam currently sells.

Visuals reviewers still stop to admire

The praise for Trine 2's art direction is close to universal in this sample, and it's specific rather than generic. "This game is proof that 2D gaming is not dead at all," one reviewer writes, describing the "vivid colours, detailed and lush environments." Another admits candidly, "I forgot how long I just stood still in this game looking at the background... It's one of those games where you stop playing for a second just to watch." Beyond visuals, the game's co-op draws genuinely warm, personal praise: one reviewer describes using it specifically to stay connected with an adult son who lives out of state, calling the shared time together as valuable as the game itself.

A specific critique: one hero does too much of the work

Set against that praise, several detailed reviewers raise a precise, mechanically grounded complaint about the puzzle design itself. "There are no puzzles for a puzzle game," one reviewer states bluntly, "you can just levitate on objects for the entire thing." A separate, more measured review agrees with the underlying point: "The puzzles are very simplistic and mostly revolve around the mage — the mechanics of the other characters, especially the thief, are very underutilized." That's a specific, corroborated critique of the game's core design rather than a vague difficulty complaint, and it recurs often enough to suggest genuinely engaging with all three heroes' abilities takes deliberate self-restraint rather than being encouraged by the puzzle design itself.

A fresh, current concern: DRM and an exit-screen ad

Distinct from the puzzle-design debate, a specific and much more recent complaint appears in January 2026 reviews: a patch added DRM to the game and routed it through Epic Online Services. "Negative review because their last patch added DRM," one reviewer states. "Add it to the full screen AD you have to view before you can exit the game & the whole experience has become negative." A separate reviewer from the same week reports simply struggling to launch the game at all following the change. That's a live, current technical and trust concern layered onto an otherwise long-settled, well-loved game, and it's worth checking recent reviews on directly before buying, since it reflects a decision made well over a decade after the game's original release rather than anything inherent to the game's original design.

A rougher experience solo than in co-op

A final, more practical point worth passing along: multiple reviewers specifically note the game wasn't designed with solo play as its primary mode, with one describing having to rely on glitches and workarounds to complete certain sections alone that aren't necessary with a full three-player group. That's useful, practical guidance for anyone deciding whether to buy this specifically for solo play versus as a co-op experience with friends.

What the completion data adds

This listing's achievement schema uses readable, level-by-level names, offering a useful independent read on how far the average buyer gets. Completion drops steadily and predictably level by level — 81% finish the first level, falling to 64% by the second and 46% by the fifth — consistent with a game whose relaxed difficulty keeps a wide audience engaged for a while without necessarily driving everyone through to the end. Achievements specifically tied to the harder hardcore-mode DLC content sit at just 1.3-1.5%, a steep drop-off suggesting that content is a niche pursuit for a small, dedicated subset of players rather than something most owners engage with, which lines up with reviewers describing the base campaign as the main draw for most buyers.

A well-regarded franchise, still active today

It's worth placing this game in context: Trine 2 followed a well-received 2009 debut and was itself followed by two further sequels, with the franchise remaining a recognizable, consistently well-reviewed name in the co-op puzzle-platformer space for well over a decade. Reviewers who've played multiple entries generally describe this second game as a clear improvement over the original in presentation while debating whether later entries in the series improved meaningfully on the puzzle-design concerns raised here, suggesting the mage-centric criticism in this review isn't necessarily unique to this specific installment.

Where it lands

Trine 2 earns its reputation as one of its era's most visually accomplished co-op platformers, and the goodwill it generates through shared play remains genuine and well-documented across this review sample. The specific critique of its mage-centric puzzle design is concrete enough to temper expectations around depth, and the newly added DRM and Epic Online Services integration is a fresh, current concern worth checking before purchase rather than assuming this remains the simple, unencumbered decade-old game its reputation suggests. As a cheap, beautiful co-op pickup for friends or family, it's still an easy recommendation — just go in with accurate expectations on both fronts, and grab a couple of friends rather than expecting the strongest version of the experience alone.