This, is what I define as a "Hidden Gem". By 8th Jan 2016, the game only received 150+ reviews on steam, which is far from a satisfactory number compared to its excellence. What a Pity.

The game, TRI: Of Friendship and Madness, is possibly the best First Person Puzzler I have played in 5 years (since Portal 2). Of course, as to artistic merit (which is clearly not the main focus of this game anyway), this game falls far behind titles like Talos Principle or Antichamber. However, when it comes to gameplay, especially level design, this game is definitely among the best ones in the category.

Like every other hidden gems, this game is flawed, every outstanding aspect of the game, is accompanied by something not properly done which I'll break into details in the following paragraphs. Nonetheless, as I always believe, with flaws come the personality and sincerity, which are the criterions I used to define good works.


【Mechanism】

Goods: The core mechanism and most puzzles are cleverly designed, both logically and aesthetically. It's a rare one in the First Person Puzzler category that really nailed the 3D thinking, I mean, seriously into a 6DOF level. Let's take a look back, a sad fact is that a large portion of puzzles in other First Person Puzzlers can be easily recreated in a 2D format. (Yes, I'm specifically referring to the base game of Talos Principle here) But not in this game, the refreshing experience you would have when walking upside-down on the ceiling, is as inspiring as Portal provided years ago.

Bads: While the core mechanism gives you a large degree of freedom, it can also be easily exploited and overused. In more than one circumstance，I accidentally broke the puzzle with some tricky/cheaty methods, which I'm pretty sure is not the intended way. It might be welcomed by some players, but I personally do not like it. It's as if I broke the game along with its immersion and gaming context, which makes me feel retar*ed, especially after I discovered the legit way to solve it later on.


【Level Design】

Goods: Levels (after the first few ones) are huge and imaginative, full of secrets and alternative paths, the most important of all: WITHOUT ANY NAVIGATION ( or maybe a minimum amount of). This might sounds like a downside for modern gamers, but undoubtedly a diamond for nostalgic gamers like me. The game has all kinds of surprise in full stock waiting for you here and there , which simply gives you a sense of adventure and exploration, in your full control, unlike any other roller coaster experiences modern games would provide. It's hard not to relate this game to those old school classic FPS of the 90s with identical elements, such a sweet déjà vu.

Bads: Although I speak highly of its overall level design, the first few levels of the game are rather tedious and uninspiring, which I'm afraid is the major reason that prevented more people from knowing the game. But trust me, if you are patient enough to make it through the first quarter of the game, you will be amazed by how ambitious and imaginative the latter levels are.


【Sound Design】

Goods: Another thing worth mentioning is the soundtracks, which is definitely not the best but certainly among the most special tracks I have heard in video games. They are not those generic ambient/drone tracks you would normally expect in the puzzle game genre, but some world/tribal music instead. Some of them do also have an alienated context within that contributed greatly to the theme of the game.

Bads: But strangely, half the tracks end so suddenly with a harsh fadeout, almost feel like unfinished. And what's worse, is the vocal sound effects of the player controlled character, which is laughably bad. If by any luck the developers can read this, I seriously suggest you guys to take a second look on that. For it is, by far, the shortest plank of the game I can come up with.



So conclusively, if you're looking for an awe-inspiring experience and have enough patience and tolerance for those aformentioned flaws in the game, you would not regret to give it a try. Additionally, for achievement hunters out there like me, this is also a must-buy, for there is no grinding achievement at all but all gameplay boosters.

This, is what I define as a "Hidden Gem". By 8th Jan 2016, the game only received 150+ reviews on steam, which is far from a satisfactory number compared to its excellence. What a Pity. The game, TRI: Of Friendship and Madness, is possibly the best First Person Puzzler I have played in 5 years (since Portal 2). Of course, as to artistic merit (which is clearly not the main focus of this game anyway), this game falls far behind titles like Talos Principle or Antichamber. However, when it comes to gameplay, especially level design, this game is definitely among the best ones in the category. Like every other hidden gems, this game is flawed, every outstanding aspect of the game, is accompanied by something not properly done which I'll break into details in the following paragraphs. Nonetheless, as I always believe, with flaws come the personality and sincerity, which are the criterions I used to define good works. [b]【Mechanism】[/b] [b]Goods:[/b] The core mechanism and most puzzles are cleverly designed, both logically and aesthetically. It's a rare one in the First Person Puzzler category that really nailed the 3D thinking, I mean, seriously into a 6DOF level. Let's take a look back, a sad fact is that a large portion of puzzles in other First Person Puzzlers can be easily recreated in a 2D format. (Yes, I'm specifically referring to the base game of Talos Principle here) But not in this game, the refreshing experience you would have when walking upside-down on the ceiling, is as inspiring as Portal provided years ago. [b]Bads:[/b] While the core mechanism gives you a large degree of freedom, it can also be easily exploited and overused. In more than one circumstance，I accidentally broke the puzzle with some tricky/cheaty methods, which I'm pretty sure is not the intended way. It might be welcomed by some players, but I personally do not like it. It's as if I broke the game along with its immersion and gaming context, which makes me feel retar*ed, especially after I discovered the legit way to solve it later on. [b]【Level Design】[/b] [b]Goods:[/b] Levels (after the first few ones) are huge and imaginative, full of secrets and alternative paths, the most important of all: WITHOUT ANY NAVIGATION ( or maybe a minimum amount of). This might sounds like a downside for modern gamers, but undoubtedly a diamond for nostalgic gamers like me. The game has all kinds of surprise in full stock waiting for you here and there , which simply gives you a sense of adventure and exploration, in your full control, unlike any other roller coaster experiences modern games would provide. It's hard not to relate this game to those old school classic FPS of the 90s with identical elements, such a sweet déjà vu. [b]Bads:[/b] Although I speak highly of its overall level design, the first few levels of the game are rather tedious and uninspiring, which I'm afraid is the major reason that prevented more people from knowing the game. But trust me, if you are patient enough to make it through the first quarter of the game, you will be amazed by how ambitious and imaginative the latter levels are. [b]【Sound Design】[/b] [b]Goods:[/b] Another thing worth mentioning is the soundtracks, which is definitely not the best but certainly among the most special tracks I have heard in video games. They are not those generic ambient/drone tracks you would normally expect in the puzzle game genre, but some world/tribal music instead. Some of them do also have an alienated context within that contributed greatly to the theme of the game. [b]Bads:[/b] But strangely, half the tracks end so suddenly with a harsh fadeout, almost feel like unfinished. And what's worse, is the vocal sound effects of the player controlled character, which is laughably bad. If by any luck the developers can read this, I seriously suggest you guys to take a second look on that. For it is, by far, the shortest plank of the game I can come up with. So conclusively, if you're looking for an awe-inspiring experience and have enough patience and tolerance for those aformentioned flaws in the game, you would not regret to give it a try. Additionally, for achievement hunters out there like me, this is also a must-buy, for there is no grinding achievement at all but all gameplay boosters. [h2][All Achievements Acquired on: 1 Jan, 2016][/h2] [h2][Final (Subjective) Verdict: 86%][/h2]