Troll and I Review
Summary: Troll and I has the makings to be a great game but fails to live up to the quality of what is promised from the trailer.
1.8
Dissapointing
Fusing combat and exploration with puzzles and adventure, Troll and I, developed by Spiral House and Maximum Games, is a story about friendship and survival against the odds. Deep in the Nordic wilderness, a teenage boy named Otto is forced to flee his home after a band of brutal hunters rip through his village in search of a mythical creature rumoured to inhabit the forest. Now on the run for his life, Otto inadvertently finds the elusive creature and forms a rare and unlikely bond as they struggle together to survive the wilderness and the bloodthirsty hunters on their trail.
You can switch between playing as Otto or as the Troll (to complete different challenges) in single player mode or in multiplayer mode via a split screen, which in theory sounds fun but in reality one player will be more active while the other is waiting for something to do. In single player mode switching between the characters is fairly easy but there is no indicator to show you the location of the inactive character, making the solving of the puzzle based challenges longer than it needs to be.
The combat scenes were basic and straightforward but lacked in fluidity and engagement. The QTE responses were sluggish and sometimes unresponsive causing me to die (a lot), which was not helped by the frustrating camera angles during the some of the sequences.
During the game you can use special tracking senses (that often get lost in the graphics of the environment) to hunt for food and forage around for items to use for crafting. You inventory will also store any collectables you pick up along the way and provide you with ability and skill trees that you can upgrade depending on what you would like to become proficient in. The overall storyline is good but the priorities and quests are jumbled and not clearly defined. At different points throughout the game I would find myself waiting for a hint or a clue as to what I needed to do in order to progress onto the next section.
Graphics & Audio
Disappointment sums up the graphics for Troll and I. The trailer, cut scenes, and even screen shots create a buzz of excitement that makes you want to run out and purchase the game straight away, but don’t drink the Kool-Aid just yet because the reality is, the graphics are really dated. The scenes at night were too dark, it was hard to distinguish and track down objects while foraging, and playing as Troll (who, I admit looks kind of cute, think of a big monkey with dreadlocks) during combat was difficult because he takes up a large portion of the screen making maneuvering difficult. The music and the dialogue was good but I wasn’t a fan of the voice acting for Otto’s character (he sounded like Zoolander).
Final Thoughts?
Troll and I has a pretty big price tag so I wouldn’t be rushing out to purchase it any time soon as the quality of the gameplay doesn’t justify it.
Game Details
Title: Troll and I
Developer: Spiral House Ltd
Publisher: Maximum Games
Genre: Violent, Action, Adventure
Ratings: Teen – Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
Platform: Xbox One
Release Date: March 22nd, 2017
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