Full Article: http://indiegamehq.com/preview-tri-by-rat-king-entertainment
Buy TRI:
Desura - http://www.desura.com/games/tri
Direct - http://ratking.de/store/
In Indie Game HQ's latest preview, Nathan takes a look at TRI by Rat King Entertainment. TRI is currently available for Pre-Alpha purchase on Desura or directly from Rat King Entertainment's store for $4.99/$5.00 respectively. All the needed links are below the video and the wall of text.
TRI is a first-person environmental puzzle platformer. It encourages the player to create their own path with triangles to overcome abysses, walk on walls and solve puzzles. The game was initially made for the Ludum Dare game jam, is still in alpha state and currently features six completely playable levels and a tutorial.
In each level, the main objective is to collect the statues and place them on the pedestals in a certain room to unlock a portal to the next challenge. There are 3 main statues, which go on the pedestals, and a few other smaller statues to collect as bonus. Finding all the statues will sometimes be challenging, so keep an eye out for hidden areas.
After a few levels, you'll receive a blue triangle, which allows the gravity to change to whatever angle your triangles are at. This comes in handy for reaching high spots, solving puzzles, and even walking on walls for fun. Later on you'll even encounter some purplish semi-transparent doorways. These doorways will change the gravity without the need of triangles, but will make you feel as if you're on a psychedelic trip. Everything around you becomes somewhat wavy and hazy. I just so happened to walk through one of these as I was wandering, and I was a tad confused for a moment. As I rushed in, I had no idea what was up or down anymore, or where to go. I supposed that would be fitting as the name of the level was Labyrinth.
The controls for TRI are pretty simple, WASD to move, use the mouse to look around, Control for crouch, and Space for jump. Once you obtain the power to make triangles with your mouse, left click will place a vertex and right click will delete a vertex. If you'd like to delete a completed triangle all you have to do is right click it. There is a small rule for deleting them though; you are unable to delete a triangle that is supporting another. (For example, if one triangle is above another using the bottom as support, you will have to remove the top before the bottom.)
The world of TRI is a very atmospheric place; levels are intricate and well thought out and the landscape is simple yet beautiful. There are even plenty of particle effects in the air to give the world a dusty and magical feel as you peruse each area. Occasionally you'll hear a musical chime or even a few notes which play randomly sometimes. The music and sound effects in TRI, I feel, are not exactly needed, but are definitely a welcomed addition to the overall aesthetic.
TRI is a game I'd definitely recommend taking a look at. The game has beautiful graphics and music that come together to make a wonderful atmosphere for the player to explore and each level is a curious place with plenty of hidden areas, secrets, and statues to collect. TRI is currently available for Pre-Alpha purchase, so if you'd like to play this game and support the developer at the same time, click one of the links below.
