A Wizard, a Knight, and a Thief walk into a bar…
OK, I was trying to come up with a joke there, but that’s all I’ve got. Anyhow, the point of my failed attempt at humor was to pass along the news of Trine 2‘s announced development for Nintendo’s Wii U console.
Trine 2 on Wii U will include all content of the original PC, PSN and XBLA release, but now with additional “Director’s Cut” features, an interface and control scheme tailored to the touch screen capabilities of the GamePad, an exclusive new Magic Mayhem multiplayer party mode, and an expansion campaign.
Below you’ll find a complete list of game features, plus the announcement trailer.
Trine 2: Director’s Cut (Wii U exclusive & holiday title):
– Physics-based puzzles with fire, water, gravity and magic
– Accessible for both casual and hardcore gamers thanks to the new control system designed for Wii U, taking full advantage of the touch screen for intuitive character controls
– More than 100 improvements to the original game, including polished gameplay features, level geometry adjusts, new vocals and character interactions, and user experience improvements
– Online and local co-op with up to three players, with special multiplayer features for Wii U GamePad™ and support for up to three Wii Remotes™.
– Superb graphics and next-gen visuals using impressive technical effects, making Wii U the definite console version
– Save anywhere to play as long or short sessions as you like and use the Unlimited Character Mode and Game+ for replay value
– Upgrade your characters to suit your play style and to learn amazing new skills
– Hidden collectibles for extra adventuring
– Amazing 19-track fantasy soundtrack
– Full language support for English, French, German and Spanish, and optional subtitling for more than 10 languages
– Campaign support for the new skills from the upcoming expansion
– Director’s Cut includes the exclusive Magic Mayhem “party mode” for up to 4 players in online and offline multiplayer
Trine 2 expansion campaign (included in the Director’s Cut):
– Add-on content for Trine 2
– A new adventure featuring the Heroes struggling against new goblin villainy
– 5 new levels chock-full of new puzzles, hazards, enemies and contraptions
– New skills for each character with new possibilities for puzzle solving
– Completely new environments ranging from burning desert to snowy mountains to the insides of a giant sand whale
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles.
Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere.
Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary! 
Nice to see Trine 2 get an expanded audience. Anyone else feel like a huge chunk of the Wii U library is comprised of augmented versions of games we’ve seen and played before on other platforms?
Pretty much, which is why nothing about the Wii U is blowing me away so far. Even New Super Mario Bros. U seem like a safe rehash.
But to be fair, we’re fortunate enough to own all three consoles and be able to play all these games. Most regular consumers don’t own more than one console, so it’s likely many Nintendo fans have never played any of the big third-party ports Wii U is bringing.
My only concern is whether or not they’ll even sell. The Wii has had plenty of M-rated “core” games that barely anyone bought (which is why many have since been ported out to Move or had sequels go multi-platform). Is Nintendo’s broader audience that feeds on Wii Fit, Nintendo Land and the parade of Marios, Zeldas and Metroids really going to buy games like Mass Effect 3, Arkham City and Darksiders II in huge numbers?
Especially when there’s a good chance that in the months after Wii U hits, many of us will be looking ahead to whatever Sony and Microsoft announce as their next console offering. Wii succeeded in part because it offered something nobody else was fronting at the time. If Wii U’s feature set and games don’t differentiate in the same kind of way, it could be disastrous.