Trifox from developer Glowfish Interactive and publisher Big Sugar is a throwback to days long gone. Days when platformers reigned supreme and the charm and wit of cartoon characters laid down the groundwork for more modern triple-A titles.
So what exactly is Trifox and is it worth checking out?
What does the Fox say?
Trifox tells the tale of a fox whose generator is destroyed, his home is invaded and his TV remote is mercilessly ransacked by a villainous foe. Left for dead you set out for revenge and retribution against those who have wronged you. Playing as the titular fox, you’ll be brought up to speed with the game’s controls in a brief tutorial and be introduced to your high-tech base of operations. It’s from here that you’ll be able to launch into missions.
Trifox is first and foremost a third-person twin-stick isometric platformer. On Nintendo switch, controlling your playable character is easy enough using both the left and right JoyCon analogue sticks but when things get heated the small screen in handheld mode does prove to be somewhat of a hindrance. If you’re playing the game in docked mode though and using a larger screen, this is less of an issue.
Class Warfare
In the early levels of Trifox, you’ll only have access to a limited selection of weaponry, or rather class abilities. Players will unlock new weapons/abilities by spending coins that they collect throughout levels when they back to their base of operations. Weapons or abilities are assigned to one of the four shoulder buttons and your fifth ability is assigned to the B button on the right JoyCon. You’ll select your ability loadout before heading into a level by simply standing on the respective ability’s platform and pressing the button you want to assign it to. This is only possible once you’ve purchased the ability with coins though. Weaker abilities only cost a couple of hundred coins while the more powerful ones require thousands.
With that said though, players will have to balance their ability loadout before heading into levels otherwise it might become a tad too difficult to handle. Going full offensive mode might work in some levels but certainly won’t in others where you need to be more defensive and use shields. There are also levels where movement speed is important because of the enemies you’re facing off against or because of environmental hazards. Each level in Trifox is accessed through a portal linked to a switchback at the base and this is very reminiscent of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped from back in the day.
Each level also has hidden collectables as well a lot of destructible objects which yield coins when obliterated. Much of the gameplay in Trifox involves traversing levels and destroying everything contained in them while solving some light puzzles. Of course, there are plenty of enemies to defeat too and there are even boss battles in the game. Standard fare for any self-respecting platformer. The platforming level design in Trifox is pretty solid and there are only a few challenging segments in the game overall.
Trifox is honestly really enjoyable to play but being limited to only 4 weapons or abilities hinders the game from truly succeeding. The Ratchet and Clank series for example perfected the varied weaponry platforming formula and there’s really no excuse as to why Trifox couldn’t learn from it and just give you access to all the weapons/abilities instead of locking you into using 5 per level. What locking into you using a specific loadout does do however is force you as the player to innovate and mix and match various combinations of these abilities/weapons before heading into a level. This does also bring an element of replayability into the fray too since you can attempt a level using different builds should you want to earn some more coins or try to find missed collectables.
The enemies in Trifox are varied but after fighting them for a few levels as well as dying to some of the tougher ones quite often, you may feel the fatigue setting in. This is compounded by the fact that each major area in the game follows the same formula of battling through hordes of enemies, solving some puzzles and then taking on a boss. There are some segments which will frustrate you too but thankfully there aren’t many. Trifox is therefore best played in bite-sized chunks and the Nintendo Switch is the perfect place to do this. The game itself isn’t all that long too at around 6 hours in total so it can be finished in a few sittings without it overstaying its welcome.
Focus on the Gameplay
The story of Trifox takes a backseat to the gameplay with only a few cutscenes throughout the game. There’s no real voice acting in the game either apart from some cute mumbles spoken by the NPC characters. The soundtrack of Trifox is well suited to the game but is rather forgettable with no standout tracks or music that will get stuck in your head for a long time. The sound effects used for weapons and attacks are great though and they feel powerful because of this coupled with the visuals on show.
Graphically Trifox has a vibrant look to it. It’s cartoony and the effects are eye-catching but there is a distinct Unity game engine low poly look and feel to Trifox that has been implemented by numerous other titles now. That doesn’t mean that Trifox looks bad. The game is very visually pleasing with varied environments, great lighting, shadow usage and some rather interesting boss designs.
Final Verdict
Overall, Trifox is a twin-stick platformer that can be whole-heartedly recommended to anyone that’s a fan of the genre. It doesn’t break the mould but then, it doesn’t need to do that to be successful. It applies tried and trusted gameplay mechanics and features and slaps on a colourful, vibrant aesthetic to boot. This is a platformer that both younger and older gamers alike can enjoy and given its price point on Nintendo Switch, it gets a recommendation from us.
Grab your copy here https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Trifox-2279597.html
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