Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll Review

Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll is a title from the creators of the Dynasty Warriors franchise, Omega Force. A franchise that in recent years, well probably more than just recent years, many have criticised for its lack of imagination. It still has a niche and they're happy with that, but Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll really marks one of the first ventures outside of their comfort zone, the "Warriors" series, which is a big step. And based off of this evidence, it's a step they should be willing to take more often.

We're introduced to the world of Trinity by learning about its current state of affairs. There is an evil dictator called Emperor Balor, who upon learning of a prophecy that he will be killed by his grandson, has his pregnant daughter killed and hunts down the wife of his only son. Naturally, his son isn't too pleased about this, and takes up arms against his father, only to see himself fall while helping his wife, and his two sons, escape. And this is where you come in, as you take control of one of those sons, Areus. He's a stoic and determined young man driven by his lust for vengeance. But he's also very closed off to almost everyone unless he respects them.

The premise doesn't sound all that complicated, and it bares some resemblance to the Greek tale of Oedipus. In many ways, Trinity's story could very eloquently be described as earnest or sincere, purely because the objective is laid out from the start - to defeat Emperor Balor. It doesn't try to over-dramatise anything, this is your objective, and everything you do is to achieve that goal. There are a few plot twists, but they are in-keeping with the story's grand design. None of them create mind-boggling moments, instead, they provoke emotions or help to add an extra dimension. What's also interesting is that some of these defining moments aren't that surprising, but because of the character development, they still manage to garner the desired effect - it's all just very well written. And although many would expect that Areus becomes a more well-rounded individual as the game progresses, that doesn't make it any less endearing as it happens.

It's also paced very well throughout. Generally in role-playing games, there are long passages of gameplay and then cutscenes to fill in the blanks of the story; there's very little interaction on the player's part. In Trinity, it feels like you're actively helping the story progress. Sometimes you're stuck in a dead-end with no clue as to where you should go next, but enquiring at taverns in the various cities around the world will piece things together, and eventually a dialogue tree of note will crop up. There are cutscenes too, but this extra level of interaction makes the story more engaging.

The gameplay revolves around a three-person party mechanic, all in an open world scenario. You are able to walk around dungeons and attack anything at will, and your two allied (AI) companions will assist you. What's nice about the system is that you can actively switch between the different characters on the fly, and if timed correctly, you can even perform what's known as a "Rush Attack". Also, if Areus, or the character you're controlling dies, the game doesn't end. Instead, it just switches you to another character, the action continues, and the fallen character is revived after a set amount of time - albeit with a little less health than before.