Review by: James Fudge

Admittedly, Trinity Universe is fan service that combines some familiar tropes associated with NIS America's popular JRPG series with new game mechanics, a handful of new characters, an overabundance of comedy that makes fun of everything from anime to video games, and the kind of grinding that can only be found in a game made by three different Japanese developers. Trinity Universe is a brand new franchise that differentiates itself from the rest of the NIS line-up and tries some new things - even while it brings together familiar gameplay elements and characters from other games.

It is a satisfying experience for fans of games like Disgaea or the Altier series because it is familiar, mostly fun and as deep as your want it to be. In fact, you could probably roll through all three paths in 30 - 40 hours if you skipped all the optional stuff. Of course, skipping ahead means missing hidden characters, ultra powerful weapons and oddball gameplay mechanics.

Trinity Universe is divided into two stories paths: the Demon Dog King Kanata and a Valkyrie named Rizelea. Each path offers different advantages, and although NIS America claims that Kanata's path is easier, this is debatable.

Some of your party members moonlight as shop keepers, so if you don't have access to them in the early part of your storyline you may have to wait until the final parts of the game to experience them. For example, in the Kanata plot path Tsubaki runs the Monster Coliseum, so if she's not in your party it doesn't show up in the shop menu. Likewise, in the Rizelea plot path Violet runs the Meteorite Workshop, so you won't be able to tinker with that stuff until later on in the game if you are playing as Kanata. These are not small elements either – both shops can alter the way you play dramatically.

The story in Trinity Universe isn't very serious, and most of the dialogue is spent trying to break the fourth wall as NIS is fond of doing in its other games. It mostly works; though there are times when having so many cute characters prattling on over nothing becomes rather annoying. Still there's some great insider humor in the game that goes out of its way to make fun of everyone and everything that NIS players hold dear.