Review by: Brian Rowe

Three adventurers quest through a land of swords and sorcery, through goblin-infested caves, mystical forests, and trap-laden castles. In lesser hands, these elements might barely conjure another dull hack-'n'-slasher, or a cliché-riddled RPG; undoubtedly something to do with dragons. Instead, Frozenbyte has crafted a hybrid of puzzles, platforms, and swordfights that is as wonderful as it is inspiring.

The three heroes can be swapped instantaneously, and each has a distinctive set of talents; the wizard summons boxes out of thin air and levitates objects; the thief uses a grappling hook to maneuver through levels while striking enemies at a distance with her bow; the knight is a pure, skull-smashing, combat machine. While it is feasible to pass a level using only one character, skillful switching of abilities is the best way to survive the attacks of goblins and giant spiders while navigating the creative gauntlet of physics-based puzzles.

The learning curve is perfect. Early puzzles are engaging and largely free of the usual tutorial-grade patronizing that plagues the openings of so many games, while later levels will have you rethinking your commitment to turning the hint system off.

Whether manipulating platforms to guide a glistening stream of water, or tempting a giant frog to unfurl its tongue, the puzzles do an excellent job of keeping the mental gears spinning. The solutions are never outlandishly devious, though there is ample room for improvisation; a box jammed into an axle or fancy maneuvering as a thief to bypass a trap altogether are perfectly fair tactics. There are a few puzzles that are ill-conceived or even capable of causing a restart of the level, but they are exceptionally few and far between.

You can choose one new ability for a single character every time you gather enough orbs and level-up. The odd part is that all of the thief and knight's abilities are geared towards combat, which is smoothly implemented, but hardly worth so many skills. More agility-based moves for the thief would be far more entertaining. And, if you neglect to spend points upgrading the wizard to conjure more boxes and a plank shape, there are a few puzzles that I am not sure can be surpassed at all.

Multiplayer is offered online and locally, and it is thoroughly enjoyable, if only because cooperative PC gaming seems to be an increasing rarity. Multiplayer utilizes the same levels as the single-player portion and largely creates an easier experience, although having a second player causes some haphazardly fun situations, especially if you choose to allow both players to be the same character. Finally, allowing a friend to join you at any stage, rather than starting over at the beginning is a much-appreciated touch.