Classy, Like A Fox? Trifox For The PS5

Playing a bit of catch-up here, having acquired a review code for Trifox from Glowfish Interactive and Big Sugar. The game was released earlier in the month, but the code came through in time for the weekend, so it was time for a cheeky test drive. Worth the wait? Was there a wait? For me, there was – I’ve been keen to play it.

Trifox is an action-adventure twin-stick shooter with platform elements. I wouldn’t put it down as a platformer as there, fortunately, isn’t enough jumping about. That’s a good thing, as the jumping element can be atrocious in places. Who dies on the first level because they couldn’t safely jump to another platform – even when using a special ability to ensure their safety? Answers on a postcard…

That’s right, platforming in the game is poor, with next to no aftertouch for landing. You can look at your shadow when landing but do nowt to land properly – even with a double jump from the outset. This was just the first beef with the game, and the second was being unable to swap out one of the three classes in the game. To be fair, you can change your class between each stage, but the levelling-up system isn’t clear enough and will take a bit of trial and error.

Trifox Review PS5

Of the three classes in Trifox, you can choose the Warrior, Mage, and Engineer. Besides their subtle appearances, the only difference between them is their special, activated by the circle button, which is a dash variation. On top of that, each has skills to unlock and activate by collecting coins and then assigning them to the shoulder buttons. Interestingly, these don’t appear to be locked to a class, so you can mix up the skills, thus finding the perfect load out, as well as activating an achievement. Yay!

You’ll typically unlock one or two skills per stage, but I found that I kept the same skills for the majority of my time with the game. These included a balance of ranged attacks, a sweeping melee attack, a shield, and an OP triple flame turret that can cheese some enemies. Yes, I admit it. Though there are some OP elements to the game, the difficulty often spikes, and despite the appeal to a younger audience, my kids struggled a bit with gameplay as it can be swings and roundabouts.

First, Trifox sometimes will unleash a deluge of enemies when you activate one of the many tiles that open a new area, and it can be somewhat overwhelming as these waves feel endless – more so when it’s hard to outrun them. For a fox, they aren’t so swift. Initially, I thought this was based on the class, but it doesn’t make any difference. The solution? Get a balanced load out, such as hiding behind a turret, dashing out of the way and shooting from a distance, or stunning and then performing a melee combo. It’s a bit of a button masher, but in context, it’s enjoyable.

Foxy

The visuals are pretty nice, too. It’s not like most 3D characters – there are a few more polygons on the faces, which is unique and makes the characters stand out. As an all-rounder, the game is entertaining once you unlock the skills. Besides the combat, there are a few tile puzzles, activating switches – that sort of thing. Plus, there are obligatory bosses that have different phases to test your patience. Fortunately, there are infinite retries (I assume!), but you will have to repeat sections when you die, and that can be a little frustrating – typically when there are a ton of enemies lined up.

If Trifox were a platform game, I’d say avoid it – it’s the game’s weakest point. Fortunately, there aren’t too many platforming areas, though they will test your patience. While the game isn’t likely to have you pulling your hair out based on the difficulty, perhaps you might need to help out younger gamers as it can spike, as mentioned. Still, the class system is quite good, and once you get into it and start hunting down all the hidden items, Trifox should keep you out of mischief for a weekend or two.