TRI: Of Friendship and Madness

I played this many years ago and didn't have the patience to understand how or what to do. Thankfully I am older, wiser and have much more patience than before. I am beyond happy with this game for numerous reasons and it was worth the money. First off, this game works in Manjaro Linux without a problem. I am thankful for this since Windows seems to be a dying OS for gaming due to TPM 2.0 and having to have the newest system that is out there. Not Linux :) This is a pure open world puzzle game and it doesn't look like much but don't let that fool you. This game is MUCH MORE than what you see. The minimalist approach to the game does not defract from the actual goal. Your mission is to locate the keys (fox statuettes) to open other areas of the game. The problem for the player is these keys are well hidden and eventually you're required to get access to the "tri" which allows the player to create triangles that allow them to climb and walk up walls to certain areas. This is easier said than done as the triangles cannot be too large, small or slanted in certain ways. To create proper triangles they must turn yellow to be used. If a triangle is constructed the wrong way it will turn red and cannot be climbed or walked on. Part of the battle of forming your triangles properly is the size of the rooms, what obstructions are in the way and how to utilize what three parts of the triangle you are constructing are allowed and where. Some areas are easy and later ones are not. The lore from the guide is quite interesting and adds to the game. I have not gotten far into the game but much farther than I did in the past. If you lack patience, humility and respect for the way this game utilizes what the player can do then don't even attempt playing. You'll end up in frustration quite fast but if you take the time to truly understand this game, you'll be pleasantly surprised and enjoy what it has to offer puzzle players. I highly recommend this game if you're looking for a great challenge and not one that ends too fast. Worth every penny. Well done devs!

This is a puzzle game like no other. I play a lot of first person puzzle games and I’ve encountered no game to compare this game with. Its core puzzle mechanics are unique. The implementation of these core puzzle mechanics are well done. The level design is very creative and every level is significantly different than the previous one. The levels are quite large also. All in all this is a good game and certainly worth playing if you like an original puzzle game. But there is one word of caution and that is that this game is very long and you are probably going to get stuck many times not knowing how to proceed. It took me a long time to get far into the game. So long that I actually stopped playing the game at one point. I only picked it up many months later and then spent many hours finishing the game. I’m glad I finished the game but boy did it take a lot of effort. I got stuck many times which is one of the reasons it took so long. But in the end I only used outside help twice to be able to proceed. You need a lot of patience and experimentation to finish this game. From the steam achievements I know that only 6.3% of players finished the game. Is it a good puzzle game? Absolutely! But I do have a bit of a love / hate relationship with it.

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness is a first-person puzzle adventure developed and published by Rat King Entertainment. Instead of emphasizing combat or fast-paced action, the game revolves around intelligence, creativity, and exploration. At the heart of the experience is the TRI, a magical ability that lets players create triangular platforms on walls and other surfaces, transforming the environment into a giant interactive puzzle. This unique mechanic defines every aspect of the gameplay, encouraging players to rethink how they navigate the world while uncovering the secrets hidden within an ancient civilization. The result is a refreshing adventure that rewards curiosity and problem-solving rather than quick reflexes. The game's central mechanic is remarkably versatile. The ability to place triangular structures opens countless possibilities, allowing players to build bridges across seemingly impossible gaps, construct stairways to unreachable ledges, or reshape the environment to create entirely new paths. As the adventure progresses, additional mechanics such as moving structures, magical energy beams, switches, and gravity-altering puzzles are introduced, steadily increasing the complexity without abandoning the core concept. Every new challenge feels like a natural extension of what players have already learned, making progression rewarding while consistently introducing fresh ideas. Exploration is another major strength. Rather than pushing players through a strictly linear path, TRI encourages experimentation within expansive environments filled with hidden passages, collectibles, and optional secrets. Many puzzles can be approached from different angles, giving players the freedom to discover unconventional solutions if they think creatively. The game constantly rewards observation, making every towering ruin and mysterious chamber feel worth investigating. This open-ended design helps maintain engagement throughout the journey and gives each completed puzzle a satisfying sense of accomplishment. The visual presentation complements the gameplay exceptionally well. Although the graphics reflect the era in which the game was released, the artistic direction remains memorable thanks to its dreamlike fantasy environments, ancient architecture, glowing magical symbols, and surreal landscapes. The minimalist aesthetic avoids unnecessary distractions while emphasizing the unusual geometry that forms the backbone of the puzzle design. Every location carries a quiet sense of mystery, reinforcing the idea that players are exploring a forgotten world shaped by powerful and enigmatic forces. Sound design also contributes significantly to the atmosphere. Ambient musical tracks create a calm and contemplative mood that allows players to focus on solving puzzles without feeling rushed. Environmental audio, subtle effects, and carefully timed musical cues help immerse players in the world while providing satisfying feedback for successful interactions. Instead of relying on dramatic soundtracks throughout the entire adventure, the game uses restraint to enhance moments of discovery and wonder. The narrative unfolds gradually through environmental storytelling and interactions with unusual characters rather than lengthy cinematic sequences. The themes of friendship, sacrifice, knowledge, and madness are woven into the game's mysterious lore, encouraging players to piece together its history through exploration. While the story intentionally leaves certain questions unanswered, this ambiguity complements the surreal setting and invites players to interpret the world in their own way instead of presenting every detail explicitly. Despite its originality, the game is not entirely without flaws. Some puzzles become extremely demanding and may require extensive experimentation before the intended solution becomes clear. Players occasionally encounter awkward platform placement or camera positioning, which can lead to minor frustration during more precise sections. Those expecting constant action or traditional adventure gameplay may also find the deliberate pace slower than anticipated. However, for players who enjoy thoughtful puzzle design, these challenges are generally outweighed by the satisfaction of mastering the game's mechanics. TRI: Of Friendship and Madness successfully distinguishes itself through one of the most imaginative traversal systems found in the puzzle genre. Its inventive platform-creation mechanic, intelligently designed environments, rewarding exploration, atmospheric presentation, and subtle storytelling combine to create an experience that remains engaging long after its release. While it demands patience and creative thinking, it consistently rewards those willing to experiment and embrace its unconventional design philosophy. For fans of cerebral first-person adventures that prioritize innovation over spectacle, TRI remains an overlooked gem that deserves far more recognition. Rating: 8/10

[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43083373/]Clever games curator review: 7/10[/url] This is a 3D collectathon platformer where 3 specific items are required to finish a level, and you can also collect a set of other items (around 10 per level if you want). Because you can add surfaces to walk and jump on, this game is much more of a puzzle/thinking game than reflex based. Most of the puzzles are just figuring out how to best use your surface creating ability (which later morphs into walking on walls too), but there are some actual environmental puzzles as well. Levels are fairly open mazes, with multiple paths, lots of outdoor spaces mixed with corridors and other more traditional maze aspects. Rather than trying to find the "end" the real goal is visiting all the areas so you can find the required and optional collectibles. This game starts out very strong, but around mid-game (9 hours in), the levels stop being fun. Not sure why, maybe they had to make the game longer so that it didn't seem too short. But 9 good hours is fine. I wish they hadn't padded it out just to make it longer, and in particular I wish they hadn't done that by making the puzzles obscure/punishingly difficult. Oh well. One super annoying thing, though, is that the game is not configured for gamepads . The engine they used does have full gamepad support, and you can just use the in-game settings to map each and every button manually, but geeze. That's a lot of effort for each person who wants to use a gamepad. The devs should have done it once, for all of us. The game works just fine once you go thru all the work of setting up the bindings.

I found this game many years ago by watching StacyPlays play through it when I was younger, and I thought about it recently and decided to try it for myself. This game is a hidden puzzle gem. I wish it had more recognition. It's fun to play and is calming in a way. It is very wonderfully stylized and I will tempt puzzle enjoyer friends to play.

遊戲玩法本身挺有創意，簡單來說你操作的是一隻會結界術(？)的狐狸，可以隨時進行有限距離無限數量的三點構面，利用這些平面通過一些原本越不過的障礙。然而實際上玩起來不是那麼好玩，主要是關卡幾乎都在狹窄的室內進行，氣氛太過沉悶。再來是操作的手感很廉價，有點像是在操作一個立方體，透過滑行進行移動的感覺。尤其是跳躍時的平台碰撞判定，可以很明顯感受自己操作的不是隻狐狸而是個立方體。美術風格也比較另類，我自己不是很喜歡。綜上所述個人不推薦入手這遊戲。

ㅤ

很好的游戏，我想念我的朋友

I'm not sure where I got this game from, as I have no memory of purchasing it, but I'm a pretty big fan of first-person puzzle games, so I still had fairly high hopes for this game. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy my time with this game, and was left disappointed by the fairly lackluster story and the tedious and repetitive mechanics. This game starts by telling you that there are two fox gods, one is missing, and you're supposed to find them. Unfortunately, the game never gives you a reason to be invested in finding this fox, as the game tells you almost nothing about them. Should I be invested in saving this fox because it's a good creature? Is there some sort of negative consequence if the fox is never found? The game never elaborates (at least, not in the earlier part of the game). This makes the story feel pretty meaningless, and I was never able to get invested in it. I was hoping the gameplay would make up for the disappointing narrative, but unfortunately the mechanics were pretty unsatisfying as well. The basic premise is fairly simple, and involves placing triangles throughout each level to try and reach three fox statutes that you need to reach the next level. There's also lots of smaller statues you can collect, although those aren't required. The puzzle design in most levels is pretty simple, so this made it often feel more like a collectathon than a puzzle game. This mechanic also feel a bit clunky sometimes, and the choice to use triangles instead of rectangles seems a bit arbitrary and unnecessary, but it works fine for the most part. Unfortunately, the game seems to struggle to find new and interesting ways to get you to use this mechanic that aren't frustrating and tedious, so not only does placing triangles get repetitive pretty quickly, it also gets frustrating as the game starts limiting where you can place them and sometimes forces you to place triangle after triangle to scale massive obstacles. There are some new mechanics that you unlock after a while which add some variation, but I didn't find that they added a whole lot, and after a while I just got tired of doing the same thing over and over, and called it quits. The game seems to run well, and it looks nice, with a fairly unique art style. I didn't encounter any bugs either, other than some occasional jank with the triangles. [b]TL;DR[/b] Although I normally enjoy first-person puzzle games, and this game runs well and has a nice art style, it has a disappointing story, the mechanics are repetitive and tedious, and it often feels more like a collectathon than a puzzle game. As such, I can't recommend it.

triangle is a great shape