Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia

I don't think this is a very good video game (or even a decent video game) unless you are perhaps at a certain age demographic and don't have anything else to compare this game to because your parents/guardian have you on parental controls and your account is restricted to listing games that are basically for kindergarteners. This game is very generic, perhaps one of the most generic I have ever had the opportunity of playing, and I've played a lot of video games here on Steam. It's just overall very basic and simplistic and seems as though it's much more closer to being an overpriced cash grab rushed product to perhaps exploit the fans of the [i]Trollhunters[/i] franchise. I've never even heard of it, but apparently it's an animated series. And if it's anything like the video game, I doubt it is enjoyable. It creates that type of impression in you, as a gamer, that if you are unfamiliar with the IP, you now want nothing to do with it. The story involves the convoluted time travel idea that is easily unraveled for the confusion it creates, and your character travels all over the place from underground caverns to a whole different planet where you never really know what is going on as you chase after some unintelligible troll/ogre or something who has somehow acquired a powerful magical artifact that he is also smart enough to wield and understand effectively. As soon as you discover that alien technology in addition to magic exists in this universe, it becomes predictable. But it does seem to require you to have watched the animated TV show to really know who any of the characters are and what they are. That is why the showrunners should be more involved in the creative process for video game adaptations to try and better ensure that a decent studio is selected to develop these games. You can perhaps generate more interest for your show if it is tied to a video game that is actually good. There is voice acting in most scenes, while reading is required for some others, more specifically, the side quests you can discover if you keep talking to every NPC around the hub area, but I'd say there were only really two voice actors who carried the rest. The others are a bit more monotone and unenthused, and the dialogue itself is definitely something only younger gen Z or older gen Alpha can understand sometimes when it comes to the comedic relief side-kick male character that every hero(ine) apparently needs. He sort of reminds me of the goofy, chubby sidekick in the Tom Holland portrayal of Spider-Man movies. If you aren't a parent who wants to purchase this game to play cooperatively with children, then you should immediately look for something else to spend money on. Parents who are wanting to play a game with their children should also avoid this title unless it is on sale for at least 90% off for a few important reasons: -The game is short. This might actually be good for children, such as those with short attention spans from consuming too much Bluey as toddlers, but you as an adult will have a better understanding of the dollar's value and know that this does not justify a $25 USD price point. Especially if you intend to buy multiple copies. You can run through the game in just a few hours, or a bit longer if you want to hunt for the achievements. -It's just a dull, unimaginative platformer. The 2D side-scrolling platforming genre of video game is rich with video games that are far better and also child-friendly in that it still has the hack-and-slash component of this game. Ironically, these video games are much better to invest time and money into because it isn't meant to be designed in a way to exploit younger gamers by being an adaptation to some children's show. Animations here are clunky and repetitive, and the landscape isn't anything pretty to look at. An important aspect of this type of game is having a beautiful or artistically unique background to make up for the lack of proper 3D directional movement and environments. -The game is not coded to detect the device you are using to play the game, which is a red flag and indicative of terrible or lazy coders. Button prompts for in-game tutorial/hint pop-ups only assume that you are using an Xbox controller and do not switch to inform you of what the true input is in relation to your chosen method of play. I am playing this game on mouse + keyboard (I'm a PC gamer) and had to experiment with the keys to figure out what does what. Using the 'assistants' that you collect throughout the game, each having special abilities for progressing through the map, is very inconsistent because the keyboard input doesn't let you seamlessly scroll over to who you need in that moment, and you'll have four or so different friends/allies to call down upon by the end of the game, whether it is to destroy an unbreakable wall, summon a platform for better verticality, a hoverboard to cross a gap that you can't normally jump across, someone who heals you, etc. Each map is essentially designed to rely on these other characters that you meet and befriend through your adventure, but it isn't like that of a metroidvania where you need to backtrack as you obtain new abilities or items to unlock new areas or secrets. It acts more as just an obstacle to try and add variety to the otherwise repetitive gameplay, which leads to the next point: -It's just boring with very little substance. You have an inventory system and can interact with certain NPCs in the hub area to buy items and power-ups but it's very lacking in items/gear that you can use and obtain such as to create different playstyles. There's one NPC that sells armor, but nothing for weapons, and the boss battles are easy even on hard difficulty, if not a bit gimmicky at times. The fight against Gunmar the Black was unbalanced where you couldn't always jump over the stampede of abominations or whatever they are actually called. The game doesn't do much for explaining the actual lore of this universe to those who are not familiar with the franchise. Enemy variety types are very minimal and are discovered in future levels to just be recolored but with some extra HP. -As for cooperative play, I didn't test this feature as I don't have children to play with and don't think it is appropriate to try and lure one into my house just to play this game, but it seemed plug and play easy with drop-in options from the pause menu and you can also disconnect the second player instantly as well with the same button. But with how easy the game is even on hard mode, I imagine cooperative play just negates that even further. I don't know, I just think that if I were a gamer dad and had a gamer kid, I'd be buying them something way better for us to play together than this game. But I suppose for the discerning parent, this could be a distraction for a few hours for kids who don't yet know what good video games are.

Happy to see Angor Rot's alive and you can recruit him.

A bland and borderline soulless game meant for people like me who really love Trollhunters, all for a bit of casual short fun

Si eres fan de Trollhunters como yo y te viste la serie y las películas, este juego lo vas a disfrutar y lo mejor es que son las voces originales. Aparte me gustan los juegos de plataformas. Le doy un 7/10

muito bom jogo todo hora ( provavelmente somente eu jogo )

I honestly expect more from Wayforward. They've done such great things with games Shantae and Mighty Switch Force. They've even done great stuff with licensed 2D platfromers in the past like the GBA Spongebob games. I guess there is nothing inherently bad or broken with the game. Its just so incredibly average and repetitive. As a kids game it is probably better than a lot of other licensed games aimed at younger players but being a kids game doesn't have to mean cheap, easy, and shallow. There were so many great licensed kids game when I was growing up. Stuff like A Bug's Life, DuckTales, M.C. Kids, or Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom. The last one was so beloved that it got a modern remake! Why aren't kids getting this quality of licensed games today? There's like 5 different enemies and then they just retexture some of them in latter levels. You can beat the game in about 3-4 hours. Which I guess is a good thing because the difficulty achievements don't stack so even though I beat it on hard, I now have to play through this whole game again to get the "beat on normal" achievement and 100% the achievements list. Great, more repetition!

not the best game by any means but I'm loving it although I wish we could play as Troll Jim more

I love it!

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia, developed by WayForward and published by Outright Games Ltd., is a side-scrolling action platformer that attempts to capture the spirit and charm of the Trollhunters animated series while delivering an approachable adventure aimed primarily at younger audiences. The game follows Jim Lake Jr. as he becomes entangled in a time-bending threat orchestrated by Porgon the Trickster Troll, a mischievous villain whose antics create a narrative excuse for hopping between eras and revisiting familiar environments from the show. From the outset, the game positions itself as a streamlined, family-friendly experience rather than a complex or demanding action title, leaning on recognizable characters, colorful environments, and light combat to carry the journey. Gameplay in Defenders of Arcadia is built around simple, accessible mechanics. You run, jump, and strike enemies in classic platformer fashion, occasionally unlocking additional moves such as ranged attacks or special abilities to help navigate levels. Each stage introduces mild platforming elements and enemy encounters, but the challenge remains forgiving throughout. The levels are mostly linear, asking you to move steadily forward while dispatching foes or collecting coins, armor upgrades, and minor secrets tucked into corners. Combat consists largely of button-mashing until enemies fall, with little pressure to dodge, time attacks, or strategize, which makes the game ideal for newcomers but less satisfying for seasoned players seeking depth or finesse. While the mechanics are basic, the presentation is earnest in its attempt to recreate the visual language of the show. The character models replicate the animated style, and the levels draw inspiration from settings fans will immediately recognize—from Arcadia Oaks’ streets to mystical underground caverns. The game’s music and voice acting, where present, help reinforce the connection to the source material, giving the adventure the comforting feel of an extended episode. At the same time, the overall visual execution is modest; backgrounds and effects are functional but lack the polish and liveliness of higher-budget adaptations. Still, the game preserves the tone and energy of the Trollhunters universe well enough to satisfy players who simply want to revisit the world in game form. One of the game’s more appealing features is its local co-op mode, which allows a second player to join as Claire Nuñez. This addition elevates the experience significantly for families or siblings playing together, offering a cooperative dimension that suits the show’s ensemble feel. Co-op doesn’t dramatically alter gameplay, but it adds camaraderie and makes the adventure more enjoyable, especially for younger players who may find comfort in tackling levels with a partner. However, the game’s limitations become clear as you progress. The level design, while serviceable, lacks variety and creativity, often defaulting to straightforward layouts with only minimal platforming challenges. Collectibles and upgrades exist, but their impact on gameplay is minimal, and they do little to encourage replay or exploration. Technical issues—such as inconsistent hitboxes, awkward collision detection, and occasional bugs—further disrupt the experience and undermine any sense of flow during combat or platforming sections. These problems aren’t catastrophic but become noticeable in a game that already leans heavily on simplicity. Narratively, Defenders of Arcadia provides a light extension of the show’s story rather than a standalone tale with meaningful emotional stakes. Fans will appreciate familiar faces and references, but the plot is presented briskly and lacks the depth, character growth, and nuance of the series. For players unfamiliar with the animated universe, the story may feel shallow, assuming prior attachment to its characters and themes without offering much in the way of introduction or exposition. Ultimately, Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia succeeds most as an accessible, family-friendly introduction to action platformers and as a tie-in experience for young fans of the series. It is not designed to push boundaries in level design, challenge, or storytelling; rather, it offers a gentle adventure that can be completed without frustration. Adults or experienced gamers may find it too straightforward, too repetitive, or underdeveloped to hold their interest, but children or Trollhunters enthusiasts will likely enjoy its colorful worlds, cooperative play, and lighthearted pacing. In short, this is a game built for a specific audience—one that values comfort, familiarity, and simplicity over depth or innovation. When approached with those expectations in mind, Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia delivers a pleasant, if modest, journey through the world of Arcadia that echoes the charm of the series while remaining easy enough for nearly any player to enjoy. Rating: 7/10

"Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia" is another case of "Outright Games" pushing some material that's basically more licensed media property than it is actual game... that's what these guys do and this is no exception. This is yet another of literally thousands of console ported retro platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere. There's a few minigames but the bulk of the gameplay is shallow, easy platforming and simplistic arcade/platformer brawling. This Nintendo Switch game carries the titular "Trollhunters" IP (a Dreamworks animated TV show) for kids and features characters for the show. And it is definitely made for kids. I suppose this review should carry a bit of a preface there, I write reviews for adult gamers and not for kids... if you are struggling to entertain your kids with family friendly games, I guess this could be worth a look into if your kids really like the franchise. Except this is also stupidly overpriced. So, for everyone else who's not a kid, this game offers not so much. Let's get into the defects with this game. High production value, but low gamer value. It's a handheld (Nintendo Switch)/console game that's also been put on Steam as a bit of an afterthought, as it's very much designed for the handheld/console gaming audience. There's an overwhelming amount of mediocre cutscenes in this game. So you'll spend a huge amount of time not playing the game, but watching extremely poorly made cutscenes because the developers couldn't work out how to relate their narrative through the game mechanics, and decided instead it would be better to compete with Netflix for your time. We're here to play games, not watch hours of garbage intersituals. From a technical perspective, the game doesn't meet basic minimum requirements that most PC gamers expect as standard. Because this is designed for handheld/portable gaming appliances, it carries a number of deliberate design deficiencies. Compromises were made to cater to the low power handheld gaming appliances that the game was designed for. These are unfortunate compromises and limitations that PC gamers shouldn't be forced to accept, but it's evident that PC was a second thought for the mobile game developers. The game is deficient as a result of these choices, and would have been so much better without the handicaps that designing games for low power handhelds forces upon a game. While this might run well on a Steam Deck, we must remember the vast majority of gamers here are gaming on PC. There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks. There's no way to ensure this is running at the native resolution of your display. There's no guarantee this game will look right on any PC as a result of this hamfisted design decision. The game has surprisingly decent graphics, the developers seem to understand the old axiom that gaming is a visual medium, so this gets a pass. Unfortunately there's other problems that make this difficult for gamers to want to part with their time and money. Usually most games fail to achieve a high standard because lazy/talentless amateur developers don't understand that gaming is a visual medium. But the people who say there's more to a game than the visuals have a point. My argument is that a game must have BOTH to be considered great... and we're not getting that here. The controls can't be customised, which will be an annoyance for many, but it can also render the game unplayable for differently-abled gamers, left handed gamers or gamers using AZERTY or other international keyboard layouts. These technical defects push this game below acceptable standards for any modern PC game. The poor quality of this game is reflected by how many people spent time with it. At the time of this review, SteamDB shows the all-time peak player number was only 13 players. This is a remarkably low number, and now, the only player activity occurs once or twice a month, presumably someone loading it up to see what it is then quickly uninstalling it. Considering there's over 120 million gamers on Steam and well over 130,000 games for gamers to choose from, the overwhelming lack of interest in this low quality game is to be expected. So, should you buy this game? Is this one of the best of the 130,000+ games on Steam? "Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia" has the laughable price of $25 USD, for which you could easily get any number of older AAA games. Given the defects and quality issues with the game, coupled with the unrealistic price, this is impossible to recommend. And there's the rub... this isn't a $25 game, it's a $25 license fee to Dreamworks. For comparison, the $25 asking price for this game could get you games like "Crusader Kings III", "Cyberpunk 2077" or "Total War Warhammer III". Quality, professionally made games like those are frequently on sale cheaper than this.