The Art of Trine 4-Digital Art Book

The Trine series is known for its colorful fantasy art, breathtaking landscapes and
lush whimsical environments. All of these qualities return in the latest installment of
the series, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince.
The Art of
In this new 2.5D adventure, the three heroes are back again! Amadeus the Wizard,
Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief come together on a thrilling quest filled with
dangerous foes and fantastical fairytale landscapes, as they seek out the troubled
young Prince Selius, whose nightmares are coming to life.
Foreword3 Animations183
Gameplay Animations 185
Characters5 Cutscene Animations 187
Creating Characters
Amadeus the Wizard
7
9 Effects189
Pontius the Knight 11
Zoya the Thief 13 Graphical User Interface 197
Selius Heatherwood 15
Credits205
Friendly Animals 17
D.A. Badgerborough 19
Hedley the Hedgehog 21
The Goat 23
The Message Pigeon 23
The Mother and Baby Eagle 24
The Ringed Seal 25
The Blueberry Bear 26
Toby the Corgi 27
Waffles the Cat 28
The Three Siblings 30
Enemies and Bosses 40
Common Nightmares 41
The Cursed Knight 49
A Giant Nightmare Wolf 51
Aunt Gretchen 53
The Three Knights 55
Princess Zoya 57
The Shadow Beast 59
Environments61
General Level Art 63
Gameplay Assets 67
Heatherwood Study 69
A Wintery Morning 74
The Cursed Manor 79
A Masquerade Night 86
Craghill Moors 91
The Thorny Hedge Maze 98
Heatherwood Hall and The Prince’s Dream 103
Moonlit Forest 113
The Badgerborough 119
Goldleaf Garden 125
Firwood Water 132
The Crackling Mire 137
The Blueberry Forest 143
The Gossamer Grove 150
Snow-topped Heights 155
The Nightmare Academy 161
Haunted Tombs 168
The Nightmare Prince 173
Toby’s Dream 180
1 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 2

Foreword
The Trine series is known for its magical and lush art style for a
decade already. As years have gone by, the art of the series has
developed constantly, and Trine 4 is no exception.
The Trine world is inspired by traditional fairytales coming

together with the fantasy genre. This time, Trine 4 shines a
spotlight on Nordic nature and folk tales, with some of the game’s
environments based on the nature that surrounds our development
team here in Finland. It has allowed us to tap into our personal
knowledge and experiences to see how Nordic forests would look
like in the whimsical fantasy style of Trine.
We wanted to create a world that is coherent and logical, so that

the path of the heroes continues naturally from one environment
to another. The elements of fantasy, dreams and nightmares add
their own unexpected twists to the journey, allowing us to create
surprises and variations in our themes.
In Trine 4 we have kept the original magical Trine feeling, while

evolving the art style even further, creating a look that is more
stylized and clearer to read visually. To top it all off, we have
a new in-house renderer, allowing us to create truly enchanting
lighting across our magical landscapes. Our art team has conjured
a beautiful and believable world where we hope the players will be
as happy to immerse themselves in, much as we have been while
working hard to create all of it.
Trine 4 has more characters, levels, bosses and cutscenes than

the previous Trine games, demanding hours and hours of elaborate
work from our talented artists and animators. This book is a peek
behind the scenes about their process of creating a magical world.

Characters
As the whole visual style of Trine is evolving, the character designs have moved
into more stylized direction with the rest of the game, giving our heroes a fresh
new look.
It’s always a challenge to take existing and well-known characters and redesign
them, as you’ll need to find the balance between the old and the new elements.
It’s important to maintain the essence of the character and their identity, while
coming up with fresh ideas.
When designing characters into a fantasy world where anything is possible, realism
is not the first priority. Still, characters should be believable, relate to the world
where they live in, and their designs should tell a story about who they are and
what their personality is like.

Creating Characters
Character design starts with finding out who the character is

and how they should look like based on that. We gather visual
references and other ideas, and then create concept art until we
have what we are looking for.
Next the character’s 3D model is textured. Texturing

means creating the 2D images that determine the
material of the character, for example the local colors
and the roughness or shininess of each area. Then the
Then it’s time to sculpt a 3D model, using the concept as whole thing is added to the game editor, completing the
a reference. The character design might change a bit in work of the character artist. Of course the animators
this phase, since three dimensions are not the same as will need to rig and animate the character to really
two. Once sculpting is done, an optimized lower polygon bring it to life in the final game!
version is created, and the details of the sculpt are
transferred on the low-polygon game model. We can’t just
put the original sculpture in the game as it has way too
many polygons for the game engine to handle in real time.

Amadeus the Wizard
Amadeus would love to be a mighty Fireball-slinging

battlemage. Instead, he is well known for his talent for
conjuring and levitating Boxes. And sometimes, balls
and planks.
Amadeus is married to Margaret, proprietor of

Margaret’s Arcane Merchandise. Their three
children have all mastered the Fireball spell, much
to Amadeus’s annoyance. After all, he has already
spent four adventures attempting to conjure at least a
single flaming projectile of majestic wizardry!
Amadeus’s design has changed the most compared to

his original design. He has gotten more groomed. The
turquoise color of his robes is now lighter and with a less
saturated tone, and his golden accents have been replaced with
silvery tones. Amadeus has a warm presence that brings out his
heroic personality, wanting to help and understand others.

Pontius the Knight
Previously a caretaker at the Astral Academy,

Pontius has transformed into an eager champion
of the Kingdom, and protector of the common
folk. Armed with a mighty sword and shield, he
is a formidable fighter. Enemies better beware,
when Pontius decides to throw his weight around!
Besides justice and rescue missions, Pontius
also loves good food and drink. Pontius takes
good care of his friends by protecting them from
harm - his big shield is almost as big as his heart!
Pontius still wears his iconic helmet. The armor has

evolved a bit, but the biggest change is in the general
proportions. Pontius is now more stylized with huge
arms and hands and shorter legs. Pontius really needed
to stand out from the rest of the trio when compared side
to side, for he is the strongest of them all. And he might wear
spiky armor, but you can tell he is far from evil!

Zoya the Thief
Zoya is known for making her way across dark night-time rooftops
and over city walls with her trusty grappling hook and the rope
attached to it. Although the business she conducts may be far from
heroic, Zoya somehow manages to juggle her roles as a shadow in the
night and a daytime hero. Despite near-complete disregard for the
ideas of law, family or duty, Zoya is glad to be a part of the
heroic trio, for she loves the adventures they share, and
the opportunities to find hidden treasures. In combat,
Zoya’s skill and precision with her bow allow her to
fend off enemies from afar.
Visually the essence of Zoya’s character is the

white hooded tunic with a touch of red and of
course her bow and grappling hook. A white
outfit for a secretive rogue might not be the
most realistic one, but it is an iconic element
that needed to be kept with the new design. Her
new outfit has evolved into a more practical
direction - by the fourth installment of the Trine
series all of the heroes have now more adventure
appropriate attire. This adds to the believability of
the character designs as they are running through snowy
mountains as well as summery meadows.

Selius Heatherwood
Selius Heatherwood is a troubled young would-be

wizard. His magical talents have a natural connection
to the Dream World, even being able to slip in there
entirely, as his powers grew stronger. Unfortunately
there is a dark Shadow haunting his mind, and it feeds
Selius’s magic to his own nightmares.
Selius was sent off to the Astral Academy to take

control of his powers. As temporal remedy, he was given
a talisman that suppresses his dream magic. It prevents
Selius from entering the Dream World, while the
Shadow is still quite able to conjure all the nightmare
monsters it wants. Selius managed to escape the Astral
Academy, and is chased across the land by the Heroes
of Trine – sent by the wizards of the Astral Academy
to retrieve their missing charge. Selius has no wish to
return to the Academy, while the Shadow starts to plot
how to take over the prince entirely.
Selius’s design with black hair and lean figure is based
Selius is also one of the playable student characters in
on him being a morose teenager with a dark outlook on
Nine Parchments. Selius’s story starts when the other
life. He is from a wealthy family, so he is wearing royal
students accidentally find him in the lower floors of the
elements like ornate cape and jeweled sash. The Shadow
Astral Academy.
is visually like an evil inverted image of Selius, with
vibrant red and unnatural blue skin tones telling a story
of a twisted character.

Friendly Animals
On their quest to find the missing Prince Selius our
heroes run into a number of friendly denizens of the
forest needing or offering help.

D.A. Badgerborough
D.A. Badgerborough is a scholar of natural

history.
Designing this character was a perfect

opportunity to bring out traditional
anthropomorphic fairytale characteristics.
His look tells you immediately about his
personality, how he is a scholar who also enjoys
the comforts of life. The pocket watch lets you
know he is a punctual person.
The badger lives in his cozy underground home

where he writes about the surrounding nature
until nightmare hedgehogs come and wreck his
home.

Hedley the Hedgehog
Hedley the Hedgehog is a soft-spoken gardener, whose garden and

flowers have been trampled by nightmare badgers.
The hedgehog’s design lets you know he is a gardener who

appreciates anything and everything green that grows out
of the ground. Little red rain boots and the makeshift
apron show that he is practical and not afraid to get his
paws dirty!
Hedley and his scholarly neighbour do not get along at all.

The Goat The Mother and Baby Eagle
The Goat in Amadeus’s tutorial was one of the With the Eagles, we wanted to pay homage to
first animals made for Trine 4. He’s stubborn, large but friendly animals previously seen in
but still willing to give you a hand after you Trine games. By helping those in need, you could
have helped him in return. receive some unexpected assistance in return!
There are other goats in the game, too, but this

one is special, with rich red caparisons.
The designs are in part based on a Harpy

Eagles, which in themselves already look
like they could live in the magical world of
Trine.
The Message Pigeon
The message pigeon is an important character

who delivers messages to our heroes and other
inhabitants of the Trine world. If you hear a
pigeon cooing, you can assume he is close by!

The Blueberry Bear
Bears can be a bit scary, but this one is a

sweetheart. There is a friendly bear living in
the Blueberry Forest that curiously appears
during the level to greet the players.
In Finnish folklore, the bear is the King of the

Forest, perhaps there is more to this particular
bear than meets the eye?
The Ringed Seal
The seal character is our interpretation of the

Saimaa Ringed Seal, an endangered species
living in lake Saimaa in Finland. The artist
who created this character sees their real-
life counterpart every summer.
To add a fantasy twist, this cute and

cuddly seal received a water lily
garland on her head. In Trine 4, the
seal’s nightmares are fishing nets.

Toby the Corgi Waffles the Cat
In Nine Parchments, Selius can summon the Waffles is Selius’s family cat and Selius can’t
shade of his now-dead dog, Toby. Toby died stand her as he feels like the family is more
years ago after trying to pick a fight with a pack worried about the cat than him.
of wolves.
You can find Waffles roaming around the ruins
Toby was a sweet little pup with a massive of Heatherwood Hall. When you enter the same
ego, and his death is the reason why Selius has castle in a dream, everything seems to have gone
nightmares about wolves. back in time, the castle to its former glory and
the cat is seen as a young kitten!

The Three Siblings

The Three Siblings
Three siblings live in the magical woods,

observing the Three Heroes’ quest with great
interest, and offer their help when it is most
needed.
As characters they are inspired by witches

and their cottages in many Nordic and Slavic
fairy tales, but instead of being old crones, they
are fairy-like creatures that inhabit different
natural elements.

Elodea
Elodea is a marsh mermaid, and patroness of
everything that lives in water. She swims in thick and
treacherous marsh rivers as well as lakes, and has some
resemblance to a pike fish.
Elodea’s look was one of the most interesting to come up

with. The idea of combining a gloomy bog environment
with a mermaid, that you’d usually think as this sweet
little girl with a fish tail, was interesting. Stereotypes
can be very useful things in character design, but
it’s always more interesting to try and come up with
something more unique.

Linden
Linden is a tree spirit, and patron of the trees and
flowers in the enchanted woods. He lives inside a hollow
old Linden tree in the Blueberry forest.
The idea for the visual design came from the

blueberry forest environment. There is wood, ferns
and blueberries, but the more unique element for a
dryad type creature is the skirt-like lower part which is
actually inspired by the blueberry flower.
Originally the plan was to have all the three siblings

female, but to make things more versatile and
interesting, we decided to change one of them into
a male. There was already a preliminary sketch of
the character so it was just edited towards a more
traditionally masculine body type.

Moonshine
Moonshine is a wispy air spirit, intangible as moonlight.
Moonshine is patroness to all airborne creatures in
these woods, and prefers the high canopies of trees as a
resting place.
Moonshine’s elegant and airy design was inspired by the

magical Crystal Wing Moths that live in the Moonlit
Woods where our heroes first see her. It is said that
Moonshine can only be seen in moonlight, a bit like the
nocturnal Crystal Wing Moths that seem to appear
wherever she goes.

Enemies and Bosses
Because of Prince Selius and his runaway magical talents,
monstrous nightmares are able to slip into reality and wreak
havoc on the waking world.
In addition to monstrous enemy fights, the heroes will also meet

more unique encounters. The most interesting of these are
the ones that bring out the three heroes’ personal nightmares,
allowing us to know them much deeper than ever before.

Common Nightmares Nightmare Satyrs
Faceless creatures, with only expressionless masks to

hide whatever is underneath. The Nightmare Satyr’s
Nightmare Wolves conjure different types of projectiles to hinder your path.
Selius is seriously afraid of wolves. They are the

first creatures to come out of his nightmares, and,
thus, the most common ones the Heroes meet on
their path. They have big teeth and a mean snarl,
and are ready to hunt you down.

Nightmare Spiders
Alongside wolves, Selius the Prince is afraid of spiders,

too. His brothers once did a prank involving spiders,
causing permanent mental scars for their little brother.
We tried to make the models look a bit nicer than

“traditional” spider enemies, to make them less
abhorrent to players with arachnophobia. The spiders
spit ice and fire projectiles, and are immune to their
own element.

Nightmare Hedgehogs Nightmare Badgers
The Nightmare Hedgehogs are D. A. Badgerborough’s Hedley the Hedgehog has had nightmares of evil
nightmare images of his neighbor, Hedley the Hedgehog. badgers, which are a distortion of his neighbor, D. A.
With extra large spikes and a wicked grin, they give the Badgerborough. Unlike their counterpart, they walk on
spooks to anyone who encounters them. all fours and have much larger claws.

Nightmare Wizards Elite Nightmare Enemies
Selius has no fond memories of the Astral Academy There are more tough, armored versions of some of the
after being under lock and key for so long, and so he has nightmarish creatures, with more tricks up their sleeves.
a seriously distorted perception of what they look like. At least Elite Badgers, Elite Wolves, and Elite Satyrs
have been spotted causing havoc in Selius’s wake.
The Nightmare Wizards’ feet may be rooted to the
ground, but their arms have a long reach.

The Cursed Knight
Pontius meets a cursed, undead knight who had

possessed a noble spirit a long time ago. But the knight
died alone and abandoned, and returned to haunt his
old home as a bitter and broken shadow of his old self.
Pontius the Knight needs to confront him and ultimately
set him free.
The Cursed Knight is the only enemy in the game which

isn’t a nightmare, as he’s encountered before the Heroes
get tangled with Selius.

A Giant Nightmare Wolf
The unique nightmare enemy the heroes meet is the

Giant Nightmare Wolf. This one needed to be big and
scary, but still fit to the fairytale feel of Trine without
looking too brutal. Most importantly, She has to look
the part for when Pontius stomps on her head...

Aunt Gretchen
Amadeus’s long-time nightmare about his overpowering

and possibly insane witch-aunt, who he was very
very scared of when he was five and who curiously is
strikingly similar-looking to Amadeus’s wife Margaret.

The Three Knights
The Three Knights are Pontius’s well-repressed self-

doubts about whether or not he is good enough to be a
knight or a hero, especially after their last adventure
with Trine revealed that Pontius was chosen to be one
only by accident and convenience.
The Three Knights are all somehow better than Pontius

in some respect; being more wise, more respectable,
or more attractive; they also represent the kingdom’s
knighthood who perhaps have snubbed Pontius for his
unorthodox way of joining their order.
Originally all of the knights were planned to be male

characters but again to make things more interesting
just with as The Three Siblings, we swapped one of the
knights to female.

Princess Zoya
During her time on her own, Zoya had an adventure in a

far-off land, which could have ended with her becoming
a princess by marriage. Zoya declined the offer, but
the prospect of having been Ridiculously Rich has been
bothering Zoya ever since, especially because she isn’t
really getting any younger, and doing rope tricks is a
career with an eventual expiration date. Princess Zoya
is an apparition of regret that shows up to mock Zoya,
because she fears she made the wrong decision by not
choosing a gilded cage.

The Shadow Beast
The Shadow Beast is the final encounter in Trine 4:

The Nightmare Prince. They are a beast that is formed
in the inner conflict that Selius is having with his
Shadow. They are void of all light, as Selius is finally
succumbed to his dark thoughts, with little control
anymore. If the Shadow Beast is free to roam the Trine
realm, all hope is lost. It is up to our heroes to help
Selius regain power over himself.
The Shadow Beast is the most violent showcase of

his nightmares we have yet seen. The look is quite
traditionally demonic, which supports the story.

Environments
Trine level art is created by two key groups of artists.
A team of 3D artists create all the 3D objects that are needed to build a level. This
means that every rock, tree, mushroom and patch of grass is painstakingly made from
scratch. Each 3D asset is created by first coming up with the visual concept, then
modeling the object digitally, and finally texturing it to give it the material and colors it
needs. The objects are then imported inside the Frozenbyte game development engine.
Once we have a library of assets that are needed for a specific level, the level artists step
in. The level artists take those 3D assets and use them to build the whole level, and use
lighting to create the fantastic feeling that Trine is known for.

General Level Art
Each level in Trine 4 is carefully handcrafted by our

team of talented level artists.
First, gameplay level designers create the tangible basic

structure of a level by using simple grey collision boxes.
Then a level artist steps in and starts creating our
magical fantasy world in a visual form.
The large shapes and effects are placed in the level

first, such as preliminary lighting, large cliffs, big walls,
and the ground. This helps to sketch the overall look of
the level, so the environment stays coherent. Once the
big shapes are in, details are added with smaller rocks,
plants and props.
It’s important to optimize the level art at all times as

we don’t want to strain the performance of the game.
Of course the goal is to make each level unique and
beautiful but that is not the only thing level artists need
to deliver.
Game design and game art go hand in hand, and level art
plays a key role in supporting gameplay, by highlighting
important elements and guiding the player into the right
direction. Artists have many ways to accomplish this,
such as composition, visual flow and the distribution
of detail and being able to use the color and lighting
fundamentals like value contrast to their advantage.

Gameplay Assets
Gameplay assets are 3D assets that the players can

interact with while playing. They can be anything from
boxes, planks and balls to more unique elements. The
gameplay assets need to be visually very clear and their
purpose has to be obvious by just looking at them.
It can be a challenge to come up with a visual look for

puzzle elements that might not instantly feel like they
can be fitted to the visual theme of the level. However,
after some thinking, they’ll always fit right in as Trine’s
fantasy world can have mechanical gears and wooden or
metallic structures which can pretty much go with any
level theme.
It is important to communicate with the gameplay

designers during their design process so that we can get
the best possible solutions that satisfy everyone.

Heatherwood Study

Heatherwood Study
Most Trine games have had playable main

menus. In Trine 4, the main menu is set in the
Heatherwood Study: this place is visited by the
heroes once during the game, and before that in
Selius’s backstory cutscenes.
This is Selius’s father’s private and usually

locked-up study, so it has more gothic vibes
than the rest of Heatherwood Hall.

A Wintery Morning

A Wintery Morning
Our adventure starts in a scenic snowy mountain

cottage landscape bathing in the warm colors of sunrise.
Amadeus the Wizard is attending a wizarding conference
and has rented this cozy Alpine style cottage with all the
amenities. Amadeus embarks on a dangerous and riveting
journey for the nearest mailbox, and meets a distressed
goat on the way - a typical day for a heroic wizard.
In this level warm pinkish light contrasts with purple

shadows. The shape language of this level was designed
to be inviting and friendly with fluffy snow mounds. As
the first level it needs to draw in the player immediately.
We added a great sense of height to create a slight sense
of danger in order to heighten the feeling of an adventure
about start. To create contrast and get a break from all
the snow, there are green forests and fields visible way
down in the valleys between mountains.

The Cursed Manor

The Cursed Manor
The Cursed Manor is where we meet Pontius the Knight.

Pontius has strategically chosen to come here at noon
to avoid any risk of being scared of the cursed undead
knight inside.
The lands of the manor are straight from your

Halloween dreams with the crooked pumpkins and
autumn vibes. The manor is filled with cursed growth
that poisons the neighborhood. Windows are nailed shut
with just thin rays of light reaching inside, creating a
spooky atmosphere. The cursed growth shuns daylight,
and is promptly burned away by prolonged contact
with light. Some fungal growth can still reach outside
through the roof to puff out their foul smokes.
In the heart of the manor Pontius meets the Cursed

Knight, requiring Pontius to use his wits in order to shine
some light on the situation.

A Masquerade Night

A Masquerade Night
Zoya is thieving the night away while the Festival of

Masks is taking over the nocturnal town around her. We
also see a glimpse of two familiar characters from Nine
Parchments heading out to enjoy the carnival.
The visual emphasis is on warm and bright tones

brought by various lights from the carnival, including
streetlights, lanterns and fireworks. Featured are
wealthier areas with fancier buildings, but at the end of
the level on the outskirts of the town there is a shabby
orphanage that Zoya finds uncomfortably familiar.

Craghill Moors

Craghill Moors
The three heroes are sent by the Astral

Academy to this wind beaten heath. Their quest
is to find the missing Prince Selius there.
The scenery is dominated by spiky rocks with

green and purple grass and heather. Stone
arches and ancient machinery add a slight
sense of magic in the air. Here the heroes meet
their first nightmare encounter and begin their
journey to discover what is going on with their
missing Prince.

The Thorny Hedge Maze

The Thorny Hedge Maze
As they chase after Selius, our heroes find themselves

in an overgrown and unkempt hedge maze garden.
The place has a lot of wild growth tearing the garden

structures apart. The garden may have been flawlessly
pruned in the past, but is now taken over by the forces
of the nature. Its once beautiful statues are starting to
crumble down and the iron fences are vanishing under
the weight of wildly growing vines. There are also some
new nightmares lurking under the green canopies.

Heatherwood Hall and
The Prince’s Dream

Heatherwood Hall
Heatherwood Hall was Selius’s home, but now it is in

ruins, much like the garden surrounding it. Nature has
entered the castle, and is overtaking it room by room.
There are no straight walls and everything is bent and
covered in lush vegetation. We find out that Selius is
the involuntary culprit of this destruction as he let
the nightmares loose and they devastated his once
glorious home.
This level was interesting to create as it is based

on the next level, The Prince’s Dream. In that level
we see the same castle but it is happening inside
Selius’s dream, so we are able to see the castle intact
again. Any geometrical differences between the
same rooms of The Prince’s Dream and Heatherwood
Hall’s ruins can be explained by things like roofs
caving in, collapsed structures, fallen debris, broken
down furniture, plants taking over. Some possible
inconsistencies could be explained by the dream being
a dream. Selius can dream things differently and bend
his dream world to his liking, regardless of reality.

The Prince’s Dream
Heatherwood Hall and The Prince’s Dream are the same place, but in different dimensions and time. We first
build The Prince’s Dream level, and then copied it and made it ruined for the Heatherwood Hall level. But both
levels have a lot of unique areas and only some of the areas are the same.
The two levels are like day and night, one is clean and has light colors, the other one is more organic and has a
darker color scheme. This allows us variation and keeps both levels interesting even though we visit the same
place twice.
The castle’s interior art style is loosely inspired by rococo. Selius’s father’s study on the other hand is inspired by
dark and heavy baroque and gothic styles, while areas like the cellar can even go towards medieval styles. In the
end everything is tied together with Trine’s own fantasy style, so we haven’t felt it necessary to restrict ourselves
to a single period or look.

Moonlit Forest

Moonlit Forests
The heroes wake up from the Prince’s Dream at the

edge of the Moonlit Forests, magical woods occupied by
glowing moths and self-illuminating vegetation.
The shape language of this level is based on vertical

long shapes in the background and horizontal shapes
on the foreground. The trees closest to the camera are
huge and thick curvy trees which feel very old. The trees
on the background are narrow long ones. The vegetation
seems a little peculiar, some of it glows in the dark,
with a slightly subtropical look to them. The full moon
is the main light source creating a magical night-time
feeling. Enchanted crystal wing moths are flying here
and there spreading their magic. The color scheme is
monochromatic blue and purple tones with some warm
tones in the end foreshadowing the upcoming sunrise.
Ancient stones and wooden structures that all tell their
story of the folks who lived here long ago. Swan symbols
can be spotted in these forests as statues.

The Badgerborough

The Badgerborough
The Badgerborough level is the perfect example of the

coziest fairy tale book environment there can be. D.A.
Badgerborough is enjoying his quiet life in his home and
writing a book on natural history. Through his home
he can get to the larger cave network which has lots
of interesting plants, mushrooms and insects he can
observe. The Moonlit Forests are also close by and there
have just been increasing sightings of rare Crystal Wing
Moths.
The badger’s home consists of round cavernous spaces

with curvy roots that have cozy living areas integrated
to them. Further down the caverns there is a network of
bigger caves in their natural state, with solid rock walls,
and thick tree roots crossing our pathways. The badger’s
domestic home area has warm inviting tones but the
wilder cave area has a colder atmosphere.

Goldleaf Garden

Goldleaf Garden
Hedley the Hedgehog is a passionate gardener living in

the middle of a beautiful birch grove meadow. The level
has plenty of uniquely shaped birch trees, layered cliffs
and large, whimsical flowers.
This is one of the levels that takes inspiration from

Finnish nature, specifically early autumn the birch
leaves are colored in vibrant yellow tones. To create
some contrast with the yellow, there are purple tones
in the shadows. We have mixed up different seasons and
made a combination of spring and autumn. For an artist
the fantasy genre is such a wonderful playground to
work with as everything is possible!

Firwood Water

Firwood Water
This level is based on a lake in the heart of Finland.

Saimaa has quite unique nature, and this level is a
tribute to it - with our own little Trine twist on it.
Small rocky islands with beautifully curving pine trees
are something relatively rare for the genre of fantasy
environments.
The whole level is mostly a lake with islands in varying

sizes chained one after another. Moss and lichen
patches color the ground, and everything is surrounded
by pristine blue lake water. A Saimaa-inspired level
wouldn’t be complete without the seal friend enjoying
its life sunbathing on a rock. The beginning of the level
is illuminated by bright midday sun, turning into warm
afternoon sun by the end of the level. The mood of the
level changes from the happy adventure into a more
menacing nightmare towards the end.

The Crackling Mire

The Crackling Mire
The Crackling Mire is a dark and dismal

marshland that has been polluted by a now
abandoned swamp gas factory. It is a tragedy
that the beautiful nature has been ruined, but
the spirit living nearby makes sure the factory
stays out of order.
The dominating visual elements here are the

factory machinery with its gears and bolts that
are still leaking some dangerous electricity
to the surrounding area. Also huge skeletons
of ancient dragons are a big part of the look
of the level. Some of the makeshift cottages
and factory facilities are built on top of the
skeletal remains which tells how ignorant the
builders were, not appreciating these marvelous
creatures of the past.

The Blueberry Forest

The Blueberry Forest
The Blueberry Forest begins with heavy and

eerie fog, before the heroes meet the Blueberry
Bear and a sunnier, more uplifting part of the
level starts.
This is another level heavily inspired by Nordic

nature, with abnormally huge blueberries taking
over the green moss-covered forest floor. We
also have large mushrooms, as we do in every
forest of the Trine world. There are some marks
of ancient machinery like stone gears laying
around here and there, but this forest is mostly
left in peace, perhaps because of the spirit who
protects these lands. The eerie bear statues
raise questions, are the bears in the forest
turning into statues or are the statues turning
into living bears?

The Gossamer Grove

The Gossamer Grove
This is a true fantasy fairy forest with glowing

mushrooms, lights and colors. Huge ancient trees are
populated by all kinds of forest creatures whose tree
houses add interest to the surroundings.
Deeper in the forest high up in the treetops there is a

whole city with beautiful architecture that is mirroring
the organic shapes of the tree branches. There are big
lantern-like plants that some of the inhabitants of the
forest have made into their homes. There are lots of
blooming lights and fluorescent plants of varying colors.
To add more magic, there are floating islands with little
streams of water falling out of them.

Snow-topped Heights

Snow-Topped Heights
Towards the end of the game the environments

are getting more hostile to add drama as the
plot thickens. Cold, harsh mountains with deadly
ravines, hazardous paths and snowstorms are
in big contrast to the warm and inviting levels
earlier in the game.
The level starts in a frozen forest from which

the heroes ascend to traverse through the
mountains. Ancient machinery are hidden within
the mountains. The gears, machinery, pipes,
steam engines, huge fans and turbines are not
only visual elements but also have a role in
gameplay. By the end of the level the heroes find
themselves in a snowstorm that seems to get
stronger and stronger.

The Nightmare Academy

The Nightmare Academy
The heroes are caught up in Selius’s nightmarish

vision of a familiar Trine series location, the Astral
Academy. The twisted nightmare version of the real
Astral Academy is shaped by Selius’s time spent
imprisoned there.
The features are twisted and swirly compared

to what they are in reality. Locks and chains
are symbolizing Selius’s feelings related to being
imprisoned and unable to escape. The creepy statue
faces are resembling how Selius sees the wizards of
the Academy.
As this is a strong nightmare we wanted to make the

world threatening and surreal so one moment you
are walking in the halls of the academy and suddenly
you are in the outer space with furniture and planets
floating around. In the end the heroes descend through
the stratosphere to the Astral Academy dungeons.

Haunted Tombs

Haunted Tombs
After the nightmare the heroes wake up in the

spot where they were left off. They are at the
gates of the Haunted Tombs and the snowstorm
is still raging on. The heroes seek shelter inside
the tombs. The atmosphere is dark and cold
with blue and green tones. Magnets and ancient
sensors work great with the theme as well
as the stone and metal gears. The tombs are
meant to feel a bit claustrophobic and eerie, you
might spot a ghost if you look carefully!
It takes a while to reach the first exterior area

where you get to find your way across ravines.
When reaching the fresh air you are met with
a somber and tranquil sunset after the storm,
which works as a calm before another storm.
As this is the last level before the final

encounter with Selius’s Shadow, it is important
to set the mood here right. The change in color
and atmosphere works as a little in between
breather. In contrast to the musty tombs this is
a pleasant change and prevents the level feeling
too heavy all the way through.

The Nightmare Prince

The Nightmare Prince
The transition from the tombs to the final boss fight is

very dramatic and the fight happens inside the deepest,
darkest nightmare. For the first time in the game the
color red is used this strongly. There have been only
glimpses of red in the eyes of the nightmare beings, but
now the nightmare world is taking over for real.
Once the battle is over and we move to the epilogue, the

mood changes completely. After all the drama is over
and done with and things are good again, we can see that
also in the bright colors of the final cutscene.

Toby’s Dream

Toby’s Dream
Toby’s dream is an optional bonus level which is located in the story after The Prince’s
Dream level. This is the dog’s dream with gentle light colors and tranquil atmosphere.
As a fun detail the experience collectibles have been replaced with floating dog biscuits.
The heroes are chasing the dog trough the cloudy gardens. This is a fun and whimsical level
which was a real dream to work with!

Animations
Animation is an important part of storytelling and bringing out the characters’
personality and feelings. It also plays an equally important part in making the
game feel responsive as well as clearly visualizing things.
There are two types of animation in the game, the gameplay animations which
include all the movement of the characters or objects that happens while playing
the game. Then there are the various cutscene animations that are like little
movies in between the actual gameplay. The cutscenes are a crucial tool in the
telling of our story, combining recorded dialogue with cinematic animators’ ideas
on how to visually emphasize what is happening.

Gameplay Animations

Cutscene Animations

Effects
Visual effects are an important part of the art of a game. They not only make
the game more beautiful and lively, but are playing a role in making the playing
experience itself more responsive and enjoyable. When the player is trying to
solve a puzzle, effects are needed to show the player if they are going to the
right direction. For example when a beam of light is aimed at a light receiver, a
progress effect appears around the receiver. Once the progress effect is filled, a
rewarding sparkle effect communicates that the puzzle is solved. It might all still
work without the effects, but it wouldn’t be as clear and rewarding to the player.
There are also a lot of little effects all around the levels, making the world lively
and believable.

Graphical User Interface
The Graphical User Interface means all the menus and information that pops up
on the screen while playing. The goal when creating visuals for the interface was
to keep the general aesthetic simple and clear. It should be easy to read visually on
any platform while still having smaller details to keep the familiar Trine aesthetic.
It was important to keep things bright and approachable with hints of a storybook
theme using simple icons and lots of imagery.
A new key addition was to give the player customization options for how they want
to experience the game. Our main goal was fast and easy navigation so the players
can enjoy the beautiful world of Trine without distractions.

Senior Level Designer Oskari Vartia Production Assistant Silja Partanen Chief Financial Officer Niina Manninen
Level Designer Teemu Laine Production Assistant Petra Koponen HR Manager Saana Torniainen
Level Designer Jenna Turkumäki HR Marjut Jalkanen
User Experience Designer Emma Varjo HR Hilla Kari
Support & Community Management
Programming Support & Community Lead Ella Haapa-alho Board of Directors
Lead Programmer Eetu Röpelinen Support & Community Linda Nordberg Board Member Lauri Hyvärinen
Senior Programmer Matti Ruupunen Support & Community Priska Spring Associate Board Member Joel Kinnunen
Senior Programmer Jussi Ernsten
Senior Programmer Joni Eronen Usability Testing
Senior Programmer Teemu Hörkkö Usability Testing Ella Haapa-alho
Direction Senior Programmer Tomi Jylhä-Ollila Usability Analysis Susanna Lyytikäinen
Game Director Lauri Hyvärinen
Art Director Charlotta Tiuri Additional Programming IT
Writer Maija Koivula Senior Programmer Riku Rajaniemi IT Lead Jani Kavander
Lead Level Designer Kim Juntunen Programmer Kasper Sauramo System Administrator Lauri Gates
Lead Programmer Eetu Röpelinen IT Support Antero Virto
Lead Animator Harri Aaltonen Music & Sounds IT Support Henrik Haapanen
Quality Assurance Lead Henri Päärnilä Audio Lead Sauli Lehtinen
Sound Designer & Music Manager Niko Huttunen Marketing
Art Sound Designer Jori Kemppi Marketing Manager Kai Tuovinen
Art Director Charlotta Tiuri Music Ari Pulkkinen / AriTunes
Senior 3D Artist Mio Mäkijärvi Additional Music Alexander Dmitriev / AriTunes
3D Artist Antti Heikkinen Catering & Cleaning
3D Artist Iiro Lääveri Catering Lead Elina Juvankoski
3D Artist Maïté Vandewalle Technology Catering Wilma Vänskä
3D Artist Lucia Souralaysak Senior Engine Programmer Oskari Nyman Cleaning Santtu Tuovila
Senior Level Artist Jesse Seiterä Senior Engine Programmer Juha Hiekkamäki
Level Artist Katri Torvinen Senior Engine Programmer Jukka Larja
Level Artist Ville Suotamo Senior Engine Programmer Samuli Raivio Management
Level Artist Pavel Dimitrov Senior Engine Programmer Eetu Röpelinen Chief Executive Officer Lauri Hyvärinen
Technical Level Artist Janne Leppänen Senior Engine Programmer Kim Högnabba Vice President, External Affairs Joel Kinnunen
Concept and Level Artist Teemu Husso Senior Engine Programmer Vincent de Marignac Vice President, Internal Affairs Riikka Saarinen
UI Artist Laura Rantanen
2D Artist Maaria Laurinen
VFX Artist Sini Haapanen QA
Additional 3D Art Taika Suomela Quality Assurance Lead Henri Päärnilä
Project Quality Assurance Lead Patrik Peltoniemi
Animation Senior Quality Assurance Petri Ruuskanen Copyright © 2018-2019 Frozenbyte Oy. “Trine” is a trademark or registered trademark of Frozenbyte Oy in the U.S. and
Lead & Technical Animator Harri Aaltonen Quality Assurance Jenna Turkumäki other countries. All Rights Reserved. Published by Modus Games™. Modus Games™ and the Modus™ logo are trademarks of
Senior Animator Sofi Kurtti Quality Assurance Jere Salminen Modus Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks or registered trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Animator Lauri Salo Quality Assurance Jani Järvinen
Animator Maaria Laurinen Quality Assurance Maarit Nurminen
Animator Rahel Brunold Quality Assurance Marko Kiiskinen
Additional Animations Juho Ruuttunen
Design Production
Lead Designer Lauri Hyvärinen Producer Antti Rantanen
Lead Level Designer Kim Juntunen Production Supervisor Joel Kinnunen

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The Trine series is known for its colorful fantasy art, breathtaking landscapes and

1 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 2

The Trine world is inspired by traditional fairytales coming

We wanted to create a world that is coherent and logical, so that

In Trine 4 we have kept the original magical Trine feeling, while

Trine 4 has more characters, levels, bosses and cutscenes than

3 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 4

5 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 6

Character design starts with finding out who the character is

Next the character’s 3D model is textured. Texturing

7 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 8

Amadeus would love to be a mighty Fireball-slinging

Amadeus is married to Margaret, proprietor of

Amadeus’s design has changed the most compared to

9 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 10

Previously a caretaker at the Astral Academy,

Pontius still wears his iconic helmet. The armor has

11 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 12

Visually the essence of Zoya’s character is the

13 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 14

Selius Heatherwood is a troubled young would-be

Selius was sent off to the Astral Academy to take

15 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 16

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D.A. Badgerborough is a scholar of natural

Designing this character was a perfect

The badger lives in his cozy underground home

19 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 20

Hedley the Hedgehog is a soft-spoken gardener, whose garden and

The hedgehog’s design lets you know he is a gardener who

Hedley and his scholarly neighbour do not get along at all.

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There are other goats in the game, too, but this

The designs are in part based on a Harpy

The Message Pigeon

The message pigeon is an important character

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Bears can be a bit scary, but this one is a

In Finnish folklore, the bear is the King of the

The Ringed Seal

The seal character is our interpretation of the

To add a fantasy twist, this cute and

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Three siblings live in the magical woods,

As characters they are inspired by witches

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Elodea’s look was one of the most interesting to come up

33 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 34

The idea for the visual design came from the

Originally the plan was to have all the three siblings

35 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 36

Moonshine’s elegant and airy design was inspired by the

37 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 38

In addition to monstrous enemy fights, the heroes will also meet

39 - The Art of Trine 4 The Art of Trine 4 - 40

Faceless creatures, with only expressionless masks to

Selius is seriously afraid of wolves. They are the