XBOX REVIEW | Trident’s Tale

After first watching the trailer for Trident’s Tale, I could not wait for the full game to release and was thrilled when given the opportunity to review it.

Trident’s Tale follows the story of Ocean, a young pirate embarking on a perilous quest to rescue her kidnapped guardian. Armed with a fragment of the legendary Storm Trident, she recruits a crew, battles sinister foes, and uncovers the artifact’s secrets, all within a vibrant world of adventure and danger. Ocean wields elemental magic, harnessing the Storm Trident’s power to summon tempests, control tides, and unleash devastating attacks in battle.

Combat in Trident’s Tale blends swordplay, magic, and naval warfare. On foot, Ocean engages in fast-paced battles, wielding her blade, firearms, and elemental magic against skeleton raiders, rival pirates, and monstrous foes. Special abilities and tactical dodging add depth to encounters, making each fight dynamic. At sea, naval combat is all about strategy; players must maneuver their ship, fire cannons, and use the Storm Trident’s powers to gain the upper hand. Battles against enemy vessels, sea creatures, and legendary bosses demand precise timing and ship upgrades to survive the treacherous waters.

Things I liked!

• Boss Fights | I struggled to find many aspects I liked in Trident’s Tale, but the boss fights throughout the adventure stood out. At sea, you and your crewmates go head-to-head with the mighty Kraken, a battle of impressive scale, as you dodge incoming attacks and position your ship to fire cannons. However, at times, victory felt more reliant on luck, requiring you to be in just the right spot to take them down. Back on land, the bosses felt easier to handle. You face foes like the Skellington twins, who tunnel underground and emerge to throw bombs at you. However, once their attack pattern is learned, they become far easier to defeat.

• Exploration | I really enjoyed docking at new islands and exploring. There’s plenty of loot to find, and the rarest items are well hidden, making the search both fun and rewarding, though many are ultimately earned as you progress through the story. Even so, I managed to discover valuable items just from exploring, which allowed me to craft epic upgrades for my weapons and ship, as well as enhancements for my crew members.

Mixed & disliked!

• Gameplay | I found the gameplay early on to be tedious, and unfortunately, it never really improved. There were plenty of fetch quests, and at times, it wasn’t clear where I was supposed to go. One example is when I was tasked with obtaining gunpowder. Following the quest cursor led me to a merchant, but the merchant didn’t actually sell gunpowder. Only after fully exploring the area did a cutscene automatically trigger, and I finally received the gunpowder. Exploring on foot was enjoyable at times, and there are plenty of collectibles to find, perhaps even too many. Still, they all serve a purpose, primarily in crafting, which can be done at the workbench aboard your ship. I’d recommend holding onto items rather than selling them to merchants until you know exactly what they’re used for. I learned that the hard way when I sold sea shells, only to discover later that they were used to craft healing potions. I did enjoy crafting upgrades for my ship, which made it stronger and more combat-ready while also allowing customization of its appearance.
  
  
• Combat Mechanics | The combat mechanics feel clunky both on foot and at sea. There’s no difficulty setting to choose from, and during battle, I constantly had to rely on healing potions. Ocean’s primary weapon is her sword, which offers both light and heavy attacks, though heavy attacks are slower to perform and used less frequently, except during boss fights. She also has a gun that can stun enemies. There’s no blocking mechanic; instead, Ocean can roll to dodge incoming attacks. While locking onto enemies is an option, it often makes combat more difficult unless facing a single opponent. Enemies, despite their basic designs, can easily overwhelm you. There are usually one or two foes attacking from a distance, dealing significant damage, while others engage in close combat with swords. As the story progresses, enemy attacks become more powerful, incorporating elemental abilities like earth, fire, and water, but the overall combat experience remains largely unchanged. The lack of balance is even more apparent in naval battles. Ocean’s ship is equipped with front, back, and side cannons, but each has separate aiming mechanics. If an enemy ship moves out of range for one cannon, switching to another isn’t as fluid as it should be, often resulting in unnecessary damage to your ship.

• Visuals | The visuals in Trident’s Tale often feel washed out and blurry. The cutscenes are particularly weak, frequently featuring bland-looking characters standing idly, their mouth movements completely out of sync with the dialogue. There’s also significant slowdown and screen stuttering, which I mostly noticed when Ocean was navigating tight spaces. That said, there were moments when the game’s visuals impressed me, like when I returned to my ship and caught the sunset reflecting off the sea, which looked stunning.
  
  
• Audio | The music and sound effects do an adequate job of immersing you in the life of a pirate. Tracks like What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor and other pirate-themed melodies play subtly in the background without becoming irritating. Sound effects, such as the clanking of swords, gunfire, and the rattling of bones from skeletons, all sound quite realistic. However, the voice acting is a completely different story. It’s so bad that, if there were an option, I would turn it off entirely. The protagonist’s voice comes across as annoyingly condescending, like they think they know everything, which quickly becomes grating. Meanwhile, other characters sound uninterested, as if they don’t care about what they’re saying.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 16 Hours
How long to beat the story? 9 Hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 12/24 OR 465/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 35 Hours +
You’ll love this game if you like these | Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas and Sea of Thieves

CONCLUSION

Score: 48/100

After what initially seemed promising, Trident’s Tale quickly became lackluster and stale. Combat felt stiff, while not overly difficult, I frequently found myself relying on healing potions, only to reach boss fights with very few left. Sailing in your pirate ship between locations can be relaxing, but its slow movement makes travel feel sluggish. Fast travel is available for previously visited locations, but using it means missing out on valuable loot found at sea. Despite its potential, Trident’s Tale ultimately fails to deliver, which is disappointing.