TRI: Of Friendship and Madness

About

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness is a single player platformer game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Rat King and was released on October 9, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

"TRI: Of Friendship and Madness" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game that takes players through a series of brain-teasing challenges. The game features a unique triangular mechanic that allows players to create their own paths and solutions. With a compelling story centered around friendship, madness, and the power of perception, players must navigate through a surreal world that blurs the line between reality and illusion.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness screenshot

+18

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 450 reviews

gameplay64 positive mentions

grinding38 negative mentions

The game features a unique and innovative mechanic of creating triangles to navigate and solve puzzles, providing a fresh experience compared to other puzzle games.
The art style and music are beautifully crafted, creating an immersive and captivating atmosphere that enhances the gameplay.
The level design is clever and encourages exploration, with hidden collectibles that reward players for their curiosity and creativity.

The difficulty spikes significantly in the later levels, which can lead to frustration and may require frequent use of walkthroughs to progress.
Some mechanics, such as light reflection and triangle placement, can be finicky and require pixel-perfect precision, detracting from the overall enjoyment.
The voice acting and narrative delivery are often criticized as being subpar, which can detract from the overall experience of the game.

gameplay
294 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
The gameplay in Tri is characterized by its unique triangle-drawing mechanic, which allows players to create platforms and navigate through cleverly designed puzzles. While many reviewers praise the innovative mechanics and the gradual introduction of new gameplay elements, some express frustration with the precision required for certain tasks, particularly light reflection puzzles, which can lead to tedious gameplay experiences. Overall, Tri offers a mix of engaging puzzles and creative mechanics, though the execution can sometimes detract from the enjoyment.
- “Tri offers a really interesting and unique traversal mechanic that I'm surprised I haven't seen elsewhere.”
- “A fun puzzle platformer, great pacing and introduction of mechanics, a fun simple story, and puzzles that ramp fairly in difficulty to make even experienced puzzle fans stop and think for a while about the sheer possibilities introduced with the power of the tri.”
- “The core mechanics are very interesting, and they will make you radically change the way you see the 3D space.”
- “Additionally, the death mechanics from poison or lasers were extremely annoying and did not add any value to the game as the 'stick to your triangle' gravity rotation would sometimes fail without reason and plunge you to your death.”
- “This led to a very annoying and un-fun 'save-scumming', creating a quick save point any time I was near a death mechanic or cliff, and then constantly updating said quick save after I made any small amount of progress.”
- “The light puzzles suck; the mechanic fails completely because they require way too fine precision.”
music
208 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
51%
5%
The music in the game has received praise for its unique and engaging qualities, often described as fitting and atmospheric, with elements of world and tribal music that enhance the overall experience. However, some players noted that the repetitive looping of tracks can become tiresome during extended play sessions, detracting from the enjoyment. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-regarded, its execution in terms of repetition and volume balance has drawn some criticism.
- “The music is spectacular and fits the atmosphere of the game so well, that I am pretty sure the game could not deliver the same atmosphere if the soundtrack was different.”
- “The art direction and music are just stellar.”
- “I have honestly, in my whole life as a gamer and an artist/writer, never heard such beautiful music.”
- “The only drawback is the music.”
- “When you play each level for 1 hour, you feel like there are only 2 music tracks playing on repeat.”
- “On some levels, I heard the same 1-minute loop a hundred times, and it became so tiresome I often switched off the music and played my own.”
story
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The game's story is generally described as minimal and simple, often lacking depth but still providing a charming backdrop to the gameplay. While some players appreciate its heartwarming themes of friendship and adventure, others find it underdeveloped and not particularly impactful to the overall experience. The narrative is conveyed through narration and cutscenes, with a traditional Asian storytelling feel, but many reviewers note that the focus is more on the unique gameplay mechanics than on a compelling plot.
- “A trippy platforming puzzler with a heartwarming story and hidden secrets to 100%.”
- “The story is nice, simple, and touching: a tale of friendship, madness, and foxes.”
- “Tri turned out to have a story, to be very well polished, have a wonderful art style, made very thoughtfully and level design that quickly escalates to the mental in a good way.”
- “The dev commentary states that they had more in-depth story planned but ditched it later on, which is a shame since that is the area the game is kind of lacking.”
- “The story made no sense to me and I got sick of doing the same thing over and over again.”
- “The story is unclear/esoteric and not very appealing.”
graphics
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
46%
2%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and beautiful art style, which combines minimalist and surreal elements, creating a visually appealing experience. While some players find the visuals charming and well-integrated with the gameplay, others note that the graphics can appear dated or simplistic, potentially detracting from the overall experience. Despite some technical issues on specific hardware setups, the game's aesthetic is often described as soothing and consistent, enhancing the puzzle-solving mechanics.
- “The visuals are just gorgeous, and loved the designs; it pops and is literal magic with the vibrant colors.”
- “The art style is beautiful, honestly one of the best in any game I have seen.”
- “Amazing game with nice stylized graphics, nice audio, great mechanics added with a mind-bending atmosphere.”
- “- the graphics look a bit dated”
- “- the graphics are simple geometric colored shapes (as you see in the video), unpleasant to view and navigate”
- “Between the bad voice acting and graphics that are both not simple enough to bring a minimalist look and not detailed enough to look realistic, I couldn't last.”
grinding
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The reviews consistently highlight the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to repetitive level re-progging and pixel-perfect mechanics that detract from the overall enjoyment. Many players found the puzzle-solving elements to be overshadowed by monotonous gameplay and trial-and-error solutions, leading to a lack of motivation to continue. While some appreciated the initial concept, the execution often felt laborious, making it difficult to recommend the game to others.
- “Additionally, for achievement hunters out there like me, this is also a must-buy, as there are no grinding achievements at all, just gameplay boosters.”
- “Starts out strong, but unfortunately it goes on way too long, and the puzzles get more and more tedious and obtuse until it stops being fun.”
- “This is where I wholeheartedly recommend only half of Tri to some of you because while reflecting the lasers with your triangles sounds like a great idea on paper, in reality it can lead to a lot of pixel-perfect placement that's more tedious than fun, especially in the later levels that revolve almost exclusively around this mechanic.”
- “Often this tediousness would cause me to simply not start the game or quit when I finished a puzzle not because I wanted to stop solving puzzles but because I wanted to stop executing my solutions.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating visuals, whimsical and surreal qualities, and a soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of artistic direction and music, which together create a mysterious and immersive environment. Many consider it one of the most atmospheric games they've played, with a strong emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving.
- “The music is spectacular and fits the atmosphere of the game so well that I am pretty sure the game could not deliver the same atmosphere if the soundtrack was different.”
- “The game is beautiful and the whimsical atmosphere is really captivating.”
- “It's exactly the kind of thing I'm always looking for -- surreal, atmospheric, puzzle-oriented, exploratory.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
Replayability in this game is generally viewed as limited, particularly for players who are not achievement hunters or interested in collectibles. While some users find value in exploring alternative paths and challenging themselves, the overall consensus suggests that the game lacks substantial replay value due to its focus on a single gameplay mechanic and minimal narrative depth.
- “Imo, great game, pretty good replay value if you're the type to 100% it.”
- “This greatly improves the replayability as you can challenge yourself to find alternative paths or be more efficient with your triangles and time.”
- “Some replayability if the player is interested in collectibles or competition.”
- “Replay value isn't substantial if you don't care about bonus developer material or don't want to sink time into solving certain puzzles again.”
- “An overambitious project built around a single interesting gameplay mechanic, with the result that the better aspects of the game are bogged down by inadequately implemented physics, subpar voice acting, no plot to speak of, and next to no replayability value.”
- “It hasn't got that much of a replay value if you are not an achievement hunter, but it is a lot of fun to think outside the box for the game time it offers.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
12%
50%
Overall, the game is largely stable and free of significant bugs, with players reporting minimal glitches during their playtime. However, some users have noted issues with accelerated movement that can hinder control, particularly when navigating stairs, and a few encountered minor glitches that were resolved with community assistance.
- “The game is bug free, providing a smooth experience overall.”
- “The game maintains a stable environment, allowing for uninterrupted gameplay.”
- “The stability of the game ensures that players can focus on the experience without worrying about technical issues.”
- “The game is fairly glitchless: the two glitches I encountered were fixed, and the last level had a slightly game-breaking glitch, but thankfully Ratking told us how to fix it in the 'stuck thread'.”
- “[*] Getting lost or stuck easily (progression of the level, not glitches).”
- “[*] Getting lost or stuck easily (progression of the level, not glitches).”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a heartwarming and touching story centered around themes of friendship and madness, enhanced by its trippy platforming mechanics. Players appreciate the emotional depth and hidden secrets that contribute to a fulfilling experience, despite some technical issues like the default field of view. Overall, the narrative resonates well, making it a memorable journey.
- “A trippy platforming puzzler with a heartwarming story and hidden secrets to 100%.”
- “The story is nice, simple and touching: a tale of friendship, madness, and foxes.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find the music and the monk's sarcastic voice amusing, others criticize the dry narration that fails to engage. Overall, the writing elicits laughter and keeps players entertained, despite some contrasting opinions on its effectiveness compared to other titles like Portal and The Talos Principle.
- “The music is funny and pleasant; I often sang along while solving puzzles.”
- “It lacks a shiny coat of paint, but its writing kept me laughing, gameplay kept me engaged, and surprises left me baffled.”
- “The monk is a really sarcastic guy with a weird voice, which I personally think is very funny.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The game's optimization is heavily criticized, particularly due to its reliance on the Unity engine, which results in performance issues such as frame rates dropping below 30fps. Reviewers suggest that significant improvements could be achieved through better optimization or transitioning to a more efficient engine, alongside enhancements to gameplay mechanics and narrative clarity.
- “Your performance will improve greatly.”
- “If the game were optimized or moved to an engine that ran sanely, if the story gave you a clear sense of purpose, and if there were some new mechanics like moving or teleportation triangles to keep things fresh, this could have been a classic.”

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32h Median play time

28h Average play time

20-36h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness is a platformer game with fantasy theme.

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 28 hours playing TRI: Of Friendship and Madness.

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness was released on October 9, 2014.

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness was developed by Rat King.

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

TRI: Of Friendship and Madness is a single player game.

Similar games include The Bridge, The Talos Principle, Manifold Garden, The Entropy Centre, Superliminal and others.

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