September 24, 2020
WayForward

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia

Trollhunters: Defender of Arcadia is a dull but mostly serviceable throwback to an era of gaming where licensed 2D platformers were rife. Decent writing and acting do help it stand out, but not by much.

57%Game Brain Score

emotional, music

gameplay, story

69% User Score Based on 45 reviews

Critic Score 46%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is a single player and multiplayer platformer game with fantasy and kids themes. It was developed by WayForward and was released on September 24, 2020. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Dive into the Trollhunters universe in Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia, where you play as Jim Lake Jr. to stop Porgon the Trickster Troll and his time-bending schemes. Team up with Claire in couch co-op, upgrading your armor and abilities as you go to defeat menacing foes and prevent the Time-pocalypse. The fate of the Trollhunter world is in your hands!

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Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia screenshot

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

emotional2 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The game captures the charm and aesthetic of the Trollhunters animated series, making it appealing for fans.
It offers a simple and accessible gameplay experience, ideal for younger audiences or those new to platformers.
The local co-op mode adds a fun dimension for families or friends, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.

The gameplay is repetitive and lacks depth, making it unengaging for experienced gamers.
Technical issues, such as bugs and inconsistent controls, detract from the overall experience.
The game is perceived as overpriced for its short length and simplistic design, leading to disappointment among players.

gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The gameplay in "Defenders of Arcadia" is characterized by simple and accessible mechanics, but it often feels repetitive and shallow, with minimal impact from collectibles and upgrades. While co-op play adds a layer of enjoyment, especially for younger players, the overall experience is marred by poorly executed cutscenes and a lack of engaging narrative integration. Many players find the gameplay to be underwhelming, with some describing it as boring and unfinished.
- “Gameplay in Defenders of Arcadia is built around simple, accessible mechanics.”
- “While the mechanics are basic, the presentation is earnest in its attempt to recreate the visual language of the show.”
- “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.”
- “It acts more as just an obstacle to try and add variety to the otherwise repetitive gameplay, which leads to the next point.”
- “Collectibles and upgrades exist, but their impact on gameplay is minimal, and they do little to encourage replay or exploration.”
- “So my daughter started playing single player, but the gameplay was incredibly boring and repetitive.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The story of "Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia" is a convoluted time travel narrative that lacks depth and emotional stakes, primarily serving as a light extension of the animated series rather than a standalone tale. While fans may appreciate familiar characters and references, newcomers might find the plot shallow and confusing, with minimal character development and a brisk presentation. Overall, the story is considered passively engaging, with limited voice acting and static dialogues, making it feel underwhelming for those seeking a rich narrative experience.
- “The story involves a convoluted time travel idea that is easily unraveled for the confusion it creates, as your character travels from underground caverns to a whole different planet, chasing after an unintelligible troll/ogre who has acquired a powerful magical artifact that he wields effectively.”
- “However, it was a very entertaining 13 hours! The whole storyline ties in with elements from the show, featuring plenty of references and jokes related to Tales of Arcadia, and the gameplay just makes you want to keep going!”
- “The story involves a 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 who has somehow acquired a powerful magical artifact that he is also smart enough to wield and understand effectively.”
- “Narratively, Defenders of Arcadia provides a light extension of the show’s story rather than a standalone tale with meaningful emotional stakes.”
- “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.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the cute and colorful aesthetic that aligns well with its source material, while others criticize the lack of resolution options and overall polish. Although the visuals are deemed passable and suitable for younger audiences, many players feel that the graphics do not elevate the gameplay experience significantly. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as a highlight for some, but they fall short for others who seek more advanced graphical features.
- “Haven't finished the game yet, but it's a simple yet very cute platformer, love the graphics!”
- “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.”
- “[Awesome aesthetic that mirrors the Netflix series, well-designed for younger audiences, great voice acting.]”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “Really unpolished graphics and clunky combat system.”
- “As for graphics, they are passable, but sadly there is no graphical settings whatsoever, not even to change the resolution and I think some anti-aliasing solution could help with the image quality on the main character (at least in 1080p, which I played at).”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its low replayability due to its ease for adult players, lack of imaginative elements, and repetitive gameplay, which diminishes the incentive to revisit it.
- “Way too easy for an adult audience, lacks imagination, and feels repetitive with little replay value.”
- “The game quickly becomes monotonous, offering little incentive to replay once you've completed it.”
- “After finishing the main story, there’s not much left to explore, making replayability a major issue.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Defenders of Arcadia offers a limited emotional experience, serving more as an extension of the show's narrative rather than delivering a standalone story with significant emotional stakes. The absence of key characters, like Angor Rot during pivotal moments, left some players feeling disappointed and emotionally affected.
- “Narratively, Defenders of Arcadia provides a light extension of the show’s story rather than a standalone tale with meaningful emotional stakes.”
- “The only good thing was that I could have Angor Rot on my team, but he never showed up to the party. I cried.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting random freezes and various odd behaviors, leading to a generally buggy experience.
- “The game randomly freezes and exhibits other odd behaviors.”
- “Buggy mess; it isn't even good.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy is perceived as basic and simplistic, leading many to view the game as an overpriced cash grab that exploits fans of the Trollhunters franchise.
- “It's just overall very basic and simplistic and seems as though it's much more of an overpriced cash grab, rushed to exploit the fans of the Trollhunters franchise.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's music and voice acting effectively enhance the connection to the source material, creating a comforting atmosphere reminiscent of an extended episode.
- “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.”

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46%Critics’ scoreBased on 7 critic reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is a platformer game with fantasy and kids themes.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia was released on September 24, 2020.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia was developed by WayForward.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its emotional but disliked it for its gameplay.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Miraculous: Rise of the Sphinx, Trine 2, The Adventure Pals, Trine Enchanted Edition, Trine 2: Complete Story and others.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia

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