Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia

It didn't have to be this way. WayForward has worked minor miracles with licensed fare before – see Aliens: Infestation and The Mummy Demastered. But this is work for hire of the most rotten kind, showing total contempt for the fans it hopes to lure in with a bright, likeable licence. Trollhunters is one of the less enjoyable things to happen to us this year. Given what a year it's been, that is quite a feat.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is a fun, but flawed action-platformer that may deliver a lot of thrills for fans of the series, but lacks enough substance to be a must-buy for those coming in cold.

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.

TROLL HUNTER… Embark on a magical fantasy of past and future in Arcadia, as you take on the evil troll trickster Porgon, and his vast band of minions. You are sent back in time and only defeating him will return you home and save Arcadia in this family-friendly platformer.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is generally an unforgettable experience, devoid of any precision; A title that, if it were not for the few positive points, we would have considered its experience harmful! This game can be fun and entertaining for fans of Trollhunters for a few hours at best, but we certainly do not recommend the experience to other gamers.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia's gameplay is okay, its visuals are fine and its story is either a mess or passively engaging depending on your level of interest in its source material, which all makes for a game that should be skipped unless you're insanely desperate for another form of media from the Trollhunter universe.

A series as imaginative and as entertaining as Trollhunters deserved a better tie-in video game. Defenders of Arcadia has a few enjoyable moments and it certainly looks the part but uninspired combat, tired level design and a story which feels more like a TV clip show than a cohesive narrative means it falls well short of fan expectations.

Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia, like many other games that are adopted from movies and tv series, is a weak title made to take financial advantage of the Trollhunter name. Not recommended even to the fans of the series.

If you were looking to find a perfect replica of the Netflix series complete with an original storyline you won’t find that here. Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is plenty good fun if viewed as a standalone title but it’s hard not to compare it to the Netflix series and find it underwhelming. Now as a pre-teen or teen, Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia is worth a playthrough for sure, especially with friends. As an adult, however, it’s probably not going to hold your attention very long; maybe just skip this one.

Unless you're a young child or a massive Trollhunters fan, avoid this boring, unoriginal game at all costs