We’ve been salivating over developer Frozenbyte’s side-scrolling platformer Trine for the better part of 2009, and hopefully we should be able to get our hands on the game in a couple of weeks or so. But we also hope that in the meantime, the game can clear up its pricing issues. Shacknews reports that while the PS3 version of Trine will sell for $20, PC gamers would have to cough up $40 for their copies. At the moment, Steam lists the game at $30, but that’s because Frozenbyte is handling its own publishing duties on the digital distribution service.

As a result, some gamers have been sharpening their pitchforks and voicing their concerns over the discrepancy. In response, Frozenbyte said that they had no idea there was a difference in price because the “official” PC price was set by publisher Nobilis. But even so, the indie developer believes in their product and that the quality of their game merits the set price point. Speaking on their official forum, developer FB_Lauri said that “Trine is far from a game created by a solo hero developer (we have over 20 employees and Trine has contributions from a double amount of people)…[W]e are very confident that we can deliver a full retail experience with Trine (hence PC version is sold in retail also for approx 35 to 40 eur/usd!).”

Is forty bucks too much to shell out for downloadable game? One way to answer that question for ourselves would be to try out the free PC demo of Trine, which is available now on various sites like FileFront, FileShack, and GamersHell. Trine is aiming for an early July 2009 release on PC and PS3, while publisher Southpeak will bring the game to North American retail stores later in the summer.