Teslagrad: Review

Puzzle-platformers these days often come with a non-linear setting and a distinctive gimmick that makes them ‘special’, and this latest offering from Norwegian studio Rain Games isn’t bucking the trend. teslagrad’s leitmotif is the power of magnetism via a gauntlet that applies positive and negative charges. What might have been workaday platforming becomes charged science-puzzling.

You use your new mageneto-aping powers to attract blocks together to reveal new paths while polarising others to crush unsuspecting enemies. most puzzles require a combo of platforming, teleportation (via boots you pick up in the first hour) and that all-important magnetism. timing is everything and there’s a satisfying Prince Of Persia-esque balancing act required to nail the right formula for each area.

As the last of the fabled teslamancers, it’s up to you to explore the mysterious tesla tower and its many chambers. However, your map shows no points of interest, which is completely counter intuitive considering the game’s non-linear layout. it’s clearly part of teslagrad’s spartan approach to signposting, and it’s a mindset that works far better when presenting new information. there’s no text or voiceover to be found, with tutorial tips and clues to the story instead painted in the background of each area. it’s a refreshingly unobtrusive approach to storytelling, but with the quick timing and fast pace of each puzzle there’s a good chance the passive narrative will be lost along the way. Still, this is no static offering the puzzle/power combo is sure to attract your attention.

7/10