Teslagrad

There seems to be a disconnect between the art and the game design. The game looks great, but the controls are a little imprecise and the puzzle and level design is pretty poor. The quality of the animation is top notch but it lacks polish in all kinds of areas, particularly in death states. I paid $2.50 for it and would not recommend it even at that price.

I will try to keep it short: this game is a very good 2D platformer with metroidvania elements. It's about 7 hours long, mostly based on polarity and attractive/repulsive forces physics. It's not too easy but not too hard. The story is just a paint in the background but it is enough and quite well told. If you want a nice quick game, it is definitely a good choice.

This game doesn't hold your hand. It teaches you the basics when you earn a new ability, and then sets you loose to die and die and die again until you figure out how to overcome the obstacle in front of you. Very pleasant divergence from the 'on rails' experience that too many games seem to offer these days.

For me this is one of the best platformers (maybe the best) and metroidvanias I've ever played. Replacing constant brawl with puzzles is working extremely well here and gives the few boss fights additional tension which is well underlined by the music. It's challenging and I wanted to bite the furniture a lot at some points but because you have unlimited lives you do not only level up your character but also yourself and get more skilled all the time and appreciating the challenges instead of just cursing them. The design is flatout the perfect mix of 2D and 3D tech, it's pretty much flawless, very polished and beautiful. The 2D elements are artfully drawn and the 3D elements look completely like they are part of it, the animations are just like in old animation movies, very lovely made. The Russian / East European setting fits perfectly to this animation style since this kind of animation movies more or less originated there (and not in Japan like most people think). I had to get some help for finding a few scrolls in order to see the extended ending but managed to get most of it myself. I highly recommend this gem, it does not have to be hidden behind Braid or other more popular titles at all and plays in the highest league of indie games imho. I can't imagine playing this game with a keyboard though, you have to be able to use six specific buttons very fast and my Saitek p2600 gamepad did the job really well.

Teslagrad is a very nice game and differs than most 2D platformers. The game revolves around a boy navigating through a large tower and solving puzzles with magnets and physics. Pros: Great visuals Interesting Story Challenging Puzzles and Boss fights Awesome Soundtrack Cons: It requires a patient mind, you have to be precise in most of the puzzles. You will also die a lot and the game will throw you back at the beginning of the room so be ready. The controls may feel a bit difficult but you'll get used to them in time. Conclusion: Overall Teslagrad is a very good game well worth your money and time. If (like me) you're tired of super easy 2D platformers then give this game a try, it's surely worth a look.