Quick Review: Teslagrad

...Friggin’ magnets, how do they work?!?

Rain Games are the creators behind Teslagrad, a hand-drawn metroidvania-style game released on December 13th, 2013. I already knew about the character, Teslakid, as he was a combatant on Indie Pogo; so I knew about him before I tested his game, therefore I was eager to get a chance to try this one out.

Rooftop escape!

This story, set in a foreign country in a steampunk past, is about a family, mother and son, who are attacked at night by the King’s guards. The child manages to escape and, making his way to the Babel-like tower owned by the King, discovers his grand legacy. Like his father before him, he is a Teslamancer, a type of wizard capable of manipulating magnetism. All he needs is a few items of equipment, hidden around the tower like they’re spoils of war. But what are these powers? And why is the King against his family?

Swap magnetism, blue attracts red, vice versa.

Those electrified stones? Instant death. Actually, it's hard
to think of something here that ISN'T instant death.

Controls are WASD to move, Space to jump, and the arrows to activate Teslakid’s abilities. The first he gains is a fist that can punch some elements imbued with magnetism (cubes, enemies, etc.). He has access to both poles of magnetism, represented by blue and red, and can punch some things blue (with the Left key) or red (with the Right key). The next ability he gains: Shoes that allow him to ride the magnetism, a form of flash-step activated with the Up key. This lets him speed through large gaps and even through non-solid blockades. The last item is a hood imbued with magnetism; it is turned on or off by pressing the Down key. Whilke active, it trades his regular punch attack for a magnetic aura (also Left for blue, Right for red), which allows him to interact with the similarly color-coded design elements in various ways. A jump boost on the opposite-colored platform? Being able to hover in waves of the same-color magnetism? All that, and more!

The damn steel crow boss would be tough even if you had
more than one HP. I know, it took me forever to beat it.

The kid gloves come off real early in this puzzle platformer/metroidvania. If you don’t learn to master your new skills, the game will make quick work of you. Teslakid goes down in a single hit, so you have to measure your every step very carefully. Some bosses are fights of attrition as you figure out their patterns and gimmicks... usually by dying a lot. You’ll go through very few rooms on your first try. It’s especially true as we move forward and our magnetism-based abilities get used in increasingly clever ways. Rack your brain, there’s some devious puzzles here.

We all float down here - all we need is magical magnetism!

Though I describe it as a metroidvania, I don’t know how well that applies; yes, you discover the whole map as you unlock new skills, and you can always go back to previous areas, but it feels like progression may be a little too linear for the descriptor. You can't really get each new piece of equipment ahead of time, it's all clearly made to be done in the same order. Through your climb, the story will be explained entirely without text, thanks to set pieces, background elements, and expository animatronic theater plays. It’s a stunning example of “show, don’t tell”. Last but not least, the game has two endings; an imperfect one, and the perfect one, unlocked by collecting the 36 cards scattered through the tower that further explain the story. Get to collectin'!

You can even magnetize enemies and use them to go places!
(That's a freebie if you play the game; I wished I had
figured that one out on my own.)

Yeah, you don't just need to figure the puzzles out.
You'll need the quick reflexes and mad platform skills too.

A fantastic idea with a fantastic execution, presented gorgeously. The hand-drawn sprites, décor elements and environment really help give this title a feel that is its own. Especially some of the more impressive stuff, like the bosses. (Seriously, that metallic crow… damn.) Getting used to your set of abilities can be pretty tricky, I tripped up more times than I could count, especially once you’ve got them all and, say, mix up the teleportation and the hoodie activation, or forget to turn on/off the hoodie at a critical moment. As I said, though, the puzzles are very clever. The difficulty level is pretty high; your character’s vulnerability and the game’s challenging rooms quickly demand you display complete mastery of your skills. Needless to say, those seeking both a challenge and a puzzle will love this one.

Teslagrad is available on Steam for 9.99$ USD. Good time to review this, as well, seeing as a remaster compatible with new platforms was released this year on April 19th. The same day, a sequel was also released, Teslagrad 2. So if you liked this one, there’s more to check out!