Teslagrad 2 [PC] | REVIEW

Aren’t shadow drops great? There’s nothing quite like having a game release out of nowhere, especially when it’s one like Teslagrad 2 that I’ve been really looking forward to. It has managed to live up to the standards set by the original too, with new protagonist Lumina’s journey equally as electrifying as that which came before it.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Teslagrad 2 puts players in the role of Lumina, a Teslamancer that finds herself stranded when her airship crashes down in the land of Wyrmheim. It’s up to her to use her special electromagnetic capabilities to find her way home to Teslagrad, all whilst evading the many threats and obstacles in her way. Much like its predecessor, it goes for the ‘less is more’ approach with its storytelling, with no dialogue or real interactions to push the story forward; instead, the player interprets it from the action that takes place. There’s enough going on to keep you invested, but at the same time, the world is interesting enough that I actually would have liked to learn a bit more about it.

But hey, what’s on offer works, and it didn’t make the game any less fun to play. The action of Teslagrad 2 takes place across a luscious hand-drawn world, with players using Lumina’s abilities to not only get around but also solve the puzzles in her path. Like the first game, your abilities are electro-magnetic focused, with an emphasis placed on mobility and using the objects around you to get around. Between magnetically sticking to walls to climb them, phasing through obstacles by using electricity, sliding down pathways, or floating through electrical waves, there are PLENTY of creative ways in which to use your special powers.

What makes them so fun to use is the clever level design that strings everything together. Whilst there’s am emphasis placed on exploration, more so than not you’ll be doing it at a quick pace where you’re constantly switching between abilities in order to get from point A to B whilst evading the hazards in your path. Mobility really feels like the standout feature of the experience, and with Lumina not exactly the fighting type, it’s what you’ll use to your advantage to defeat the enemy threat that’s always on your back.

“The world is creatively designed, whilst the puzzling environments offer plenty of ‘eureka’ moments when you figure out what exactly you need to do (which often means being a bit clever with your abilities). “

It’s the set pieces of Teslagrad 2 that stand out the most, with some exciting sequences for Lumina to survive through that won’t only test your skills, but also look fantastic in motion. The game never slows the action down, with something new always coming your way to keep you on your toes. Heck, there are even bosses to encounter that offer showdowns of epic proportions, with each demanding you utilise your skills in some creative ways to overcome them. Admittedly, they’re rarely challenging to defeat (with the exception of one or two) and the manner to defeat them is usually pre-choreographed for the player, but it’s always nice to have conquer a foe to make your progress.

One of the things I liked the most about Teslagrad 2 was its pacing, with the player continually getting new abilities and moving between different areas as they reach the conclusion. The only caveat? That conclusion comes a lot sooner than you’ll hope, with the game easily beaten in around three hours or so. There are some collectibles to grab and secret areas to explore If you’re a completionist and the fun gameplay does lend itself well to multiple playthroughs, but I couldn’t help but to feel a little bit underwhelmed that it wasn’t a bit longer. Maybe a few challenge levels wouldn’t have gone amiss?

It’s also worth noting that it’s a one-hit kill situation in the game, so if an enemy gets you or you hit a hazard when platforming, it’s back to the start of the sequence for you. Now this is fine for the most part (and arguably adds to the pressure of the experience), but there were a couple of times where the controls weren’t as precise as I would have liked or Lumina responded awkwardly when making a jump or dash, resulting in a death. And sure, I’m happy to admit that some of these instances were probably of my own doing, but there were also times where a death was due to something clunky occurring in the gameplay as opposed to me mistiming a manoeuvre. It’s a rarity, but when it occurs and you have to re-play through what can already be challenging situations, it can be a little bit annoying.  

Check out some screenshots down below:

It didn’t stop the game from being a joy to play though, with Teslagrad 2 certainly offering an adventure full of thrills and excitement as you journey across its vast land. The world is creatively designed, whilst the puzzling environments offer plenty of ‘eureka’ moments when you figure out what exactly you need to do (which often means being a bit clever with your abilities). It’s worth noting that it all looks wonderful too, with the hand-drawn visuals offering some luscious vistas as you explore. It’s all fluidly animated, whilst the visual effects perfectly capture the dazzling effect of your electro-magnetic capabilities.

Developer: Rain Games
Publisher: Modus Games
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1698220/Teslagrad_2/