Teslagrad

Game Info

2D platformers have made a wonderful resurgence over the last two generations of consoles and none maybe be as prevalent then on Nintendo’s Wii U home console.  We’ve already seen the likes of New Super Mario Bros. U, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze from Nintendo themselves among others from indie developers such as Guacamelee, SteamWorld Dig, Shovel Knight, Wooden Sen’Sey and more.  The best part about all of these is that they are actually of high quality and Rain Games’ Teslagrad is no different.

The story of Teslagrad is told through visuals and not through cut scenes or word bubbles that constantly interrupt the gameplay.  There are a few rooms in the main castle where their will be a puppet show of sorts that gives a quick history of the castle and it’s inhabitants.  You start off the story as a young boy who is on the run from what look like police officers.  As you traverse through the town you come upon the castle and that’s where the game begins.

In a Metroidvania sense of exploration, advancement within the castle is hindered until you find power-ups that will let you solve puzzles and use the environment to further your quest.  The first tool to your disposal will allow you to manipulate magnetic forces.  This is easily done by using the R and L triggers to punch the objects, adding a positive or negative charge to it.  Later on you will acquire more skills such as the ability to shortly add a magnetic charge to yourself or even teleport yourself a short distance (like the X-Men’s Nightcrawler).  All the puzzles and level exploration of the game feels genuine and unique, never feeling like you have to do much backtracking or fetch quests in order to extend the length of the game.

There is an extreme level of difficulty with Teslagrad because you don’t have a health bar.  It’s one hit and instant death.  This isn’t a huge problem being that you will rarely die during the platforming areas.  Where this becomes a delicate issue is during boss battles.  If a boss hits you once you are dead and have to restart the entire battle once again.  Luckily you have infinite lives and the checkpoints are the beginning of an area, so you will never have to trek back to far to get back to where you have progressed to.  The GamePad can be used for off-screen play or as your map, which is perfectly fine use to me.

Teslagrad’s graphics have a beautiful hand drawn element to them.  They really match the aura and environment that Rain Games was trying to portray.  Even within the castle there seems to be enough visually distinctive zones that you never really feel like you are under the roof of the same building.  The music is atmospheric and fitting of the surroundings.  It’s not as catchy as a Nintendo tune that will keep you humming and singing it in your mind, but it does fit the bill of the undercurrent that is being created.

The Recommendation

I really enjoyed playing Rain Games’ Teslagrad.  The puzzles were unique enough to make it feel like a totally original platformer.  The one hit, one kill difficulty and the less engaging story are little hiccups, but don’t detract from the outstanding job that was done in creating this game.  The strikingly gorgeous animations and overall feel of the caste give this game character.  Even though the market for 2D platformers is saturated, just like dessert, their is always room for more.  Teslagrad is a worthy addition to your Wii U virtual library.