Having performed Teslagrad Remastered only some weeks in the past, we had a novel probability to sit down and picture what we’d do with the sequel, moments earlier than we really obtained to play it. We imagined a deeper story and longer runtime. We fancied that builders Rain Video games would create a extra intricate Metroidvania-like world, with much more collectibles nestled into every nook. And we anticipated artwork as refined and pleasant as the primary recreation.
Mistaken, fallacious, fallacious, fallacious and proper. It exhibits what we learn about recreation growth. However inside these subverted expectations is a optimistic: isn’t it nice when a sequel comes alongside and speeds off in a course you least count on? We ended up stunned, somewhat delighted, and – on multiple event – somewhat wistful that it didn’t take up a couple of of these gauntlets.
Teslagrad 2 doesn’t significantly decide up the baton from the place Teslagrad left it. We’re in a brand new world – Wyrmheim, very fashionably riffing on Scandinavian fable – with a brand new character, Lumina. She’s escaping viking oppressors, which brings her into contact with a lot the identical powers as Teslagrad’s boy. Quickly, she is attracting and repelling blocks, partitions and ceilings utilizing fundamental powers of electromagnetism.
We thought Teslagrad 2 would double-down on story, just like the Inside and Limbo-like opening moments of the primary recreation. However as a substitute it reverses away from them. Teslagrad 2 isn’t significantly enthusiastic about what its world means or what Lumina’s place is inside it: the closest we get to story is beamed by means of TV screens and murals. We’ll maintain our palms up and admit being somewhat disillusioned that the physics-based gameplay took a entrance seat once more. It’s such a vibrant, fascinating world that it looks as if negligence to disregard it.
What we get as a substitute is platform-puzzling primarily based round these electromagnetism skills. They begin out easy and acutely paying homage to the primary recreation, however then shoots off in a totally new and bold course. Sonic the Hedgehog eat your coronary heart out, as Lumina quickly positive factors a dash potential that dovetails neatly with the attraction mechanics. She scoots up partitions and waterfalls, leaping over chasms to draw to partitions on the opposite facet. Abruptly, we have been enjoying OlliOlliWorld or Sonic Mania moderately than Teslagrad 2.
This can both be an excellent factor or one thing of a disappointment, primarily based in your expectations. We’ll admit to skewing in the direction of the latter, merely due to what it does to the Metroidvania construction. Abruptly, we have been careening by means of the world at nice pace, and there was an abiding sense that we have been lacking issues. What was in that door we handed, and will now we have picked up that collectible? However returning to these places, we discovered that we hadn’t missed a lot. Collectibles, like playing cards and secret upgrades, don’t have a lot bearing on Teslagrad 2, which creates a clumsy dichotomy of skipping ranges with out really skipping all that a lot.
It had the impact of constructing Teslagrad 2’s world much less dense, intricate and value exploring. The designers have been clearly racing to maintain up, too, so out went the labyrinthine stage design of the primary recreation (admittedly dropping the backtracking too, which we didn’t miss in any respect), and in got here one thing extra linear. You’re a juggernaut heading to the tip of the sport, and little or no stops you, exterior of some bosses and puzzle sticking-points. Once more, it’s horses for programs, however we felt like Teslagrad 2 was a extra throwaway recreation for it.
Teslagrad 2 shouldn’t be a Tolstoyan epic. It’s over in a couple of hours (5 when you’re us, and also you get caught on the moose boss or fail to determine that sure skills had specific, helpful unwanted side effects). That’s not an issue in and of itself: a recreation that enthralls for a day is simply as helpful to us as a Brobdingnagian RPG like Starfield. However as we stood on the recreation’s finish and seemed again, we felt emptier than we did first time spherical. We weren’t as compelled to replay; we didn’t really feel like we had been pushed to the sides of our puzzling potential; and the collectibles, the glittering baubles that tempted us final time spherical, simply weren’t as glittery.
We ponder whether we got here to Teslagrad 2 in fully the fallacious mindset. As a substitute of enjoying this ten years after the primary recreation, as so many gamers will, we performed it a few weeks later. That not solely results in somewhat fatigue, however means we have been continuously evaluating the 2. Plus we did that silly train of imagining what our model of Teslagrad 2 can be. Abruptly, we had one thing that Teslagrad 2 didn’t dare to match.
As a result of there may be some great craft right here. It might’t be talked about sufficient how ridiculously fairly Teslagrad 2 is. You may wander into an architrave or cavernous passage with the daylight beaming by means of and cease to surprise. It’s able to taking the breath away in that regard. Whereas we’re not sure if the Norse folks music suits the entire gameplay situations, it’s additionally lilting and highly effective in equal measure.
Plus there’s a few of puzzle gaming’s best minds at Rain Video games. When issues get sophisticated, they get very very sophisticated, and it may possibly bake the noodle attempting to determine what the sport needs from you. Equally, it by no means goes up to now into issue you can’t ultimately comprehend the mix of skills that get you previous the spiky vines or stalagmites. We’d have taken a touch system for these moments the place we felt irretrievably caught, however we all the time discovered a approach out of our predicament.
We’ve got no illusions about which of the 2 Teslagrads we desire. The primary recreation, lately remastered, is simply that little bit extra thought of, intelligent and rewarding. Teslagrad 2 ups the cool issue by handing you a breakneck slide, letting you glide about like Sonic, however the outcome lacks the primary recreation’s finesse. However we’re nonetheless within the presence of some implausible artists and puzzle designers, so that you could be reassured that it’s value clearing a couple of hours of your afternoon to reap the rewards of ten years of sequel growth.
