Even during its late-stage period – at the point where one was actively, though entirely optionally, hunting down all 81 of the tucked-away and not-so-obvious to spot collectible scrolls – Rain Games' long-awaited sequel to their 2013 magnetism-based Metroidvania nails the simple joy of moving about. Something which all games in this sub-genre should be achieving by default you might argue. Not least at a point where your character should seemingly be at their peak, fully-loaded arsenals and dexterously-versatile move-set alike. Of course a game, having granted you every possible skill/ability/power-up/upgrade, should feel like a dream to simply move about, regardless of other (if any) more offensive capabilities. The only difference with something like Teslagrad 2 is, evidently, how long it’s been since Rain Games have brought us back into the world of electromagnetism.
Credit where credit’s due that despite coming across as simply picking up where the 2013 original left off, this year’s sequel (mostly) doesn’t succumb to that feeling out of place. After all, ten years is a long time in any genre or sub-genre. But in the case of Metroidvanias – in a field that has seen so many come and go, on top of those that have managed to stay far longer in memory – for a game not so much reliant on a solitary premise to see itself through, but following that exact same philosophy by way of its follow-up for a second time. Gap in time aside. It sounds like a tall order, but it’s one Teslagrad 2 thankfully meets with sufficient results. Results that are not without one or two drawbacks – some more egregious and potentially off-putting than others – along the way.
Even so, what it may lack in some improved scope a sequel should likely entail, as much some defined context regarding its actual world, Teslagrad 2’s most crucial component, its gameplay, is still as satisfying to experiment with and work out as it was in the original. Occasional clumsiness and lack of fluidity in its controls aside, Rain Games make sure to hone in on the idea that a good movement and traversal system isn’t so much one solely good to control from the off, but is great to figure out shortly thereafter. Furthermore: to push its figurative boundaries in seeing what exactly is feasible amid Teslagrad’s world of magnetic terrain, roller-coaster-like slopes to slide across and other such areas that encourage you to move hastily, but in a thoughtful and methodical way.
All of which eventually caps off with a series of time challenges players can discover on the side. The reward coming in the form of optional abilities that while aren’t critical to the main path, do make general traversal easier for late-game challenges. A useful double-jump being one of said optional abilities. The idea with these challenges being that players need to reach the exact same goal on the map in an allotted time without taking damage. But as far as reasons to revisit and retread ground, as any good Metroidvania is built around, this is as far as Teslagrad 2 goes when it comes to encouraging players to stay in this world a touch longer. Most of one’s investment in the sequel coming by way of a series of paths to reach the end of, rather than some elaborate labyrinth to trace over and work out. Far from linear it may be, Teslagrad 2 tends to put more stock on the intricacy of its platforming than perhaps what many genre enthusiasts are expecting.
What you have then is a mixture of frantic momentum so as to reach a crucial height or distant plot of land, as you do the more concentrated areas requiring the correct switching between the binary options of attracting to or repelling away from some magnetic field – walking on walls, up walls, across the ceiling and so on. Late-game item that helps broaden the emergent possibilities of traversal aside, Teslagrad 2’s puzzles are straightforward in their structure. And aside from the final boss – a two-phase encounter that is both beholden to but sadly one more victim of the wonky handling at the most inconvenient moments – Teslagrad 2 manages to strike a fair balance in not making the solutions too easy or painstakingly obvious to spot.
How you take to the sequels’s similarly short run-time of around three to five hours will depend on how invested you are in exploring its world. What semblance of a world there is here, Teslagrad 2, like the original, decides against a direct narrative or progression of events. Going even one step further in the field of visual storytelling/lore dumps by way of its optional collectibles – a significant chunk of the backstory and key events, as much why exactly your character is even here to begin with, explained through little more than groupings of illustrations and little else. A couple of neat tie-ins to the original aside, it’s clear that story is last on Teslagrad 2’s list of priorities. On paper that’s nothing to hold the game accountable for, but given how splintered and fractured the world itself is – with large voids of space to fly through on your passage to a new region or locale – much like the creativity with its primary magnetic-based mechanics, there’s a sense that the sequel has settled for too little in scope than what one might’ve liked.
That presence of empty space sadly becomes a greater detriment when you consider that one of the sole means of reaching the various corners is through a network of cables that link the world of Teslagrad 2 together. Again, this on its own isn’t anything to be critical of, the problem is that it serves as the only means by which you can journey from point A to point B. Without a fast-travel system or simply a helpful dotting about of warp points connecting these various settings, accidentally fumble your landing or make an ill-calculated decision as you skirt these cables (strung across distant drops might I add) and you could find yourself losing precious time. A minor act that has the potential to annoyingly stretch itself out due to disappointing oversight on the developer’s part.
Closing Comments:
Nearly a decade on, Teslagrad 2 strides into view where the original left off, with a modest but still entertaining palette of magnetism-based gameplay and precision-platforming alike. A justifiable approach from Rain Games in parts given how easy it is to grapple with, though one that isn’t as bold and surprising a second time round – lacking the broader creativity a sequel of its nature could have and should have brought. Curious in many ways, when it comes to applying one’s abilities. In others, a game whose short run-time and lacking narrative sadly isn’t offset by a more memorable and meatier world to explore. Short on meaningful exploration it may be, however, a focus once more on the intrigue of its mechanics, one that helped the original shine all those years ago, in similar fashion helps Teslagrad 2 establish itself as that of a solid, though flawed, follow-up.
Teslagrad 2
