Magnetta
- August 31, 2016
- Heliocentric Studios
Get on Steam"Magnetta" is a side-scrolling action game set on the planet Lucetia, where the prince has been kidnapped and the royal guard has gone missing. As Magnetta, players must use their powers to jump, shoot, slide, and blast through unique levels filled with enemies and secret areas, collecting new weapons and upgrades along the way. With shifting tilesets in the Glitch and Time Trials to challenge players' speed, "Magnetta" offers a throwback to classic NES titles and a chance to save the galaxy.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Magnetta successfully captures the nostalgic essence of classic NES platformers, offering a unique take on the Mega Man formula with charming visuals and engaging gameplay.
- The game features creative level design and diverse enemies, providing a challenging yet forgiving experience that encourages replayability through various modes and collectibles.
- The developers have shown a commitment to improving the game post-launch, addressing technical issues quickly and enhancing the overall experience for players.
- Many players find the level design to be poorly executed, with frustrating mechanics and confusing controls that detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The character and enemy designs lack personality and creativity, leading to a feeling of repetitiveness and a lack of engagement during gameplay.
- Despite its nostalgic appeal, some players feel that Magnetta fails to deliver the precise controls and satisfying gameplay that are hallmarks of the Mega Man series.
- graphics11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the clever artwork and appealing visuals, particularly in the environmental design, while others criticize the overall aesthetics as charmless and lacking in quality compared to similar titles. While the clean controls and decent stage graphics are noted positively, the game's slow pace and sloppy level design detract from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics evoke nostalgia for classic gaming but fall short in execution.
“With clever artwork and a style that makes you miss game cartridges.”
“I'll go back on that partially and say the environmental/stage graphics are pretty decent.”
“Great but simple 2D pixel graphics, a female protagonist, a cliché story about saving a prince but with interesting characters and thankfully no awful voice acting!”
“Ignoring some of the basic gameplay elements, as you begin to compare it to Mega Man, you begin to see how it does not hold up: the graphics, sound, and mechanics, while all endearing (it reminds me in a lot of ways of Adventure Time), are not up to par with the quality of the games it is ostensibly trying to mimic.”
“I tried most of the levels, and with the sloppy level design, charmless aesthetics, and most of all the slow pace, I just couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried.”
“So first things first, I railed on this game earlier for its graphics.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its solid mechanics and creative level design reminiscent of the Mega Man series, while others criticize it for floaty physics and technical issues that detract from the experience. Although the game attempts to capture the charm of classic titles, it ultimately falls short in comparison, leading to a lack of engagement for some players.
“The gameplay is solid, the mechanics are easy to learn and the level design is creative and interesting.”
“The movement mechanics are very reminiscent of the Mega Man series, which is perfect.”
“The gameplay in this game is based on the original Mega Man NES games, so don't expect wall-jumps and such, but there is a slide button.”
“Ignoring some of the basic gameplay elements, as you begin to compare it to Mega Man, you begin to see how it does not hold up: the graphics, sound, and mechanics, while all endearing (it reminds me in a lot of ways of Adventure Time), are not up to par with the quality of the games it is ostensibly trying to mimic.”
“Between the technical issues and gameplay plagued by floaty physics, it didn't take me very long to decide this Mega Man-like wasn't worth much of my time.”
“But despite all this, the gameplay simply didn't hold up for me.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it flat and uninspired, reminiscent of NES-style soundtracks, while others appreciate its grand presentation and nostalgic aesthetics. Overall, many describe the music as mediocre and lacking catchy elements.
“Controls are clean, visuals are appealing, and music is grand.”
“It combines a lot of the aesthetics and sound design of an NES game (it uses the NES color palette and the sound and music are done through emulation of the NES sound chip) with a ton of modern amenities.”
“The soundtrack is a little flat, using the NES style.”
“I think that's my general problem with the presentation of the music, even down to the clean stage art: it feels lacking in inspiration.”
“The music is mediocre, nothing too catchy.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability through features like circuit collection and glitch-mode challenges, encouraging players to revisit stages. Additionally, unique twists such as challenge and speed run modes enhance the experience, making it engaging for multiple playthroughs.
“+ Great replay value.”
“Each stage also has added replay value as you revisit them to collect circuits or challenge yourself in glitch mode.”
“Despite its classic appearance, Magentta does add some unique twists for replayability with challenge and speed run modes.”
- story3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The story of this Mega Man clone is engaging and presented through charming sprite art cutscenes and delightful dialogue, featuring a female protagonist on a classic quest to save a prince. While the narrative follows a familiar trope, it is enriched by interesting characters and avoids poor voice acting, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“The story is interesting and is told through awesome sprite art cutscenes with charming dialogue.”
“Great but simple 2D pixel graphics, a female protagonist, a cliché story about saving a prince but with interesting characters and thankfully no awful voice acting!”
“This delightful Mega Man clone has a fun story, adorable sprites, and challenging gameplay.”
“The story is painfully predictable and lacks any real depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“Despite the interesting characters, the overall plot feels like a tired rehash of every fairy tale you've ever heard.”
“The narrative is filled with clichés and fails to offer any fresh twists, leaving it feeling stale and uninspired.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
While some users find the character design off-putting, others praise the meticulous creation of both characters and enemies, highlighting the diversity in design, including robots and mutants. Overall, the character development is noted for its creativity, though opinions on the aesthetic appeal vary.
“What this game excels at is the character designs; the enemies and their designs were meticulously created, and you're not just facing robots but also mutants.”
“However, I still find the character design to be very off-putting.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that players are frustrated with glitches, expressing a desire for reassurance that encountering them is not essential for gameplay progression or achievements. Overall, the stability of the game appears to be a concern for many users.
“The game is riddled with glitches that disrupt the experience, making it hard to enjoy.”
“Frequent crashes and bugs make it nearly impossible to progress without constant interruptions.”
“I encountered so many stability issues that I lost interest in playing altogether.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the emotional impact of gameplay mechanics, specifically noting that the lack of hit recoil when touching spikes detracts from their overall experience and immersion.
