Magrunner: Dark Pulse

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Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a single player shooter game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by Frogwares and was released on June 21, 2013. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

When technology meets Cthulhu! Magrunner: Dark Pulse is an action-puzzle game in which technology confronts the Cthulhu Mythos, as imagined by author, H. P. Lovecraft. You are Dax, one of seven Magrunners selected among the elite to participate in MagTech Corporation's space training program. But, what should be the chance of a lifetime quickly becomes a horrific nightmare. Equipped with your M…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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72%

Audience ScoreBased on 520 reviews

story57 positive mentions

music5 negative mentions

The game features interesting puzzles that challenge players' problem-solving skills, reminiscent of Portal.
The graphics and atmosphere are well-designed, creating an engaging environment that enhances the gameplay experience.
The Lovecraftian elements add a unique twist to the story, making it intriguing for fans of the genre.

The story is poorly executed, with weak character development and unconvincing voice acting that detracts from the overall experience.
Some puzzles can be frustratingly obtuse, with hidden elements that are not clearly indicated, leading to trial and error gameplay.
The game suffers from pacing issues, with long loading screens and unnecessary cutscenes that interrupt the flow of gameplay.

story
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
68%
10%
The story of "Magrunner: Dark Pulse" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it underwhelming and poorly executed. While some appreciate its Lovecraftian themes and intriguing premise, others criticize the narrative for being clichéd, disjointed, and lacking depth, often feeling like a mere backdrop to the puzzle mechanics. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a weak point, detracting from the otherwise engaging gameplay experience.
- “A lot of very neat puzzles and a story premise which is wacky in a charming way.”
- “The story is pretty engaging, the graphics are close to portal style which is a good aesthetic.”
- “The uniqueness of this game is that the story suddenly takes a Lovecraftian turn, with creepy statues appearing inside the facility and in the end you'll travel to the world the creatures came from.”
- “Mix that with Cthulhu because why not, and a story I didn't bother to follow because the writing is bad and characters are dull and unlikable.”
- “The story is a joke and the Cthulhu background is just a pretext to glue the puzzles together; don't expect epic fights or deep story, everything is incoherent and not fun.”
- “The plot felt like it was full of clichés, and some plot elements just felt completely unnecessary, or like they came out of seemingly nowhere.”
gameplay
195 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The gameplay of "Magrunner: Dark Pulse" features a unique magnetism mechanic that allows players to manipulate objects through attraction and repulsion, reminiscent of the portal series. While the initial levels are engaging and the puzzles can be challenging, many players find the mechanics become repetitive and occasionally frustrating, particularly as the game progresses. Overall, the game offers a solid foundation for puzzle-solving but suffers from inconsistent difficulty and a lack of polish in its mechanics and narrative integration.
- “The gameplay is surprisingly fun and challenging.”
- “The mechanics are interesting and open up a lot of possibilities that are well exploited as you progress through the game.”
- “Magrunner pretty much starts where the portal series left off, offering absolutely awesome physics puzzles which require you not to think in portals, but in magnets, offering just as satisfying gameplay.”
- “The core game mechanics had potential, portal-like concept but with magnets instead of portals, but it started to get old by the end of the game.”
- “It failed to teach its own mechanics in full and would add new complications without explanation as to what they do.”
- “The core mechanics of the game are unreliable and often require lots of retries to do what the game expects you to do.”
graphics
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
50%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the vibrant and immersive visuals that evoke a portal-like aesthetic, particularly in space levels. However, some critiques highlight dated textures and a lack of polish, with certain elements appearing cheap or inconsistent. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered good for the game's release period, they may not meet the expectations of players seeking cutting-edge visuals.
- “The graphics and sound design in Magrunner: Dark Pulse are impressive, creating a vivid and immersive gaming experience.”
- “The game's environments are beautifully designed, with stunning visuals that create a sense of realism and depth.”
- “The graphics are nice, the colors are interesting, and the level design is actually really decent.”
- “Graphics are perhaps 10 years behind.”
- “Nothing special, dated graphics.”
- “Unfortunately the graphical design does not distinguish between scenery and puzzle elements.”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
66%
19%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and overwhelming, particularly during puzzle-solving moments, leading some to mute it entirely. While some tracks aim to enhance the atmosphere with urgency and tension, others are described as bland or poorly suited to the game's themes. Overall, the soundtrack fails to leave a lasting impression, with many players noting its lack of variety and effectiveness in enhancing the gaming experience.
- “The soundtrack -- sometimes techno/EDM, sometimes background/ambient -- adds to the urgency and terror of the situation.”
- “It felt like they tried to convey a sense of dread or fear through the music and dialogue, but threats only existed in cutscenes, with no ill effects noticeable after attacks by fish-men.”
- “The graphics in Magrunner are good and the music and overall feeling of dread that something may be coming for you at any point is quite intense at some points during the game.”
- “The soundtrack is downright terrible, mostly screeching violins for hours straight.”
- “The dumb transitions between levels, the repeating soundtrack, (note: trying to solve a puzzle while a violin is screaming into your ear is not fun.) the terrible puzzle design, I can't recommend this game.”
- “Music is royalty-free garbage (very obvious during 'horror' scenes and you'll be better off just turning it off at the beginning of the playthrough.”
atmosphere
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
35%
13%
The atmosphere in the game is generally praised for its unsettling and immersive qualities, particularly in relation to its Lovecraftian themes and eerie sound design. While some players appreciate the creative visuals and suspenseful environments, others criticize the art style and dialogue as lacking depth, often feeling like filler. Overall, the combination of challenging puzzles and a captivating atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal, despite some inconsistencies in execution.
- “I liked how the levels, story, and atmosphere changed more and more in a dark and threatening direction.”
- “No guns, no way to defend yourself except using the environment, a very creepy atmosphere, occasional terror and running away, all while slowly going insane.”
- “Overall, the creative gameplay and unnerving atmosphere more than make up for the game's weak points.”
- “The atmosphere is atrocious; no amount of pitiful wailing and moaning is going to make me scared of your double-digit polygon models.”
- “The story's atmosphere was a bit weird for me because of the puzzle part of the game.”
- “However, as the game progresses, this gives way to horrific landscapes and an unsettling atmosphere.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly in the later stages where the fun diminishes due to repetitive and finicky mechanics. While some puzzles are enjoyable and offer a good challenge, many reviewers feel that the overall experience becomes chore-like, leading to a loss of interest and prompting some to seek alternative ways to progress.
- “Nice concept but it just becomes tedious in the late game.”
- “Pretty good portal style game but it just got more tedious and irritating as I went on, and when I got to the jump/miss/die/jump/miss/die of the first room with the loops, I ended up just watching the rest on YouTube so I could uninstall it.”
- “It's fun in theory, but in execution it's just a more physics-heavy portal with less cleverly designed/more tedious puzzles.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Magrunner" is generally viewed as lacking compared to "Portal," with many reviewers noting the absence of charismatic characters and witty dialogue that made the latter memorable. While some moments elicit laughter, particularly at the end, the game primarily emphasizes intrigue over humor, resulting in a less comedic experience overall. Players appreciate the fun gameplay but express a desire for more engaging and humorous elements akin to those found in "Portal."
- “I laughed so hard at the very end; the magtech and IRL footage was hilarious.”
- “This was hands down the most fun I've had with a 3D puzzle platformer since Portal 2, and the only reason why Magrunner falls mildly short is the lack of hilarious characters like Wheatley or GLaDOS.”
- “I do like the game though... but I prefer a funny villain like GLaDOS.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably inconsistent, with players reporting various glitches, such as physics issues, getting stuck, and problematic auto-saves that can lead to frustrating experiences. While some users appreciate the graphics and overall polish, others highlight the presence of bugs that detract from gameplay, particularly in critical moments. Overall, the stability issues seem to vary significantly across different levels, impacting the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “There were a few glitches I encountered, such as one level where the magnetism wasn't working right, causing a cube to lose all its magnetism properties at a certain height in the room. This made a really simple solution extremely annoying to accomplish. Another issue was getting stuck in place where I couldn't move, and in the last level, the game auto-saved half a second before I died, so every time I loaded in, I would immediately die, forcing me to restart the last level.”
- “The physics are buggy and inconsistent, the level design is a mess, and this all is inversely correlated with the story getting pulpy and fun.”
- “It can be a bit buggy, such as when the final boss just stood there pointing at a block halfway through the battle, leaving me to wreck everything unopposed.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
71%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues, including stuttering and freezing during cutscenes. While some aspects, like texture masking, are well-executed, the overall experience is marred by a lack of polish and disconnect in voice acting performance. Despite beautiful scenery in certain acts, the game is generally considered poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating experience for those on minimum system requirements.
- “The game is beautifully optimized, allowing for smooth gameplay even in the most demanding scenes.”
- “The optimization of the graphics enhances the overall experience, making every detail stand out.”
- “I appreciate how the game runs efficiently on various hardware, ensuring that more players can enjoy it without performance issues.”
- “Also very, very badly optimized.”
- “The game does not seem to be optimized properly, though the scenery in Act 3 is very beautiful and reminded me of Dead Space 3.”
- “Only issue I had (bug-wise) was that cutscenes seemed corrupted, stuttering and freezing every ~10 seconds, although alt+tabbing and waiting a few seconds fixed this.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while the main voice actor delivers a strong and invested performance, the overall emotional impact is lacking, with some reviewers comparing it unfavorably to the iconic companion cube from Portal. Additionally, the clever puzzle design can evoke a sense of accomplishment, but the hidden elements may detract from the overall experience.
- “The main voice actor sounded really good, invested, and emotional.”
- “A lot of the puzzle design is clever and often made me feel clever when I solved things.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development in the game is criticized for being weak and unengaging, with some characters described as repulsive and lacking depth. The storyline fails to enhance character arcs, and the clumsy dialogue and unskippable cutscenes further detract from the overall experience.
- “Weak storyline and character development.”
- “Unskippable cutscenes are everywhere, character development is worse than flat (some of my allies are actually repulsive), and the voice acting and dialogue are clumsy (no one talks like that).”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find value in attempting timed achievements and tackling challenging levels, others feel that once completed, there is little incentive to revisit the game.
- “But be aware that the replay value here is absolutely zero; once it's done, there is nothing to bring you back.”
- “The levels range from super easy to figure out to hair-pullingly tricky, and with the addition of timed achievements, there is a lot of replay value if you get stuck and miss the deadline.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of Magrunner: Dark Pulse is perceived as lacking, with minimal advertising contributing to its lower visibility and popularity, despite being a valuable addition to the first-person shooter genre.

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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Magrunner: Dark Pulse – It’s like Portal but not good.
I give Magrunner: Dark Pulse a
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80%

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10h Median play time

8h Average play time

8-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a shooter game with horror and science fiction themes.

Magrunner: Dark Pulse is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing Magrunner: Dark Pulse.

Magrunner: Dark Pulse was released on June 21, 2013.

Magrunner: Dark Pulse was developed by Frogwares.

Magrunner: Dark Pulse has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its music.

Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a single player game.

Similar games include The Entropy Centre, Relicta, The Turing Test, Lightmatter, Q.U.B.E. 2 and others.

Magrunner: Dark Pulse

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