Magrunner: Dark Pulse Game Cover
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Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a horror-themed action-puzzle game that combines technology with the Cthulhu Mythos. As Dax, a trainee in MagTech Corporation's space program, you must use your Magtech glove to manipulate objects and solve challenging puzzles in order to survive and confront the monstrous creatures of Cthulhu. The game features 40+ levels set in high-tech training rooms and the cosmos.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Xbox
  • Xbox 360

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 197 reviews
story22 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game features creative and challenging puzzles that require critical thinking, reminiscent of Portal.
  • The unique magnetism mechanic adds a fresh twist to the gameplay, allowing for interesting interactions and solutions.
  • The Lovecraftian themes and atmosphere enhance the experience, providing a captivating backdrop to the puzzle-solving.
  • The story is poorly executed, with weak character development and unconvincing voice acting that detracts from the overall experience.
  • Inconsistent physics and unclear mechanics can lead to frustration, as some puzzles feel unfair or overly convoluted.
  • The game overstays its welcome with too many levels, leading to repetitive gameplay and diminishing enjoyment towards the end.
  • story122 mentions

    The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it weak, disjointed, and lacking depth, often feeling like a collection of clichés rather than a cohesive narrative. While some appreciate the Lovecraftian themes and the intriguing atmosphere, others criticize the dialogue and character development as wooden and unconvincing. Overall, the game is often recommended for its puzzle mechanics rather than its storytelling, which many feel detracts from the overall experience.

    • “Amazing puzzle game with a great story.”
    • “There's also a surprisingly intriguing story with Lovecraftian themes.”
    • “The story is fine overall, though some of the voice acting is a bit wooden, and the ending is actually kind of interesting, though it also features some fashionable criticism of social media that feels unnecessary and disconnected from the rest of the game.”
    • “The story is really lame, though.”
    • “The story is dumb and just lifts the bare superficial details from H.P. Lovecraft.”
    • “The story is underwhelming; however, I must admit that it is really cool when things start to hit the fan and you hear some weird voices talking about Cthulhu.”
  • gameplay108 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is heavily inspired by the Portal series, featuring a unique magnetism mechanic that allows players to manipulate objects through attraction and repulsion. While the core mechanics are generally polished and offer a variety of challenging puzzles, many players found the learning curve to be lacking, with some mechanics poorly introduced and repetitive gameplay leading to boredom over time. Overall, the game provides a solid puzzle experience but suffers from issues such as unskippable cutscenes, awkward controls, and a lack of engaging narrative elements.

    • “The gameplay is simple and fun, allowing you to traverse the environment with ease and making you feel clever when you figure things out.”
    • “Magrunner is a game that uses gameplay mechanics similar to Portal, where you use primary and alt fire buttons to control magnetic objects.”
    • “Each new level adds a new twist on the game mechanics and requires you to keep thinking in new ways to solve the puzzles.”
    • “The gameplay is something I would call rough.”
    • “The mechanics are awkward and tend to be either overly simple or frustratingly finicky.”
    • “My biggest gripe with this game is that the game is too long and becomes boring after 3 hours or so as the same thing has to be done over and over again and no new core mechanic is introduced at all.”
  • graphics40 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the impressive textures, unique art style, and overall visual appeal, particularly in certain environments and levels. However, others note that the graphics feel dated or lack polish in specific areas, leading to a somewhat inconsistent experience. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered good for a game of its age, they may not meet the expectations of players seeking cutting-edge graphics.

    • “Graphics-wise, the game is beautiful, the textures and environments are impressive, very well done indeed.”
    • “The graphics and atmosphere are pretty damn cool, the puzzles are quite tricky.”
    • “For an indie crowd-funded game, the graphics surprised me and the gameplay was tight.”
    • “Nothing special, dated graphics.”
    • “Awful aesthetic.”
    • “The graphics are scaled surprisingly well and players running on high and low settings alike can expect a pleasing experience.”
  • atmosphere16 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and unsettling qualities, transitioning from sterile lab environments to eerie, horrific landscapes as players progress. While the graphics and set design contribute significantly to the overall ambiance, some players find the voice acting and writing lacking. The combination of challenging puzzles and a creepy atmosphere enhances the experience, making it engaging despite its narrative shortcomings.

    • “The graphics and atmosphere are pretty damn cool, the puzzles are quite tricky.”
    • “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.”
    • “However, as the game progresses, this gives way to horrific landscapes and an unsettling atmosphere.”
    • “Overall, the creative gameplay and unnerving atmosphere more than make up for the game's weak points.”
  • music7 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some find the soundtrack boring or lacking, others appreciate its fitting contribution to the game's eerie atmosphere and sense of urgency. The blend of techno/EDM and ambient sounds is noted for enhancing the game's tension, despite some criticism regarding the effectiveness of the audio in conveying dread during gameplay. Overall, the music is described as solid but not exceptional, aligning well with the game's themes.

    • “The soundtrack -- sometimes techno/EDM, sometimes background/ambient -- adds to the urgency and terror of the situation.”
    • “The music is also pretty solid even if it isn't to my liking.”
    • “The soundtrack is boring; the story is totally fine though.”
    • “Not much music.”
    • “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.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally well-received, with effective texture masking and engine performance allowing players with minimum requirements to enjoy it without major issues. However, some users report significant bugs, particularly with cutscenes that stutter and freeze, suggesting that while the overall optimization is solid, there are still notable performance hiccups.

    • “Awful voice acting performance.”
    • “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.”
    • “However, the performances at times feel slightly disconnected from each other, giving the impression that the cast may have recorded independently.”
  • stability3 mentions

    Overall, user reviews indicate mixed stability experiences; while some players report significant glitches, such as magnetism issues and frustrating auto-save bugs, others find the game polished with no noticeable bugs or crashes. This suggests that stability may vary depending on individual gameplay experiences.

    • “There were a few glitches I encountered. In one level, the magnetism wasn't working right, causing a cube to lose all its magnetic properties at a certain height in the room, which made a really simple solution extremely annoying to accomplish. Another issue was getting stuck in place where I couldn't move, and the last one was in the final level where 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.”
    • “[h1][b][u]Crashes / bugs / glitches:[/u][/b][/h1]”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is criticized for being poorly executed, with unskippable cutscenes and lackluster character arcs that leave allies feeling unappealing. Additionally, the dialogue and voice acting are described as clumsy, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “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).”
    • “Character designs and animations, on the other hand, are a pain to watch.”
  • humor2 mentions

    While players find the gameplay of Magrunner enjoyable, they note that it lacks the memorable and humorous characters that made Portal 2 so beloved, resulting in a less engaging comedic experience.

    • “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.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers a mix of easy and challenging levels, providing some replayability through timed achievements for those seeking to improve their performance. However, once completed, players find little incentive to return, resulting in a lack of long-term replay value.

    • “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.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly in challenging sections that lead to repetitive failures. This has driven some to abandon the game entirely in favor of watching playthroughs online.

    • “Pretty good portal-style game, but it just got more tedious and irritating as I went on. 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.”
    • “The grinding in this game feels endless and unfulfilling, making it hard to stay engaged.”
    • “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which quickly became frustrating and made me lose interest.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    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.

  • emotional1 mentions

    The game is perceived to have minimal emotional impact, with some users comparing its emotional depth unfavorably to that of a companion cube, suggesting a lack of meaningful connection or resonance.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Play time

10hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
10-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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