Teslagrad 2
- April 19, 2023
- Rain Games
- 3h median play time
A worthy follow-up to its prequel, Teslagrad 2 allows you to explore more of the series’ fantastic world with even more stunning art and animation while building on the original mechanics to give the new installment a fresh upgrade.
"Teslagrad 2" is a metroidvania-style game set in a steampunk-inspired world. You play as a young engineer with electromagnetic powers, solving puzzles and battling enemies in a sprawling, interconnected world. With an emphasis on exploration and discovery, "Teslagrad 2" offers a challenging and engaging experience for fans of the genre.
Reviews
- The game features stunning visuals and an excellent soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
- Movement mechanics are fluid and satisfying, allowing for enjoyable traversal and platforming.
- The game offers a unique blend of puzzles and platforming, with a variety of abilities that keep gameplay engaging.
- The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under 5 hours, which may not justify the price for some.
- Boss fights can be frustrating due to unskippable cutscenes and a lack of clarity in attack patterns, leading to trial-and-error gameplay.
- Controls can feel unresponsive or janky at times, particularly during precise platforming sections, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- music65 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its diversity and quality, ranging from ambient to orchestral and heavy metal styles. Players noted that the soundtrack enhances the overall atmosphere and complements the visuals beautifully, making it a standout feature of the game. Overall, the music is described as "fantastic," "gorgeous," and "magical," significantly contributing to the game's charm and enjoyment.
“The visuals and soundtrack are brilliant.”
“The soundtrack is exquisite, and the graphics fit the game’s atmosphere perfectly.”
“The music works perfectly with the environments that you explore and during tense situations like the boss fights.”
“Annoying under every single aspect except visually and musically.”
“It's a shame, because the world, art and music all have a lot of charm.”
“The formula stays the same, metroid-vania with elusive lore, challenging platforming and unlockables to get, banger soundtrack.”
- gameplay63 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Teslagrad 2 is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its beautiful visuals, fluid movement mechanics, and engaging puzzles, while others criticize the clunky controls and unresponsive combat. The game features a variety of boss battles and a metroidvania-style exploration, but some mechanics feel underutilized, leading to a sense of frustration for certain players. Overall, while it offers enjoyable moments and innovative ideas, the execution leaves room for improvement.
“The puzzles are generally well-designed, and the bosses vary in difficulty: some are quite easy, while others, particularly the last two, will really put up a fight before you figure out their mechanics.”
“Teslagrad 2 is a lovely little puzzle platformer affair that lets the player play with some surprisingly deep movement mechanics in a nice quality package that doesn't overstay its welcome.”
“The gameplay: movement is much more fluid and rewarding.”
“The gameplay is not responsive enough, the bosses are quite boring, the exploration is not fun, and even though certain sections are padded (having to jump down and then redo a platforming section because the flower that gives you levitation is only on the lowest level as opposed to there being another one halfway through), the game is only 3 hours long.”
“So many fresh ideas plagued with clunky controls and physics-based mechanics that hinder your enjoyment.”
“The magnetic mechanic itself is so clunky!”
- story55 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in "Teslagrad 2" is primarily conveyed through wordless visual storytelling, which some players find intriguing while others feel it leads to confusion and a lack of clarity regarding the backstory. While the game features beautiful art, music, and environmental storytelling, many reviewers noted that the main narrative feels short and can be difficult to grasp without exploring collectibles that provide additional context. Overall, the storytelling is appreciated for its artistic approach, but it may leave players wanting more depth and coherence.
“The story is enjoyable and family friendly, with cute and touching moments.”
“The story: preserving the same methods of silent storytelling as the original, t2 links t1 and World to the West together to make a seamless cohesive storyline.”
“I still love the way the studio tells us the story, giving you the key events while leaving most up to your imagination.”
“The storytelling is also very poorly done; it doesn't make sense in the world and is just pushed in your face in the form of nonsensical small videos in weird places.”
“As usual, the story is not shown to you clearly, and you could do the whole game without even noticing there is one.”
“The main storyline feels a bit short and initially a bit confusing, with too many seemingly one-off characters.”
- graphics32 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 16 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning visuals and artistic style, which enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the impeccable art direction, vibrant colors, and beautiful animations, often comparing them favorably to previous titles and other renowned games. The soundtrack complements the visuals perfectly, creating a cohesive and immersive experience that players find captivating.
“The graphics look impeccable, the gameplay builds on the ideas from the previous game, but feels fresh because of how creative the developers allowed themselves to be.”
“The art style is impeccable and the soundtrack is astonishing.”
“Singlehandedly the most I've ever 'oohed and ahhed' at a game's art style, so many iconic visual set pieces that just make it worth your time.”
“On the 'neither good nor bad' side of things, the art style for our main character is a little less substantive, though very well animated, and the art direction is a tad more polished but a little less cohesive.”
“My first impressions are that it doesn't disappoint: the graphical art is a bit similar in some points to the first one, while being a tad more colorful, and I was surprised to see that some elements, both visual and musical, were reminiscent of 'Ori and the Blind Forest' (the visual resemblance at some points, concerning some nature elements, such as trees and waterfalls, as well as some foes, is rather staggering).”
“The graphics are updated from the original game Teslagrad, and they did an amazing job here.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Teslagrad 2" is highly praised for its exquisite soundtrack and beautiful graphics that complement the gameplay. Reviewers note the game's rich and immersive environment, which effectively conveys its story without lengthy exposition, making it a standout experience in the metroidvania genre. Overall, the combination of detailed backgrounds and engaging music creates a captivating atmosphere that enhances the gameplay.
“Additionally, the soundtrack is exquisite, and the graphics fit the game’s atmosphere perfectly.”
“[b]Teslagrad 2[/b] is a surprisingly fantastic platformer that has a brilliant movement system (once you unlock the initial abilities), great atmosphere with detailed background, and an enticing story told without words.”
“The music, backgrounds, and general atmosphere are all top-notch metroidvania without trying to be anything but itself.”
“The atmosphere feels uninspired and lacks the depth that I was hoping for.”
“It tries to create a unique vibe, but ends up feeling generic and forgettable.”
“The world feels empty and lifeless, making it hard to immerse myself in the experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, with navigation being a significant contributor to the frustration. While perseverance can lead to success, the process of mastering routines is often unenjoyable due to the lack of efficient shortcuts and the overall cumbersome movement.
“Navigation is tedious both when going forward and when backtracking. There are shortcuts, but they either save little time or are far from the next one, making horizontal movement almost as annoying and repetitive as vertical movement.”
“Persevere and you'll beat them, but the grinding required to master the exact routine is not enjoyable.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, reminiscing about the nostalgia and intelligence it inspired in their childhood. Teslagrad 2 is praised for its enjoyable, family-friendly story that features cute and touching moments, enhancing the overall emotional experience.
“I still have a big amount of love for the first game and how smart and baffled it made me feel as a kid. Teslagrad 2 is one of the best games of the genre that I have ever played.”
“The story is enjoyable and family-friendly, with cute and touching moments.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including glitches in animations and frequent loss of player location tracking. Users report bugs such as clipping through the ground and getting stuck, which detracts from the overall experience.
“There are jitters and glitches in the basic run and fall animation, and the game loses track of your location regularly, to a slight degree.”
“The game was quite buggy; I kept clipping through the ground and getting stuck.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly enjoying the amusing bugs that enhance the experience, such as the unexpected speed boost from combining jumping and sliding.
“It's always funny to find some bugs that aren't an obstacle to the experience, like the speed boost you get from full hopping and sliding.”
“The witty dialogue and quirky characters had me laughing out loud throughout the game.”
“I love how the game uses absurd situations to create humor; it keeps the experience light-hearted and enjoyable.”
Critic Reviews
Teslagrad 2 (Nintendo Switch)
A worthy follow-up to its prequel, Teslagrad 2 allows you to explore more of the series’ fantastic world with even more stunning art and animation while building on the original mechanics to give the new installment a fresh upgrade.
90%Teslagrad 2 Review
Teslagrad 2 is a puzzle platform that offers a unique type of gameplay that you don’t usually get to use. It is quite short, but it’s an enjoyable time while it lasts!
70%Teslagrad 2 review --- Short circuit
Teslagrad 2 is a fantastic adventure that’s over way too soon. The puzzles and platforming are some of the best in the genre, but given your breadth of moves the game doesn’t come close to fully exploring what it can do.
70%