Teslagrad 2 is the follow-up to the hugely popular electromagnetic puzzle platformer released in 2013. The upcoming Modus Games’ adventure aims to expand on the captivating concept that mixes a Metroidvania template with a steady supply of puzzles and some riveting boss battles, to create what could be described as the world’s first ever Electrovania franchise. Remaining faithful to the current topic, my hands-on time with Teslagrad 2 only confirmed that we are in store for a shockingly amazing journey.
With Great Power Comes Great Electricity
Following on the path set by classic titles such as Another World or Limbo, Teslagrad 2 employs a minimalistic tone that works wonders when ingeniously conceived by talented individuals. Ditching words in favor of meaningful character gestures, emotion displays, and world exposition through subtle visual cues, it is deliberately open to interpretation and ultimately all the better for that.
Hand-drawn with noticeable heart and soul, your journey is enticingly cinematic and inspirational. Pay close attention to what unfolds in the various layers, as these events aren’t just enjoyable to follow, they also add some depth to this world-building and hint at what’s to come right around the corner. If you spot a grim creature pouncing about and lurking from a distance, it may be foreshadowing a frantic chase or confrontation; other times, this mysterious and apparently friendly presence shows up and provides some guidance. Even when it seems like pure eye-candy as videogames often attempt to convey, make sure you welcome it with a sizable dose of caution.
Your ears should enjoy Teslagrad 2 as much as your eyes will. It’s a true delight to the senses, with beautiful, mystical-sounding Scandinavian folk tunes marked by choirs and contagious beats, sometimes leaning on the tribal side of musicality. It’s catchier than it has any right to be, and they work like a tremendous part in some boss fights.
Non-linear both in storytelling and gameplay execution, Teslagrad 2 wastes no time and showcases this rule right during the first minutes of the adventure. Lumina, our young Teslamancer, sees her airship shot down and is now stranded in Wyrmheim, a remote land to the North. Featuring a flamboyant steampunk style but with relentless raiders and malevolent creatures hinting at a potentially unruly state, this land is ripe for exploration as you reach your first village. Going left or right is the question – will you explore the treacherous surrounding caves or head straight to the imposing and deadly tower looming as far as the eye can see?
Teslagrad 2 allows you to carve your path up to a certain point, as this freedom is halted by the need to discover and master new skills. Lumina can only go so far until she is forced to backtrack and unlock abilities such as blink, sliding, magnetizing, water blink, wire fast travel, and more. When you reach a location that may seem impossible to overcome after pondering for a while, there’s a real possibility that you need to go elsewhere and defeat some boss or find a new power, sometimes one as the outcome to the other.
You’ll often be tasked with creating combos on-the-fly to surmount some obstacles with flawless timing, much in the spirit of the great platformers, with magnetism playing a major role in the process – walking on walls or on the ceiling is something that you must master and execute with precision, but thankfully the checkpoints lean on the sympathetic side, so any deaths shouldn’t frustrate you. Handily, electric wires are found across the land or shot from a cannon, allowing Lumina to travel long distances and save some time and effort backtracking to an already explored area.
While not the focus of the adventure, bosses are the guarantee of epic showdowns finely crafted to test your skills. Technically, Lumina may be disarmed, but her blink ability can be used to literally shock her enemies, potentially clearing the way of smaller foes and deal damage to bosses, some of them quite impressive and in sync with the theme of the game, such as the marvelous electric moose. The clashes that I faced during this session were challenging but feasible, as you learn the patterns and moments of respite before conveniently charging in.
Positively Great
With Teslagrad 2 and Afterimage, Modus Games has two upcoming Metroidvania entries that look similar on the surface but couldn’t be more different mechanics-wise. Teslagrad 2 is more about the physics puzzles, but it does so with a knack for relentless and captivating platforming action. Some character animations may occasionally fail to chain as smoothly as one could desire, but this is a small price to pay for such an alluring and colorful hand-crafted steampunk world.
Lumina’s trip back home may be filled with danger and shocking events, but it’s shaping up to be a worthwhile journey that will both test your dexterity and your reasoning, and hopefully will deliver jolts of satisfaction all over the world when it launches spring 2023.
MP1st was given access to a preview build of Teslagrad 2 for our hands-on session. Teslagrad 2 is set to release spring 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch.