Teslagrad

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 119 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 119
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 119
  3. Negative: 11 out of 119
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  1. Funksatron
    Jul 30, 2014
    7
    A lovingly constructed animated world. The exposition of narrative throughout the game via puppet shows does a good job of dispensing plot. However this game suffers from several faults that could be easily addressed. Boss fights need some fine tuning. Checkpoints are designed in such a way that you usually have to redo a significantly long easy portion to get back to the difficult partA lovingly constructed animated world. The exposition of narrative throughout the game via puppet shows does a good job of dispensing plot. However this game suffers from several faults that could be easily addressed. Boss fights need some fine tuning. Checkpoints are designed in such a way that you usually have to redo a significantly long easy portion to get back to the difficult part that defeated you previously, this doesn't make for fun gameplay. At times I felt the visual cues of what was dangerous didn't line up with the actual areas that would harm you. Difficulty did not follow a smooth curve. My biggest disappointment by far was the lack of an ending (both endings in my opinion are worthless) after being shown that the designer DID know how to tell a story (via the earlier puppet shows). Good foundation, needs significant refinement.… Expand
  2. kdamica
    Jan 11, 2014
    6
    The graphics are amazing, and the controls are pretty tight, but poor level design prevents this from being a great game. Far too often, small mistakes force you to repeat long, boring stretches of platforming, making for a tedious experience. The boss fights are also fairly uninspired, and since you die in one hit, you'll be playing them over and over again. I don't mind difficultThe graphics are amazing, and the controls are pretty tight, but poor level design prevents this from being a great game. Far too often, small mistakes force you to repeat long, boring stretches of platforming, making for a tedious experience. The boss fights are also fairly uninspired, and since you die in one hit, you'll be playing them over and over again. I don't mind difficult platforming (I've put far too many hours into Super Meat Boy), but this game just feels like a chore. I tried to force myself to keep playing, just to see the beautiful environments, but I soon gave up.… Expand
  3. Gamer2014
    Apr 28, 2014
    8
    i didn't play it till the end but i am close, so far it's a perfect one it's puzzles are awesome lots of fun little hard, it has some great ideas, it has no talking but it has a story it's not just an arcade game, you will love it if you like puzzles games .
    the bad thing is that some times i just get sick from a hard puzzle and just close the game, because you will play the puzzle over    i didn't play it till the end but i am close, so far it's a perfect one it's puzzles are awesome lots of fun little hard, it has some great ideas, it has no talking but it has a story it's not just an arcade game, you will love it if you like puzzles games .
    the bad thing is that some times i just get sick from a hard puzzle and just close the game, because you will play the puzzle over and over again until you pass it, has no score you die with one hit and has unlimited lives i mean if you don't the game would suck from its hardness .    … Expand
  4. GamesXtreme
    Aug 31, 2016
    8
    The main character and his opponents are presented in an almost cartoon style that stops short of having cel shading. But the animation is smooth and the presentation pleasing to the eye. Nice lighting effects are on offer and as our hero makes his way through various environments it's all pleasant enough to look at with no harsh colours and nothing to assault the senses.

    A head    The main character and his opponents are presented in an almost cartoon style that stops short of having cel shading. But the animation is smooth and the presentation pleasing to the eye. Nice lighting effects are on offer and as our hero makes his way through various environments it's all pleasant enough to look at with no harsh colours and nothing to assault the senses.

    A head scratcher, and yes frustrating, but the sense of achievement when you solve a puzzle is rewarding.    … Expand
  5. hamdium
    Dec 17, 2013
    9
    This is a platforming game where the main puzzle mechanic revolves around maniplulating electicity and magnetic charges an works really well.

    The gameplay is a bit to hard and frustrating for my taste, but the stunning visuals and "mood" of the game more than makes up for it.
  6. NorwegianRage
    Dec 20, 2013
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Teslagrad by the norwegian develper Rain Games can be described in one Word. Brutal difficulty.
    Teslagrad has a beautiful handdrawn art style With atmospheric Music and challenging Puzzles. There is a Catch With it though. It is hard to know where Your Next Puzzle or boss battle is, but still this is one hell of a game. If you want a hard and unique platformer With Puzzles ,you will absolutely love this game just as much as I did.The story is about that you are the son of Nikola Tesla, when you're city is attacked by an army you're mother says to you that you need to find Your after he dissapeared into the massive Tower in the city. Inside the Tower you get awesome gadgets like the magnet glove and boots that gives you a little dash and some theaters which tells you why the army is attacking Your city.    … Expand
  7. WoehlkeTAD
    Dec 18, 2013
    9
    I think of this as a mix between Metroid and Little Nemo with a really fun art style. Previous review mentioned electricity and magnetism. I find that the mechanics in this just represent interaction between electrically charged objects and there isn't much magnetism. Magnetism doesn't come into play until there is charge motion, and the objects don't act like permanent magnets either,I think of this as a mix between Metroid and Little Nemo with a really fun art style. Previous review mentioned electricity and magnetism. I find that the mechanics in this just represent interaction between electrically charged objects and there isn't much magnetism. Magnetism doesn't come into play until there is charge motion, and the objects don't act like permanent magnets either, only charged objects. But this was a really fun game either way. I will definitely be recommending it to people i know. Story telling is really well done also, silent but effective.… Expand
  8. xephnid
    Mar 18, 2015
    6
    What none of the other reviews will tell you: This is a masocore game! Sure, it starts out easy enough but soon you'll encounter more and more increasingly drastic difficulty spikes. The game contains about one to two hours of gameplay and about ten to twenty hours of retrying and cursing. If you're into that sort of thing, well... here you go, but if not, stay clear! You've been warned.
  9. augh18
    Sep 29, 2014
    9
    Currently the best indie Metroidvania available on PC. Has an art style that is reminiscent of Disney's golden era. Music is phenomenal. Boss fights are puzzles that occasionally require twitch reflexes in order to overcome instead of being bullet sponges. Polarity mechanic is used well and aside from a few areas (namely one optional room near the end for a scroll) does not feelCurrently the best indie Metroidvania available on PC. Has an art style that is reminiscent of Disney's golden era. Music is phenomenal. Boss fights are puzzles that occasionally require twitch reflexes in order to overcome instead of being bullet sponges. Polarity mechanic is used well and aside from a few areas (namely one optional room near the end for a scroll) does not feel clunky. Fun to speed run a few times, game itself doesn't take more than a few hours to complete the first time and after that it can be cleared 100% in about 45 minutes.… Expand
  10. rogad
    Sep 6, 2015
    5
    Interest platform game with beautiful graphics and animation; unfortunately the excessive difficulty make it so that once you die you often have to repeat long boring stretches of a level, and boss fights unfortunately suffer even more from this handicap.
  11. PRoxy_oQ
    Dec 30, 2013
    8
    Did not even play this game... how to remove critic oh never mind i will buy it soon and review it.......................................................
  12. Nicholaz
    Jan 5, 2014
    5
    I like the graphics and the general concept, also the background music and most of the puzzles.

    What I don't like is the general flow of how it challenges you. Most stuff is pretty easy and not challenging at all, and then you run into something which requires precise timing and quick fingers (try the demo and go down to the metal monster). Also I find the controls (although they    I like the graphics and the general concept, also the background music and most of the puzzles.

    What I don't like is the general flow of how it challenges you. Most stuff is pretty easy and not challenging at all, and then you run into something which requires precise timing and quick fingers (try the demo and go down to the metal monster).

    Also I find the controls (although they are rebindable) are counter intiuitive. WASD for movement, so far so good, but then left/right arrow for red/blue charge my brain permanently got confused about using the arrow keys for something that does not have anything to do with direction.    … Expand
  13. somedude14
    Feb 16, 2015
    9
    Has frustrating points, but this is going to go down as one of the greatest games I've ever played. Never gets boring and is constantly demanding better execution and more attention from the player. Short, but grueling, and worth completing at least once.
  14. TitaniumDragon
    Nov 17, 2015
    5
    A 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer, this game is lovingly hand-illustrated, but very minimalistic in some ways. You are… a boy, who is running away from… some bad guys. You are the last heir of Teslagrad, a bunch of… people in pointy hats who seem to harness… electricity? But not just any electricity – two colors of electricity!

    A game focused on navigating a 2D environment and    A 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platformer, this game is lovingly hand-illustrated, but very minimalistic in some ways. You are… a boy, who is running away from… some bad guys. You are the last heir of Teslagrad, a bunch of… people in pointy hats who seem to harness… electricity? But not just any electricity – two colors of electricity!

    A game focused on navigating a 2D environment and finding secrets in the form of hard-to-reach scrolls, over the course of the game you gain the ability to punch to change the colors of blocks, surround yourself in a field which causes you to be repelled from or attracted towards blocks of the same/opposite colors, a flash-step horizontal teleport which can take you through most things, including some designated walls, and eventually a staff which can kill enemies and change block colors at range.

    The entire game is set in a pretty tight little environment, a tower which has a central pillar you can use magnetism to travel up and down via a colored field beam. As the game progresses, you go through a number of themed areas and fight a series of bosses. Death is generally fairly cheap, starting over at the last checkpoint, which is in every room, and often after most significant obstacles within a room as well – though there is the occaisional exception.

    On the whole, the game is centered around a variety of platforming puzzles which rely on your special talents. Some of these are reasonably creative, but after you gain the first three items, you go through several consecutive areas without unlocking anything new. While these areas are decent enough, in the end some of the puzzles do start to feel a little samey.

    Fortunately, the game is fairly short – 100% completion took me 5 hours according to Steam’s internal clock – and the game does present some real challenge without being daunting. That being said, it is very simplistic and minimalistic, and while the graphics are attractive enough, there’s nothing in this game which really goes above and beyond – just a bunch of platformer puzzles which are decent enough, but never really cross the line into exceptional.

    I didn’t feel like I wasted my time with this game, but at the same time it is hard for me to recommend anyone else spend their time on it; while it is decent enough, its lack of actually excelling in any way means that there are other, much more memorable experiences you can have. The story is very bare-bones and there is pretty much no real investment in it, so all there is is the puzzles – and while they’re okay, it just does not excite.

    Pros:

    * Decent puzzles.
    * Decent challenge level.
    * Decent bosses.

    Cons:

    * Minimalistic story which creates no emotional connection to the action in the player.
    * Minimalistic design starts to hurt a bit towards the end as the puzzles start to feel a bit samey.
    * Does not excel in any real way.    … Expand
  15. sh4dow
    Oct 4, 2017
    6
    Interesting concept but lacks the polish to be a truly enjoyable game. Especially the map interface is annoying to deal with (you can't scroll around and there is no indicator of your precise location). But with a Metroidvania style game, the map obviously is really important. Controls feel a bit odd, character seems to move too quickly on just slight nudges of the stick. And the art styleInteresting concept but lacks the polish to be a truly enjoyable game. Especially the map interface is annoying to deal with (you can't scroll around and there is no indicator of your precise location). But with a Metroidvania style game, the map obviously is really important. Controls feel a bit odd, character seems to move too quickly on just slight nudges of the stick. And the art style while intriguing in approach, also feels a bit like a student's project in terms of quality.… Expand
  16. CarterM
    Jan 19, 2014
    9
    Teslagrad is a 2D platforming puzzle themed game that uses the power of magnets and electricity to solve the puzzles that the Tesla Tower is filled with.
  17. Doodle02
    Feb 13, 2014
    9
    A 2d platformer where you play with magnetism (a great mechanic that makes for very interesting, and mindbendy, gameplay) to solve puzzles is really cool. Doing it while telling a story with no dialogue in a fantastically crafted world is astounding.

    Great storytelling, original gameplay mechanics, beautiful atmosphere.
  18. jobopity
    Feb 15, 2014
    6
    This game has an amazing art style and music. At times it even feels like a classic Disney animated movie ( a la Sorcerer's Apprentice). The puzzles are quit intuitive and challenging. The only problem with this game is the balance between challenge and controls. The game controls like any casual platformer, and it's very smooth. However, the boss battles and the late-game puzzles requireThis game has an amazing art style and music. At times it even feels like a classic Disney animated movie ( a la Sorcerer's Apprentice). The puzzles are quit intuitive and challenging. The only problem with this game is the balance between challenge and controls. The game controls like any casual platformer, and it's very smooth. However, the boss battles and the late-game puzzles require far more precision than the game is able to give. There seems to be a physics engine, but there's nothing insuring that you can the get the same results for the same action a second time. For example, go onto a red cube and then activate your red cloak. You can fly directly horizontal the first time then directly vertical the second time while doing the exact same thing. The only other problem I had with it is the lack of checkpoints to compensate for the above issue. Other than that, pretty amazing game.… Expand
  19. ThePCGamer101
    Jun 24, 2015
    8
    Teslagrad has a wonderful art style, very smooth animations, and a challenging mix of precision platforming and puzzles!

    The art style is beautiful, and reminds me of a mixture of Disney Pixar and Dreamworks Animation, the art style is really beautiful! The smooth animations make the game have smooth gameplay and precise platforming. However, the game can be frustrating and repetitive,    Teslagrad has a wonderful art style, very smooth animations, and a challenging mix of precision platforming and puzzles!

    The art style is beautiful, and reminds me of a mixture of Disney Pixar and Dreamworks Animation, the art style is really beautiful! The smooth animations make the game have smooth gameplay and precise platforming. However, the game can be frustrating and repetitive, the boss battles are mostly the same, hit the same weak point over and over and also the boss battles change their movement paths all the time, rarely following the same pattern. Another annoying thing is the few bugs and glitches I encountered with the game, this sadly ruined my experience, plus the amount of checkpoints there are are very few

    However, RAIN Games did a very good job with the game, it has a very nice story even though it doesn't have any dialogue at all. Nice art style and very nice animations. A job well done to the developers!    … Expand
  20. indiemeraklisi
    May 19, 2017
    8
    Çok perişan bir gecede darmadağınık bir adam göğsüne yakın bir paket taşımaktadır. Sicim gibi dökülen yağmur boyunca, yeterince dikkat kesilirse; o küçük paketin içerisinden bakan bir çift göz görülebilir; Bu küçük bir bebeğin gözleridir. Adam bebeği annesi olabilecek bir kadına emanet eder ve bilinmeyen bir yolculuk için ayrılır. Zaman geçer, bebek büyür. Genç bir erkek çocuğudur artık.Çok perişan bir gecede darmadağınık bir adam göğsüne yakın bir paket taşımaktadır. Sicim gibi dökülen yağmur boyunca, yeterince dikkat kesilirse; o küçük paketin içerisinden bakan bir çift göz görülebilir; Bu küçük bir bebeğin gözleridir. Adam bebeği annesi olabilecek bir kadına emanet eder ve bilinmeyen bir yolculuk için ayrılır. Zaman geçer, bebek büyür. Genç bir erkek çocuğudur artık. Onun için de gelirler... İçeri girmeye zorlarlar! Fakat çocuk hızlıdır. Yatak odası penceresinden; yağan şiddetli yağmurdan şakırdayan çatıların üstüne atlamıştır bile. Koşuyor! Koşuyor!... Kovalıyorlar!!...

    İşte Teslagrad; bizleri bu açılış sahesi ile karşılıyor ve sonrasında karşımıza neyinnelerin geleceği konusunda da ipuçları veriyor. Karanlık ve yalnızlık, fırtınadan ve merakımızı cezbeden takipçilerimizden başka hiçbir şey; sadece sessizlik. İlk dakikadan itibaren Teslagrad; bu maceranın ne kadar görkemli olacağını tamamen güvence altına alıyor. Tüm görsel ihtişamı ve gizemli dünyasıyla Teslagrad; barındırdığı kusurları ve de eksik kalan parçalarıyla birlikte ''canavar'' gibi ortaya çıkıyor.

    Muhteşem mimarisi, sanat eserleri ve masalsı parçacıklarıyla keşfe çıktığımız bu kule; gücü arzulayan bir şehvet ve ardından gelen ihnetlerle doludur. Bu kuleye tırmanırken giderek daha karmaşık bulmacalar çözerek, Teslagrad'ın öyküsünden çok daha fazlasını keşfedeceksiniz. Burada belirtmek istiediğim bir husus var. Maalesef bu karmaşıklık; bulmacanın zekayı test etme yeteneğinden ziyade, mekaniğe daha fazla ağırlık vermesinden geliyor. Yani kısaca beceri ve reflekslerimize daha çok iş düşüyor.

    Teslagrad' ın temasında; adından da tahmin edebileceğiniz gibi Elektromanyetizm barınmakta. Oyunda ilerleyip, keşfettiğimiz yetenekler ile; çeşitli objelerin yerlerini değiştirebiliyor, veyahut nesleri, engelleri aşabilmek amacı ile kullanabiliyoruz. Bu doğrultuda oyunda belirli ''chapter'' ları atladıkça daha fazla yetenek kazanmaktayız. Gelelim oyunun zorluk kısmına. Ben bu kategorideki oyunların zorluğunun bu şekilde sınıflanmasını doğru bulmuyorum. Bence Teslagrad zor bir oyun değil. Fakat belirtmek istediğim sorun var; çoğu durumda daha zor bölümlerin yakınında kontrol noktaları olduğu için bu ciddi bir sorun olmuyor ve hatta en sinir bozucu bulmacalar bile yirmi dakikadan fazla zamanınızı harcamıyor rahat olun (Bu konuda endişe duyan arkadaşlar! size gelsin :) ) Gerçek sorun, oyundaki boss savaşlarından herhangi birinde meydana geliyor ve hepsinde de, boss u alt edebilmek için korkunç bir çarpışmaya maruz kalıyoruz. Bu boss ların saldırılarından herhangi biri size temas ettiğinde; mücadelenin başlangıcına geri dönüyor ve deneme yanılma egzersizleriyle beraber bu durum sinir bozucu bir hal almaya başlıyor. Tabi sonunda boss u alt ettiğimizdeki zafer sevinci de aynı oranda kendine yer ediniyor.

    Sinir bozucu boss karşılaşmaları ve bazen de rahatsız edici bulmaca tasarımlarıyla sinir katsayımızı ölçen Teslagrad; sırf içinde bulunduğumuz mekan tasarımlarının güzellikleriyle bile, can sıkıcılığının artan duygularını bastırmayı ve gönlümüzü almayı başarıyor. Oyunda ilerledikçe; yer yer oyuncuya yapay gelen diyalog eksikleri göze çarpıyor ancak yine de bu haliyle bile tartışmasız harika bir hikaye anlatıyor. Şüphesiz Teslagrad' ın en itici gücünün; gizemli havası ve çekiciliği olduğunu düşünmekteyim. Yoksa birçok oyuncunun hatırlayabildiğim birkaç sahneden birinde oyundan çıkacağına kesinlikle eminim.

    Oyunun birçok öğelerinden şikayet ederken bile; hkâyesi, görselleri ve manyetik manipülasyondaki benzersiz girişimi nedeniyle Teslagrad bana, kusurlarıyla bile bir şekilde sevimli görünüyor. Oyunu bahsettiğim kusurları yüzünden döverken ve sıradan finalini de görmüş olmama rağmen; kalan tüm kartları da toplayarak sonunda bizleri nasıl bir final bekliyor görmek için ufak ufak zaman harcayacağımdan kesinlikle eminim. Ben bütün kalbimle Teslagrad'ı, tüm kusurlarıyla birlikte, inanılmaz görsel tasarımı ve çok görkemli dünyası için tavsiye ediyorum. Bu heyecanlı dünya için sizleri de bir an önce yağmurun sesine kulak vermeye çağırıyorum!    … Expand
  21. SilverOrlov
    May 6, 2023
    8
    In general, this game is very cool and I really liked it. Gaming with polarity, magnetism and electricity were interesting. Searching for scrolls with history is not very tedious. And the story itself was interesting too. Plus, quite a good addition of battles with different bosses. Didn't like the trials in the portal area after 15 scrolls. But they're optional, so it's just a matter ofIn general, this game is very cool and I really liked it. Gaming with polarity, magnetism and electricity were interesting. Searching for scrolls with history is not very tedious. And the story itself was interesting too. Plus, quite a good addition of battles with different bosses. Didn't like the trials in the portal area after 15 scrolls. But they're optional, so it's just a matter of preference(I didn't like the idea of putting in a "slow-paced path-finding platformer" a very exhausting challenges). Not the type of game where this is appropriate, IMAO. But like I said, to each his own.
    The physics of the gameplay is also periodically buggy, such as jumps through damage(teleportation). Sometimes it jumps normally, and sometimes you die and you can't understand this difference. But it is not so annoying when you need to re-pass a small area.
    A little more annoying was the one-touch-kill-damage. At least 3 hits would be normal, for example.
    But what I consider to be really bad in this game - the last boss of the game. It's the gruesome culmination of all the problems together in one place. The combination of death from any touch + fast blades of the second phase + instant shooting crown + teleportation bug... all together created a moment of drastic complication of the game compared to the rest of the tower. It was infuriating and it caused me to lower my rating a bit.
    The rest of the game was great for me.    … Expand
  22. RudolfJelin
    Apr 5, 2019
    10
    A puzzle-solving platformer with epic hand-drawn graphics and a deep soundtrack. It is unique in the way it brings you into the story: instead of a tutorial, the game gradually takes you through multiple phases, letting you learn and figure out things yourself, from game mechanics to the story, all captured in the surrounding environment. The game does not force itself, but has aA puzzle-solving platformer with epic hand-drawn graphics and a deep soundtrack. It is unique in the way it brings you into the story: instead of a tutorial, the game gradually takes you through multiple phases, letting you learn and figure out things yourself, from game mechanics to the story, all captured in the surrounding environment. The game does not force itself, but has a continuous, casual flow.
    On the other hand, it can sometimes be grindy and unforgiving, but oh so better is the euphoria after.    … Expand
  23. IRON_SOUL
    Nov 14, 2021
    10
    Interesting story, beautiful graphics, smart mechanics and the desire to always want to play more to learn more about the game universe....this defines what Teslagrad is. A great indie game, and another great metroidvania for those who enjoy the style.

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Best PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Gameblog.fr
    Dec 11, 2014
    80
    Teslagrad is all about electricity, magnetism, and mind bending puzzles. The hand-drawn graphics and atmospheric music will take you to the top of the Tesla tower with a broad grin on your face.
    Read full review
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Mar 28, 2014
    70
    Despite pacing issues, Teslagrad's strange blend of science and fantasy prove that opposites do indeed attract. [Apr 2014, p.58]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 23, 2014
    60
    Beautifully drawn, beautifully animated, yet frustrating puzzle platformer, capable of enchanting you in one minute and pissing you off in another. [Issue#238]
See all critic reviews »