Tesla degrees 2 | Review – hiking with electromagnetism in Scandinavia
The panorama of indie games has now developed so much in recent years that it has been able to give us unforgettable pearls with great potential: it was certainly one of them Tesla degrees who, despite some weaknesses, had proved to perfection that he had the right ideas and great talent untapped potentialwhich rightly conquers the hearts of many fans.
The first chapter of Rain Games had proven to be an excellent puzzle-platformer, where puzzles often prevailed: with Tesla degree 2surprisingly only arrived on all major gaming platforms in the last few days, the developers have made an effort Add some excitement to the action and make players feel like they’re the center of attentionwith more emphasis on the platform phases and the dynamics of the action.
We were pleasantly surprised by ours first preview test, but on the occasion of the surprise launch that has arrived in the last few days, we have been able to see all the care and passion that the development team has put into this new chapter of the saga. Which has revealed itself again while retaining some hard-to-ignore limitations a little surprise waiting to be discovered.
A fascinating land to explore… in complete silence
In this new adventure we play a young redhead named Lumina who crashed her airship in a brutal Scandinavian country: with our electromagnetic forcesthat we will unlock during the adventure we must be able to overcome numerous obstacles to finally return home.
Fans who have already had the opportunity to restore the first chapter (you can find it in the physical version on Amazonif you are interested) will certainly feel at home: In this adventure you really have to prove that you have mastered the typical mechanics of a Metroidvaniasince the title doesn’t make it easier for you.
Rain Games made a conscious decision to do this tell the story and gameplay without dialogue: Players need to find out from time to time how to do it and what little secrets are hidden in the game world and understand how best to use the powers to solve their puzzles.
Aside from a very small initial note that just lets you appear on screen as you use a new ability or power, Tesla degree 2 It will behave just like many Metroidvanias of the past, leaving very few clues how to solve a specific puzzle or how to face a particularly difficult boss.
In fact, every now and then we’ll have to face some particularly challenging enemies: since we won’t have any real weapons at our disposal – at least until we reach the final phase – We must use our wits and skills along the way to direct their attacks against them.
It is one in every way Trial and error formula, designed that way on purpose: Even if you are a particularly skilled player, it will be impossible not to die at least once in different sequences of work, since it is physically necessary to try each and every action at least once and find out where the limits of our powers are .
It should be pointed out The hand-drawn scenarios are so well done that they even manage to make our task of solving the puzzles easier: In fact, it won’t be uncommon to find, after numerous attempts, that we’ve simply overlooked a detail that’s been done with enough attention to detail to be distinguishable without too many problems.
Tesla degree 2 seems to have been made for the needs of several players: anyone who just wants to enjoy an adventure and get to the endgame will be able to do it without too many problems and finish everything quickly, but if not There are many hidden collectibles that will make us want to go back and return to each game area that we face.
The power of electromagnetism
One curious aspect that caught our eye is that instead of getting harder as the campaign continues to test our skills, the Rain Games adventure It suddenly became an adventure that was much easier to complete: A paradox made possible by the arrival of new powers and weapons capable of making the remnants of the main story a breeze.
Obviously the first stages have been balanced to better force users to memorize all the characteristics of our protagonist, unlike the last stage: while in the first stages every single misstep could mean our death, the last stages turned out to be a lot more permissive and less demanding.
On the one hand, this can only stimulate the creativity of players to optimally combine their skills, but on the other hand, too It might evoke a little dissatisfaction from those expecting a real challengeas seen in the first chapter.
Another sore point that we want to highlight lies in the mapping chosen for the various game controls: Given that Most actions tend to use the same buttonswe often had trouble using certain skills at the right time.
A highly questionable mapping, even considering there are virtually unused controller buttons: it feels like the developers wanted to design this scheme on purpose increasing the difficulty artificially and making Tesla degree 2 more like the Metroidvanias of the pastbut only increase the frustration potential of the fans.
Fortunately, this is a problem that you may encounter only in short stages of the game, while the movement in most adventures is satisfying and adrenaline-pumping at the right moment: despite the difficulty of some puzzles, the automatic checkpoint system allows you to Repeat the same levels multiple times without starting overthat perfectly combines its nature of trial and error.
One aspect that definitely but negatively surprised us is the speed with which we completed the adventure. really too short even for those who decide to take all the time it takes to solve some puzzles.
To complete the main game story It actually took us around three hours, but for more experienced users it may take two hours at most: Real longevity is therefore given by the continuous replayability to discover all the secrets, but without dialogues and a story that is therefore hardly mentioned, the solution studied by the development team may not be enough to satisfy the most demanding players.
It must be said that not even the first Tesla degrees it was a particularly lengthy adventure, but in this case we really had it the feeling that everything was just interrupted most beautifully: due to the aforementioned balancing issues, In fact, players weren’t given time to get used to the more advanced powerswhich are consequently used far too seldom.
Tesla degree 2 In short, it managed to offer even more fun gameplay than suggested in the first installment, thanks to a greater focus on platforms. but he found himself once again the victim of petty ingenuity which prevent it from really taking off.
However, it remains a production that continues to have excellent potential to expand on what it could become a small franchise to keep an eye on for fans of metroidvania and puzzle platformers.
Finally, if we were so annoyed that it ended so quickly, it’s precisely because – despite some concerns – the gameplay works very well, just as it’s impossible not to stop at least once Admire the art direction and illustrations that characterize this spooky new Scandinavian land.
In any case, if you are willing to turn a blind eye to his insecurities, you will be presented with a little magical adventure to be enjoyed on a short but intense journey.