App Army Assembles - Has Teslagrad got the right spark?

iPad Air, iOS 12.0.1

Teslagrad was no fun for me at all, since no matter how hard I tried, it constantly crashed. Cannot say whether it is only my device to blame or the developers have yet to squash certain game bugs, but it is what it is.

Besides that, I did not like the controls as they seemed to cause delayed response on movement and jumping. Nevertheless, I would like to praise the high quality graphics and stellar art design, which made Teslagrad look very nice.

Despite the aforementioned crashes I somehow managed to reach the first boss, however all the puzzles that obstructed my way did not strike me as particularly creative and unique.

This game looked very promising, but they are right to say that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating", since the served dish turned out to be not so delicious as it looked in the menu.

I love the look of Telsagrad, the graphics are wonderfully rendered making the game instantly endearing as you leap rain-soaked roof tops pursued by Soviet guards in the first level.

Gameplay is a fairly standard platform affair with some simple puzzles thrown in for good measure. There’s nothing original to shout about here but what there is is a well-crafted, solid experience.

The touch controls handled well for me but the jumping mechanic seems to inherently make precision difficult. This was never major problem for me, but having not reached later levels I can’t say if it could become one.

Telsagrad’s a decent platformer I’d recommend to any fan of the genre.

Time to beat the game: 5 hours more or less.

Difficulty on mobile device: 8 with touch control (even of very well implemented), 6 with a standard joypad.

I would suggest this title to any platform lover, especially if you have a pad to play it.

Apart from platform sections there are plenty of puzzles to solve using electricity, teletransport and magnets. Story is told through images and visuals, you won't find any dialogue. Art style is lovely.

Tested on Lenovo Moto e4

Teslagrad is an enjoyable platform experience but gets more difficult as you get further within Tesla Tower - the puzzles get more creative and difficult. Often armed with electro magnetic abilities, the game is certainly different from other platformers.

The platforming gets intense at times. A single jump wrong can take you back to the nearest checkpoint. In the beginning, checkpoints are often so you can easily get in to the game without getting too frustrated.

The game tells a story without words. No text. Just animation that speaks volumes in so little. It's a joy to watch unfold. The game is not without flaws. Sometimes jumps don't go as they should. It's not always as seamless as it should be. Overall, it's a solid experience.

iPhone 7

This is a really good looking game that is a combination of running, jumping, climbing, and unique puzzle solving. Really quite challenging and I’m maybe a half hour into it.

There are moments early on with constant running and jumping and grabbing onto vines and fire escapes just ahead of the guy who’s chasing you. And split-second decisions that either just save you, or kill you.

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I really was ready to give it up and walk away in frustration, but I came back and I’m glad I did because I got to the point where you can stop and slow down a bit for the puzzles. And they are difficult.

They require a bit of thinking and fast reactions, and maybe a bit of searching for walkthroughs on Google. So I did that, found a solution, and moved on to the next challenge. And it’s a goodie.

And that is the story of this game. It’s gorgeous and challenging and smart and frustrating. But you keep coming back for more because it’s worth it. Controls on the small screen are adequate but could be a little better. Still, I happily recommend it.

Iphone 8 plus:

Let me start off by saying that I’m a huge fan of puzzle platformers (actually my favorite genre). So I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this beautiful looking, highly anticipated game. Teslagrad tries to be different in many ways; the introduction of new game mechanics, the varied puzzles, traditional platforming, narrative & exploration.

The core puzzle mechanics are focused around electromagnetism. Most levels have you interacting with blue & red charged panels which are built into the level design. There are also different-sized boxes which can be manipulated in the same way.

You can use your special glove to alter the negative or positive charged state to clear openings & reach higher platforms. There’s also bosses to defeat. The controls are responsive which is especially helpful with some levels demanding accuracy & precise timing.

The only negative for me was the puzzles which didn’t progressively get harder. Instead, the pace felt unbalanced due to some of the sections requiring the all too familiar run & jump platforming combined with minimal exploration as you move from one section onto the next. Then there are challenging levels where precise timing & reactions are required to reach the exit.

Overall, I had a great time with this game & would recommend to anyone who appreciates a quality, beautiful crafted platformer!

iPhone 7: I expect quality everytime I hear a PC or console port is coming to mobile, and after one hour into the game I enjoyed some good graphics and overall atmosphere, but not a great implementation of controls and optimization of the port.

The core game seems solid, some great ideas are in here. I’m on the latest iOS version and yet the game crashes every once in a while. I would recommend waiting till the developer updates the game so you could experience the game on all its glory.

Samsung S9+

When I first started playing Teslagrad I didn’t know what to expect - it’s not a game that had been on my radar so it was nice to approach it with no preconceptions. The game tells its story without text or voice of any kind, it's simply pictures and peoples movements and theatre sequences that gradually unfold the story of what is happening to you and your people.

Story aside, the game’s first level plays like a platformer, having you run across the rooftops of the village you live in, occasionally being chased by the enemy. The graphics are great with a hand drawn simple style and the effect of rain in this opening level looks wonderful, the sound is also well used and compliments the graphics well.

Once you finish the first level you cross over into what seems to be a castle or tower, this is where the game changes. You are now playing a metroidvania type game where you explore and solve puzzles, collect objects and move on through the castles levels. Environmental objects or creatures can kill, you so you have to avoid them. If you die you go back to the beginning of the screen with no penalties.

As you progress you gain new abilities to help you solve the puzzles or avoid creatures, the powers centre around repelling or attracting using electromagnetic power and there are a number of these to gain as you progress through the game.

The controls can be annoying at times and you can miss a jump because of them, but because you are not penalised for dying this is not really a game breaker for me.

I really like this game and would easily recommend it as the storytelling, graphics and the game itself, although not that original in themselves, go together here to make a great overall package.

iPhone 7

With platformers like this, I tend that they work best with some form of physical controller but this one felt different. It is a simple idea of a young boy running through the streets and rooftops of Russia, running away from what I would assume are Russian soldiers.

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The cartoony look of the boy and surrounding area are well placed for the overall feel of the game. It feels very similar to Limbo but throws you into more complex puzzles more quickly. The game is very forgiving when you die, simple placing you back at the start of a specific puzzle.

So, if you are looking for a forgiving yet challenging platform puzzler which is pleasing to the eye, then this is the game for you.

iPhone 8 Plus

It’s a solid game with great graphics and a well designed world. The obstacles you face give a nice challenge and I even enjoyed the sound and story as it unfolded, the one negative here was the controls which really hampers your progress as you die again and again.

With tighter controls this game would definitely be an enjoyable ride but as it stands right now, it’s just a bumpy ride.

Nexus 5x

The first couple of minutes were all platforming, jumping from wall to wall and the graphics are very cool and it ran pretty well on my mid-end device which tells me that the game is pretty well optimized for Android devices.

This is more of a puzzle game than platforming in my opinion - once you get to puzzles it's more of magnetism, you have to move back and forth from one piece to another. The puzzles were quite complex once you get through the first boss.

Only downside for me was the jump button which was not responsive, I died in the opening region a few times when the big guy was chasing me.

But at least the lightning in the game was pretty well done. I would recommend this game to anybody who wants to play some puzzle type games with little bit of platforming.

iPad Air

I was about 5 minutes into Teslagrad, marveling at the smooth animations as my character clambered over the edge of a rooftop in the pouring rain when I caught myself saying "man, I love hand painted games" and then I realized that the last time I said this, was playing through Braid's interactive artwork.

As with Braid the game oozes atmosphere, and surprises frequently, in visual aesthetic, in how the visual magic animates interactively, and in the game's puzzle design.

The puzzles operate around the mechanics of attraction and repulsion, and employs them in ways that are increasingly complex, every time a new facet of complexity emerges I find myself in gleeful amazement at the style of presentation.

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If you enjoy a smart puzzle platformer that employs simple mechanics in innovative ways, or if you enjoy hand painted games and appreciate the amount of work that goes into bringing them to life, then I can not recommend Teslagrad enough, I am in a state of anticipation for what's around the next corner, because every corner reveals a fresh concept built on a simple premise.

iPad Pro

When I first started to play this game I found the controls very hard to master and I died - a lot. After a while I did manage to progress forward and although it was still a little awkward I did enjoy the gameplay.

The graphics are beautiful with various ways of moving about made into the form of puzzles. There are the usual creatures to avoid and big bosses along the way to keep the player interested.

Although this game isn’t unique, it’s different enough to keep me entertained and I’m glad I persevered. Fix the controls and I’d have no complaints about the game at all.