As you know, the series Portal opened a whole direction in the gaming industry: after it, many rushed to make puzzles, where we are locked in some strange complex and forced to overcome numerous obstacles. But masterpieces from Valve they took it not only with puzzles: there was also charisma, style, atmosphere and humor. Those who follow are also trying to stand out somehow. The indie hit Antichamber framed puzzles with surrealism and all sorts of clever thoughts about our lives. A Magrunner: Dark Pulse, new game from the French-Ukrainian studio Frogwares (authors of famous quests about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson), cyberpunk and worlds are famously interfering.. Howard Lovecraft with all these Cthulhu cults and other horrors.
However, such a wild cocktail did not arouse much enthusiasm among the potential audience at first — a fundraising campaign for Magrunner: Dark Pulse, launched on the European analogue of Kickstarter, the Ulule service, did not achieve its goals. And if not for long-time partners Frogwares from a French publisher Focus Home Interactive, then we might not see the game.
We shoot positive or negative magnetic charges from a glove, like a plasma gun.
Cthulhu online
Action Magrunner: Dark Pulse really takes place in a typical cyberpunk world, where a huge mega-corporation controls the entire population through a single information network LifeNet. The head of the syndicate seemed to have decided to go further and conquer space. To do this, he gathered scientists from all over the world and with their help invented the MagTek technology — using the properties of magnetic fields, it releases the energy necessary for the exploration of outer space. MagTek was to be tested by seven carefully selected specialists — “magranners”. All of them, including our hero, the orphan Dax Ward, were launched into a huge complex full of various obstacles. The one who proves himself best here will fly towards new worlds.
If the other candidates https://casinoyukongold.co.uk/ receive the support of various investors, then Dax can only rely on a mutant scientist and part-time excellent hacker named Gamaji — it was he who raised Ward when the boy lost his parents. At first, this story develops quite predictably: we solve not too difficult puzzles and listen to predictably skeptical remarks from other characters about Dax’s future prospects as a magrunner.
He, naturally, does not give up and begins to surprise everyone with his successes. However, then he himself is surprised: soon the complex turns out to be cut off from the outside world, including LifeNet, and unpleasant things begin to happen within its walls. Dex’s colleagues and himself are attacked by some terrible creatures, and sterile rooms and laboratories periodically give way to gloomy catacombs. Or traces of destruction, skulls and inscriptions in the spirit of “Cthulhu was here” appear on the walls. As you already understand, all this “testing” actually pursued completely different goals, and this could not have happened without the Beast of the Worlds and his minions..
All this, of course, looks somewhat far-fetched and ridiculous. At the same time, the scriptwriters take the setting they created too seriously: in Magrunner there is clearly a lack of “portal” humor. On the other hand, a certain intrigue appears, and we begin to wonder how this whole mess will end. Moreover, the story is set well and does not focus on the main character alone: Gamaji periodically shouts something nervously, advises and saves our lives, and the arrogant LifeNet journalist, who mocked Vard’s successes, now begs him for help.
Repetition in a cube
But as for the game mechanics themselves, they are not always able to maintain interest in completing. Everything is built on a simple rule invented by the authors: using a special magnetic glove, the player can polarize surrounding objects, giving them a positive or negative field. After which objects with the same polarity will attract, and objects with different polarities will repel.
Using this feature, we will move platforms throughout the game and look for special cubes, without which it’s like being without hands. They can turn on new magnetic fields, break impenetrable doors, speed up improvised elevators. And even throw the player to the right place: just place such a cube on a magnetized platform, jump on it, activate the opposite field — and you will fly on the cube, like Baron Munchausen on the cannonball.
Naturally, the tasks gradually become more complicated and additional nuances appear. For example, we are periodically required to get out of a huge cube by pushing its doors apart, to find small cubes in order to create a large one out of them in a special unit, to destroy some turrets or obstacles by launching an exploding cube at them… In general, solid cubism!
Somewhere in the middle we will be taught how to create magnetic fields anywhere — a hologram of Newton appears there, but not of the one who once hit the head with an apple, but of the protagonist’s favorite dog, who received such a nickname from Dax. He’s certainly cute and funny and brings at least some humor to this overly serious story. But even after this there is nothing fundamentally new in Magrunner: Dark Pulse will not appear: with the help of magnetized Newton, you will need to get the same cubes from hard-to-reach places and move the platforms.
The only truly invigorating situations are when something unexpected happens in the plot or the situation changes dramatically: one day, for example, we are forced to circle on platforms through an eerie labyrinth, stuffed with sculptures of some monsters.
It is clear that all such games revolve around the use of one particular mechanic. But you can string many interesting and varied situations onto it, as was the case in Portal, and in Antichamber. Authors Magrunner: Dark Pulse they also try to do this, but it turns out worse for them. In addition, there is practically no creative freedom here: we do not experiment with mechanics in search of some original solutions, but simply carry out routine work, trying to find the only correct logic of game designers. And sooner or later it starts to tire.
This doesn’t mean the game is bad. From time to time there are really interesting puzzles here, and the plot retains a certain intrigue. Just have Frogwares Once again, the result is a game that lacks a certain amount of genius, grace, humor and integrity. In a word, that magnet that would attract Magrunner universal and exclusively positive attention.
Pros: the presence of Cthulhu; good overall plot; original puzzle mechanics.
Cons: puzzles are often repetitive; somewhat ridiculous setting.