When the original Teslagrad was released in 2013, the indie game scene was in a completely different place. Long before the modern Indie Worlds and Nindie Showcase and small developer games released by billion dollar publishers, indie games still felt independent. The original game — recently re-released in Remastered form — has always stood out as one of the more notable titles from small developers, especially on the Wii U eShop. Now, a decade later, we find ourselves in a different landscape. With the surprise release of Teslagrad 2, the question is whether Norwegian studio Rain Games can once again capture lightning in a bottle.
Teslagrad 2 follows Lumina, a young girl who is attacked by Vikings on her way. She is stranded on Wyrmheim, a world strongly inspired by Scandinavia. Here, she is tasked with harnessing and enhancing her electromagnetic powers to explore the world and find her way home to her family.
Although the story is present, it is clearly in the background of the gameplay. There is no dialogue or cutscenes to convey the action, only the occasional television screen you come across provides a bit of backstory. While this is clearly a deliberate decision to keep the game flowing smoothly, it comes at the cost of a story that feels rather endless and mundane. Fortunately, where the story lags, the gameplay more than makes up for it.
At its core, Teslagrad 2 is a 2D platformer with light Metroidvania elements. Although there is a large interconnected world to explore, for the most part Lumina will follow a linear path to each destination. There are plenty of secrets and collectible cards to find by backtracking, but the elements of Metroidvania are definitely lighter compared to what one might expect. Instead, the focus is more on traversing the environment through puzzle solving, which the game does extremely well.
In the Teslagrad series, the name of the game is electricity and magnetism. During your adventure, you will discover several new electrical powers to become stronger and increase your mobility. These can range from an initial blip-jure that goes through walls and enemies, to a magnetic aura that lets you grab onto walls and ceilings.
The skating ability here is simply the highlight. Unlike the traditional way of moving, this upgrade allows you to glide indefinitely while increasing your speed and momentum. You’ll be skating around huge half-pipes very quickly and chaining together massive jumps. And when you learn to combine that with other powers, you’ll soon be doing crazy tricks you never thought possible at first.
This joy of mobility is the cornerstone of the entire game and the main reason why Teslagrad 2 is such a great experience. From climbing a giant tower with polarized traction beams to scaling waterfalls, you’re constantly faced with puzzles and challenges that test your movement in new and exciting ways. There are also several bosses you’ll encounter along the way, each testing your newfound powers. None of it is particularly challenging, but it offers a nice change of pace from rushing through the world. Plus, the generous checkpoint system means that dying in a boss fight or puzzle will only set you back a few seconds.
Like the original, the visuals in Teslagrad 2 are incredible, especially on the Switch OLED model. The game uses a beautiful hand-drawn aesthetic, with characters that move almost as if they were puppets on strings. And most things on the platform run very smoothly. There were only a few instances of frame rate reduction in the final area, but given that Teslagrad 2 doesn’t have a loading screen, it’s certainly a technical achievement that it works as well as it does on the Switch.
The only area where the presentation falters a bit is the music. While the orchestral soundtrack is commendable, the Nordic folk music doesn’t fit as well with the gameplay and atmosphere compared to the more electronic pieces.
The biggest complaint, however, is the length of Teslagrad 2. The first time you play it, it will take you about 2-3 hours to get to the check-out rush hour. While that means it doesn’t overstay its welcome – a blessing compared to the alternative – there’s a good chance you’ll be left wanting more. While there are ways to extend your playtime, such as searching for the game’s 81 collectible cards and a handful of secret upgrades, there’s little to keep you coming back once you hit the credits.
Conclusion
After a decade of waiting, Teslagrad 2 is undeniably an excellent sequel to the original. The gameplay is beautiful, the movement is excellent, and the world is a joy to explore. What’s here is very strong, but the short length means it’s all over too quickly, which might be a disappointment given the 10-year gap between this sequel and the original game. Regardless, if you’re a fan of the original Teslagrad, or high-mobility games in general, you’ll definitely enjoy Teslagrad 2.
