Obviously, the immediate comparison when looking at gameplay of Magnetic is Portal. While there are ways in which it separates itself from that series, the “inspirations” are impossible to overlook if you have any knowledge at all of Valve’s acclaimed and beloved puzzler. Even the narrative tidbits share similar space. You’ll play from the perspective of Prisoner XE-47623, a female inmate that must pass through a series of test chambers to be exonerated of her crimes and ultimately gain freedom. Two different “instructors” act as disembodied voices at various junctions: Warden William Keen and presumes psychologist Karen Vomberg. In actuality, they’re less “helpful” as they are away to attach to the thin thread of plot that gives some reasoning to the cognitive teasing obstacles. This layout can be submitted for direct comparison to Portal, with its heroine Chell and antagonistic sources of GLaDOS and (eventually) Wheatley. This template, along with the basic control principles, does put Magnetic ostensibly in line with the Portal series. And as near sighted as that outlook may be, it’s an effective way to relate key gameplay points of the game as a frame of reference to what would otherwise be more obscure and abstract to explain.
Prisoner XE-47623 is afforded a “weapon” of choice, used to interact with areas and objects in each test environment. The Alexandr Durov and its numerous prototypes are able to powerfully manipulate the magnetic field to pick up or push certain items. It also affects the test subject wielding the gun in equal proportion. It’s Magnetic’s answer to the Aperture Science Portable Quantum Tunneling Device that plays with metal objects instead of creating teleport ovals. The Durov has two functions: pulling one trigger reels in objects while the other repels them. By “objects,” I primarily mean metal blocks of varying sizes used as the basic tool for performing actions upon switches that unlock aspects within the puzzle. For instance, a handful of big red buttons may need to either be pressed or held down in order to open all of the locks on the exit door. The smaller blocks can be picked up by the Durov, then “thrown” in the direction of the reticle. This is a simple mechanic for hitting buttons high along walls or ceilings. For similar nodes on the ground, they usually have to be compressed at all times to facilitate the unlock quality. This can be done by the aforementioned squares as well as “XL” blocks that can be pushed and pulled along the floor, but are too large to be tossed. Of course, their presence is an obvious tell as to their function, so these appear much less than the smaller ones. These can be thought as having the same purpose as the weighted cubes in Portal, but they serve as the primary means for interacting and solving the physics riddles at hand. The second major construct to gameplay are the numerous panels of white circles that react to the powers of the Durov. This allows Prisoner XE-47623 to either gravitate towards the sheet or be thrown in the opposite direction. Usually, the circles are used to reach ledges and platforms that cannot be cleared by jumping or in the absence of magnetic rods that can be drawn into or out from walls that create makeshift sets of stairs.
The key to a successful puzzle game is the early maturation process. Designs of initial levels should be tutorial-ly inclined without being blatantly obvious teaching tools. All basic, and perhaps some advanced, principles should be utilized over and over again to reinforce their adaptation and make them become second nature. Magnetic‘s first of three “Chapters” does this very well. Once the push and pull mechanics become more comfortable, things start to flow better, and recognition of solutions become easier. Making sure to place blocks there they can be reeled in from any spot in the room, learning the basic patterns of deadly flame throwers, spike-blade traps, and chlorine gas chambers, and understanding the levitation possibilities of the Durov are the main tenants of navigating through challenges. You might be wondering what I mean by levitation. The mag gun has a really nifty feature of select-able strength that can be easily switched back and forth with the tap of the bumpers. Thing about it like the “lo-mid-hi” settings of a box fan. The first two levels are handy for delicately placing boxes in specific places. The highest power setting is reserved for more ambitious uses, chiefly among these are moments when there are major groupings of the white circle panels either along the floor, the walls, or in column structures. When properly timing a jump in the right direction and keeping the push element pegged, you begin to float about within range of the pads. Proper left and right thumbstick movement is necessary to glide in the needed/wanted direction, mind you, but the scheme will feel very familiar to regular first person players.
This leads me to the biggest gameplay shortcoming. Magnetic leans more onto the platforming elements to afford the player difficulty as opposed to worthwhile puzzle solving. When moving through the Portal and Portal 2, there is a persistent sense of wonder and anticipation. Even when utilizing familiar patterns and applying them to later problems, more often than not the “test” seems fresh. Manipulating movement by transposing Chell from one place to another in the blink of an eye, regardless of distance or physical plane location, is a novel principle that doesn’t get stale from room to room, hour by hour. Unfortunately, Magnetic‘s base doesn’t share the same shelf life. Maybe it’s because the basic premise of magnets is something in which most of us are familiar, so it isn’t the best kindling for curiosity. This is compounded by the fact that the puzzles do not foster a consistent level of challenge. While you’re still in the learning phase, the little nuanced tricks and discovering how they work is cool. This novelty runs out rather quickly, then it becomes a test of dexterity. “Figuring out” how to unlock the exit door gets easier and easier, and by Chapter 3 the tests seem rudimentary and mundane. This isn’t as maddening as when a block gets wedged in between two objects and can’t be shuffled out. These moments aren’t often, but when they happen it forces a level reset. I was able to complete the game in a shade over five hours, but according to Achievement descriptions, there are ways you can reach a conclusion in less than two and three hours. I say “a conclusion” because the game boasts nine different endings which are predicated on decisions made in some of Dr. Vomberg’s “choice” segments. Predictably, the information given for each available avenue is cryptic and vague, so take her suggestions with a grain of salt. The worst aspect of the game is the presentation. I understand this is a $15 indie game, but I’ve seen plenty of small games at this price range that either look better straight up or employ an interesting visual tactic to make up for a lack of graphical design. It all just looks so flat and bland. Which is a shame, because some level layouts are actually kind of interesting from an architecture standpoint. And the sound package is in the same realm, with uninspired VO work and shallow effects.
