There are times when I feel
like delving into a deep and murky plot, others when humor is what would
be best on my hard drive. But my little gaming heart never tires of a
great pure puzzler. Most of you have one of these in your favorites list.
These are the games that stay installed; to re-visit on a long weekend or
there for you to try and best past efforts at a familiar challenge.
There have been many games that mix a vast array of puzzles into the game
plot, or make a name for them selves as a well crafted puzzler. Jewels of
the Oracle and Pandora’s Box are but a few of these classics. So, it is
quite a feat to bring a fresh feel to such challenges. After a while - you
tire of sliders and the like. When Peter Hewitt, founder and creative
force of Mulawa, published his first game, he found new ways to engage and
even delightfully torment jaded gamers. The challenge after producing a
strong first title is of course, what comes next? Can the developer push
the envelope forward in their work or at the least replicate the factors
that made their first title so good. After playing Magnetic and exploring
its world, I think Mulawa has risen to the occasion. Magnetic reveals a
well measured progress in graphics and production values, but also
delivers a whole new fresh and unique set of puzzles. I think this will be
another to add to the list of games you always keep on the old hard drive.
Graphics
There is a motility to the puzzles and scenes in Magnetic that is
charming. Nothing looks or feels static in the game. There are some
challenges that you close in on - but many others are built into the
environment. The graphic values are a bit uneven between individual
puzzles, but most are grand to look at and interact with. Like its
predecessor Xiama, Magnetic blends 3D graphics with slide show styled
photo back drops. Instead of the rain forest - out back environs used in
the past - we are now at a rugged coast line. There are sea side shots,
rocky crags and coastal forests. Peter has a real gift for photography.
The screen shots or back grounds for Magnetic are some of the best I have
encountered in a game. I would be quite content to ramble about this game
and just sit on the beach in the sun and listen to the sea gulls call and
the waves crash into the shore. The graphics of the puzzles are
wonderfully rich with stylized 3D polish and metallic colors. No time
seems spared to create a lavish environment that is not only a blast to
interact with but hard to leave.
Value
Value is not often a quality I address in a game review. But this is a
puzzle game, and one of the key factors in such a game is replayability.
This is where Magnetic succeeds. Even after beating or scoring high in a
particular challenge I would find myself replaying just for fun. I could
not get a better value for my money - than a game I replay even as I am
exploring it. Magnetic will stay on my Hard drive until the device
implodes! Then I will just re-install it on a new system. Even better,
Mulawa will have a third game out to be-devil me and keep me up all night.
Many of the individual puzzles are so unique and variable that they could
suffice as stand alone games. I am still playing the word-puzzler and
several others, so my full completion of Magnetic is uncertain. In that
sense I doubt I will ever be truly done with Magnetic. Given the cost of
most new games - these features give Magnetic an outstanding value.
Magnetic is an ideal game to get for your family. I think it may have
parts too difficult for some children to play solo - but what an
opportunity for challenging an intellect and building group play. I would
love to see Magnetic and Xiama scaled down to junior versions for the
younger gamers.
Puzzles
I can’t say enough about the puzzles in any of the Mulawa game series. I
enjoyed Xiama, but for my tastes, I think Magnetic has a much richer mix
of types and games. They represent a wide range of skills and ability
levels. Some are quite easy to master. Others are deceptively simple. By
that I mean the goal is easy to determine but solving the enigma presented
is a true challenge. There are math oriented challenges, word based,
mechanical manipulations and others. There is more than something for
everyone - each gamer will locate one or more puzzles that they truly
delight in - regardless of their talents and inclinations. There are also
gateway puzzles to beat before reaching the main challenge. Many of these
should be paid close attention to as they provide clues to the larger
puzzle beyond. In other cases you will access the main puzzle
immediately. One very nice feature that is easy to miss at first is a sort
of teleportation device. In the top left hand corner you will see another
icon for your chosen sidekick. After you have encountered at least two
puzzles - a picture icon of each puzzle will be added as you progress
through the game. You can then re-visit any puzzle you wish at any time by
accessing this area and clicking on the representative picture. This
brings me to the interface of Magnetic, which is quite nicely prepared.
Interface
This game uses a slide show presentation style. You progress frame by
frame through the game by clicking on directional arrows. Point and click
is about as simple an interface as you can have as a gamer. You do have to
back out along the path you took to access old areas - but you can
shortcut this by using the teleportation feature to access a puzzle in the
area you wish to go and leave the puzzle to continue. There are those who
will wish for a turn around alternative to backing up along a path - but
with an indie developer you have to make budget choices. I am happy that
the development costs were focused on the look of the game and the puzzles
rather than a turn around option. I think also in a puzzle focused game
over a standard plot driven game - it is not as big of a deal. One
additional game aspect deserves mention. You have a choice at the
beginning of the game to choose a sidekick or game helper from among 6
characters. I chose a butterfly, because it made me think of a good
friend. But you have a funky big head, a bee and others to choose from as
well. Your helper’s icon will blink at you if they have hints or
suggestions as you travel through the land of Magnetic. You will read them
in a book that appears when you access their icon - which stays on screen
at the bottom left . You may not always need their help and at times the
hints may arrive after the fact. But it is a nice touch and gives you a
sense of a companion in the game.
Music and other Factors
I enjoyed the musical selections quite a bit in the game. They have a
classical feel to them and I did manage to pick out quite a few by name.
There are also some selections with aboriginal touches and ?such?.
Nothing distracted or overwhelmed. The musical tracks chosen contributed
well to the soothing ambiance of Magnetic. Special praise goes to the
sound effects. The seaside effects were among my favorites. Having spent
many fabulous days along many a coast line - these were perfect. I said
before I might have been content to just linger at the frame shots of the
shore. These ambient sounds in particular created such moods..
Afterthoughts
All things considered, I enjoyed Magnetic very much. There were some areas
to consider in future projects. The interface could have been upgraded to
include some easier mode to back track the linear pathways through the
game. I did use the teleportation device as a form of in-game cheat to
move between areas of the game pathways. I think that some of the hints
were almost more obscure than the puzzles and in a few cases I never
really could figure out what all the ?pieces of paper? meant. But that may
reflect my own shortcomings as a gamer or puzzler. There was even a plot
line that developed through the game that I didn’t expect - but was a nice
touch. Since the plot wasn’t the point of the game - just rather another
thread woven into the tapestry that is Magnetic - I am not going to say
much more in specific about the plot details. I will leave that for the
gamer to discover. What is pleasant to be able to say - that even though
the game is a solo effort, no weighting is needed for the final grade on
Magnetic. Magnetic stands well against other puzzle games such as Pandora
and Jewels. So I will rate it on its own and without any reservations give
it an A or 5 BAAGs .
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GameBoomers
