Magrunner: Dark Pulse Review (PC)

good
key review info
  • Game: Magrunners: Dark Pulse
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
A review of Magrunner: Dark Pulse on PC

Many games have borrowed elements from Valve's Portal franchise and many have mechanics inspired from H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe but, until Magrunner: Dark Pulse appeared, no games had tried to do the two things at the same time.

Magrunner, coming from Frogwares and Focus Home Interactive, promises to blend first-person puzzle platforming with a dark theme borrowed from the Cthulhu mythos, in order to mix things up and bring a novel experience.

Does it deliver on these promises or should the forces of evil devour it?

Let's find out.

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Start with crisp labs ...
... and experiment with magnetism

Magrunner: Dark Pulse takes place in a dystopian future where one corporation practically controls the world, in the form of Gruckezber Corporation, which organizes a special competition with seven lucky participants taking on one another for a chance to go to space.

They must complete a series of tests and challenge rooms using special MagTech gloves that can magnetically polarize certain objects so that they can attract or dispel each other.

Players control Dax, a young Magrunner who enters the competition under the guidance of his mutant mentor, after his parents died in mysterious circumstances. The competition begins easy enough but, rather soon, things take a turn for the worse and one of Dax's competitors is killed by a monstrous creature right before his eyes.

The plot is decent enough but there are a few twists that can be seen a mile away, and the introduction of Cthulhu could have used a bit more suspense and foreshadowing.

While at first the game treats users with crisp and sharp labs that are highly reminiscent of Portal, as things start getting worse, the game's challenge rooms start exhibiting a lot of wear and tear, reminiscent of Portal 2.

Even so, the level design is quite smart and works well both when it's looking good and when it's deteriorated. The game manages to retain a visual style that's different from Portal, and there are quite a few areas in the middle portion of the story that manage to break things up from the traditional room and puzzle recipe.

The core mechanic of the game consists of using the MagTech glove in order to magnetize various objects in one of two polarities. These can then attract each other, if they have the same polarity, or reject each other, if they have different polarities. While that's not how actual magnets work, the game manages to keep the mechanic fresh through most of its levels, even if it can sometimes become a bit tedious.

You can magnetize cubes, platforms, or jump plates, and the player can use them either in certain puzzles or just as a means to get to the exit door.

In terms of actual puzzles, the game is quite tough as, while things start out easy enough, they become progressively harder, and towards the end you'll have plenty of moments where you'll scratch your head and wonder just what's required to get to the end.

While the core story can be completed in around 6-8 hours, the tough challenges and the necessity for quite a lot of trial and error will add a few more hours on top of that.

Moving around feels relatively good, but you'll feel like you're floating most of the time, as Dax can easily get on top of boxes or platforms without using the jump button. There are also a few errors in terms of physics effects, especially when it comes to platforms and cubes of the same polarity.

In terms of visuals, Magrunner: Dark Pulse feels quite good, as both the sterile environments and the destroyed ones look very impressive. The character models, however, may require a bit more work and the big number of loading screens gets annoying rather fast.

Sound-wise, the game doesn't stand out all that much, with the soundtrack being a pretty repetitive mix of techno and house music that tries to go all spooky in certain occasions. Voice acting is also decent, although the characters don't feel that impressive.

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Explore decayed labs ...
... and face terrifying enemies

Conclusion

Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a decent game that will please fans of the Portal franchise who are looking for a more challenging experience. The H.P. Lovecraft elements will also excite fans of the universe forged by the writer but, overall, the tough levels, combined with a few wonky glitches and the unimpressive story, weigh the game down.

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story 6
gameplay 8
concept 8
graphics 7
audio 6
multiplayer 0
final rating 7
Editor's review
good
 
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