Teslagrad 2 (2023)

Richly decorated and full of detail, Teslagrad 2 goes for a minimal narrative approach, using no text whatsoever, but there's no instance where players are going to notice the absence of words. What could have gone better, however, is the combat system - or rather, the lack thereof, as Teslagrad 2 relies entirely on quick non-combat moves from its protagonist, which works good most of the time, but it could have been worked differently when it comes to the game's combat, especially the boss fights.

Uninvolved narrative, not the most interesting world and weak post-game turns Teslagrad 2 into a something you will probably leave after an evening of play. Pick it up on a sale if you feel like you may like it.

The sound mixed with the hand drawn art makes for a very clean look and feel in Teslagrad 2. Between that and the gameplay, which has some flaws, but is still pretty good, there is a lot to like in this long-awaited sequel. Teslagrad 2 looks great, sounds cozy, has a ton of interesting puzzles, even more so if you’re looking for all the collectibles, and as said before, the only real issue is how floaty it can feel in some cases, something you can get used to after a while.

Teslagrad 2 is a bit of a fail. It has some interesting puzzle platform gameplay, but its Metroidvania elements are too simple. And it feels like there was very little creativity behind any aspect of it. Almost like the developers were forced into making it. The game’s biggest problem is that it’s way too short. I could see people beating it in 2 hours on a first playthrough. I can’t imagine how fans of the original wouldn’t be disappointed by this sequel, and it’s definitely not going to earn the Teslagrad franchise any new fans.

While a very accomplished title in many ways, Teslagrad 2 ultimately doesn’t quite hit the heights of its predecessor. For me, this was down to not being grabbed by the story in the same way as the original and feeling very regular frustration with some of the platforming.