If you’re looking for a game that feels like Portal with a dash of Cthulhu, then Frogwares Studios may have your next game in Magrunner: Dark Pulse.
The action-based puzzle solving game is available this week on PS3 and Xbox 360 and is already available on PC. The title is a futuristic vision of an “elite space research training program”, and it presents gamers with complicated situations to escape from, and will challenge them to think outside the box.
In the near future of 2048, a handful of young and brilliant citizens are hand-picked by the Gruckezber Corporation to join ‘Magtech’, an elite space research training program. Equipped with a glove using Gruckezber technology, the 7 candidates in the program have to make their way through a maze of increasingly spectacular rooms by magnetically charging various items and elements in the environment that will either attract or repel. What initially appears to be the chance of a lifetime quickly turns into a living nightmare where they must survive in a high-tech world that has spiraled out of control. This descent into hell is perfectly illustrated in this launch trailer.
Finding Room for a New Experience
Magrunner may not receive a lot of press, especially in light of all the new titles on the horizon (Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts, etc.), and not to mention, of course, the imminent launch of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. But Magrunner is a welcomed addition in a world where gamers are increasingly looking for experiences other than simply the AAA blockbusters.
Sony has been committed to indie games over the last several years, and it has paid off big with their huge upcoming selection of games available on the PS4. Microsoft has softened their stance on indie publishing recently as well, so the marketplace is, all of a sudden, full of titles that wouldn’t have been possible just a few short years ago. Magrunner fits into this new-found philosophy, and it will be interesting to see how well it performs.
Takeaway
While new consoles and powerful PCs are sexy and capable of running beautiful games at incredibly high frame rates, sometimes it’s nice to sit back and enjoy a downright fun game. While I can’t comment personally on the game, I am pleased that games like Magrunner are continually finding homes on PC and consoles, and that their future looks very bright.
If I get my hands on a copy of the game I will most definitely put together a review, but until then, do yourself, and the video game industry, a favor by checking out Magrunner, available everywhere this week.
