You will be playing as Magnus, and you work at the space lab of Maxwell Industrial Research. You, along with your A.I. aide, Armitage, are working on a top-secret magnet gun. Armitage awakens you with news that they have worked through the evening to finish the project. You begin testing the device and everything is going well when the facility is attacked. Use your magnet guns power to attract or repel metal objects to your advantage to aid you in your escape. It will not be an easy journey; there are site defenses to get past along with environmental pitfalls to avoid as you parkour your way through 5 different challenging zones. You have nothing but your magnet gun, your aide, and your intelligence to rely on to make it through this magnetic adventure. Are you prepared for the journey that lays ahead?
Released and Self-Published on Feb 22, 2019, by the developer Tri Pie Interactive, this indie title is a 3D platformer, action, adventure, puzzle game. It features sharp modern graphics, physics-based combat & lots of parkour and puzzles. There are 5 different zones, all of them with their own unique designs and intense platforming to overcome the puzzles. There is even zero gravity that adds a whole new level of difficulty to the platforming. There a few options you can change for the title, such as the resolution anti-aliasing, post-processing, and v-sync to customize your visual quality, all with audio settings (including subtitles), and field of view. Not super feature-packed for the settings, but it has all the basics covered, which is a big bonus. The title doesn't officially have controller support, but my Xbox 360 controller worked for all needed controls. Spanish translations have been added as well.
We begin our play by being woken up by Armitage with the news that they have finished the magnet gun. From here there is a tutorial area to familiarize you with the controls for the game, which include movement, interact, jumping, and use of the magnet gun. After you get through this area you will enter your first testing zone. As you begin the testing, a mighty rumble is felt across the facility and the A.I. says we are under attack by unknown forces, that all doors are locked, and that security is under someone else's control. We must seek a way to escape! The areas we take are not meant for scientist access, and is quite dangerous. With the help of your aide, your wits and your parkour skills, you must solve a multitude of magnetic challenges to find a safe passage out. Avoiding the turrets and other environmental hazards is challenging, some areas more so than others. We will utilize balls and blocks of steel, electricity platforms and magnetic surfaces in the challenge ahead.
Though it has a Portal-like design, it's not really like Portal (well, besides a cynical robot, and a secret weapons lab). Its mechanics are totally different and unique to the title. The Graphical design of the world is exceptional, along with an orchestrated soundtrack that's hauntingly beautiful in setting the tempo of the game. I do feel controls could have been a little better; I found the jumping to be a bit odd in execution. I always felt a sense of anxiety when performing jumps - would I jump too far or not far enough? Regular directional movements were fine. I did find the title to be challenging, and needed the help of my son to solve some puzzles, as I was to blind to the solutions, or not adapt enough to do the parkour. As I close, I would say it is an interesting title at a fair price for one's library. If the gameplay of titles like Portal interest you, then this one is sure to scratch that itch.
The Magnet Trials: A Magnetic Platforming Adventure!
7/10
Pros
+Beautiful Soundtrack
+Exceptional Graphics
+Fair Priceline
Cons
-No Trading Card
-No Achievements
-No Official Controller Support
[quote]Key provided by developer/publisher for review purposes. Any opinions expressed are entirely my own!
