One of the most frustrating games I played in a long time. Everything feels great for a good while, and I was really enjoying myself just moving around, collecting cards, and occasionally going the right way. Eventually you get the slam ability, and for some reason it's on the same key as your slide, so you'll hit it accidentally a few times. There is something very wrong with this entire world; half the time I would get stuck under the floor from a slam. Usually I was able to just close and reload my save before the slam, thankfully. Although every room with the time trial is guaranteed to get you stuck, and somehow I progressed to another room like that, thinking it was intended. I then got an item and was stuck behind a door that would never open, the way I came in was inaccessible, and my respawn was stuck in the room. I was forced to edit my save file just to respawn me in a safe area, and I had to do this two different times. It is insane how this was not tested very well. There are other bugs too, like whatever happened here when I was on my way to the final boss. There's barely any games I will sour on with a lot of bugs, especially if I liked the rest of it, but it happened here sadly.

This sequel focuses on the platforming side of Teslagrad, doing away with most of the intricate puzzles of its predecessor. A shift in aesthetic also allows a wider variety of locales.

The improvements to the physics system and improved manoeuvrability of the player character leads to far more enjoyable navigation as you zip around the world akin to Sonic.

The game was riddled with bugs during my playthrough that hampered my time with it, however I still enjoyed the 2 hours it took to whip around this world.

A longer, more fleshed out Metroidvania that combines the zippy movement of this title with a scattering of the puzzles from the original would make for an excellent potential third entry in the series.

Corto, fluido, música increíble, muy bonito, variado, un montón de secretos por si quieres explorar y aumentar mucho la duración dle juego, habilidades interesantes, bosses divertidos... No me esperaba mucho de la segunda parte, la primera salió hace demasiado, pero llevaba tiempo sin juega un plataformas de puzzles que me recordase a lo mejor de Limbo y Hollow Knight. Como punto negativo destacaría que si un boss te mata ves la minicinemática cada vez, y que probablemente tenga sentido, pero la elección de botones para hacer las habilidades que vas consiguiendo se me hace super incómoda.

A dramatically expanded sequel that marks something of a departure from its predecessor. Where the first game consisted almost entirely of magnetic attraction/repulsion platforming puzzles in pretty self-contained levels joined to a central tower, Teslagrad 2 makes one of its polarities an entirely optional ability, and instead adds other abilities to your arsenal that make the game more about momentum-based traversal through large, open environments. Having played Teslagrad Remastered and Teslagrad 2 back to back, I like them both but definitely prefer this one; the greater degree of freedom is much appreciated, and blazing across the map once you have the full toolkit at your disposal is incredibly fun. (I really need to look up some speedruns, I bet people have accomplished some crazy stuff with the moveset.) Still not a big fan of the boss fights in this one, but you can't win 'em all.

A return to form for Rain Games. While World to the West stretched its exploration to the limits of tedium, with tons of tiring backtracking inbetween and a lack of a satisfying finish to tie things up, Teslagrad 2 feels much more like the true successor to the original metroidvania puzzle platformer thanks to its snugly contained world and understated narrative. This time however, there's a lot more depth to the package thanks to the emphasis on movement mechanics. The game does a great job wordlessly demonstrating all the different uses of each unlockable ability through classic obstacle escalation (starting with simple polarized magnets, then introducing polarity tunnels, ziplines, throwable magnetic blocks, and much more), throwing the player into a variety of different situations that facilitate the usage of these different tools. As a result, it feels less like trial and error and more like a constant stream of progression. Furthermore, it's great at keying you in on the multifaceted nature of your unlocks, such as being able to use the magnetized throwing axe as both a door destructor and as a pivot that you can launch yourself off of to reach new heights. The highlight here is the slide tackle, which once unlocked, allows you to quickly traverse boost rails and loops/valleys to quickly shoot yourself into the air or across vast expanses. It's not afraid to lean into this momentum-focused exploration either, with some optional time trials that unlock even more hidden abilities like directional blink and double jump that certainly aren't necessary to clear the base game, but become super useful if you're just looking to fly through the environment and find every hidden battery.

There's only a few minor complaints this time around. Firstly, there's no fast travel, so backtracking upwards after falling a bit can take a bit more time due to less of an emphasis regarding vertical movement potential. This is at least mitigated thanks to all the secret tunnels, waterfalls (allowing quick blinking through water), and ziplines that can be activated to quickly backtrack this seemingly expansive world while stumbling upon secrets along the way. Secondly, boss fights have been mostly improved with the addition of shield generations before each fight, allowing you to take a second hit (so there's a bit more leeway, giving you more time to adapt to boss strategies on the fly), though the fights are still mostly quite static (dodge a wave of attacks and strike back, rinse and repeat) and require a lot more waiting than anything else. Finally, the slide tackle and the ground-pound are mapped to the same key, which can make momentum conservation a little more tricky when you're trying to retain your sliding state but suddenly grind to a halt and shoot downwards once there's enough height between you and the ground. I did eventually get used to this, but it would have been nice if there were any ability to separate the two actions from the same input and allow for separate rebinds.

Regardless, this definitely feels like a step forward from the original Teslagrad, which felt somewhat unassuming and at times felt a bit awkward and sluggish given the emphasis on magnetic puzzle solving over platforming in a fairly linear environment. The richly detailed backgrounds and the heavy environmental storytelling via the collectible batteries and various heirlooms in the backdrops further compliment the game's confidence; it's fairly comfortable leaving the player to their own devices and letting them explore the playground at their own pace, with tons of toys to mess around with. It definitely helps that the time trials come with fantastic bonus incentives, and that completing all the trials also unlocks a secret map for scrounging those last pesky batteries, as is the hidden boss that serves as its own reward once you've experienced all that the world has to offer. The price tag may seem steep to some, given that it only took me 6 and a half hours to 100%, but the joy of zipping around the world is more than enough incentive for me to consider a future replay. It's a more than worthy send-off for Lumina's journey that will remain as one of my favorite surprises of 2023, and definitely one of the better metroidvanias I've ever played.

To get the little negatives out of the way first, the character models are a bit weird and the plot was pretty middling. Now, the rest was fantastic. Teslagrad 2 might have the best movement of any Metroidvania I've played, and it doesn't even take that long until you start unlocking some cool abilities. It's a fast-paced romp through a world I adored to explore. The game does away with conventional fast travel, instead allowing your abilities to shine and providing unique opportunities to blitz across its map. My one big disappointment is the lack of a climactic final challenge that tests your mastery of every ability. They're so fun to use, but the game never asks for too deep of an understanding of each, which I feel would have tied the game together in a perfect way. Still, a must play if you like platformers.

Teslagrad 2 is an interesting beast. To me, it's a bigger, bolder, and much smoother follow-up to its predecessor, but I can also easily see why some might find it to be inferior.

The platforming this time around takes a much different approach, drawing from the more loose, physics-based style of games like The Fancy Pants Adventures compared to the original's much tighter, more reliable feel. Again, I can completely understand why some wouldn't take to this as much; it's more floaty and more reliant on speed and momentum to make your jumps rather than timing. However, I found this approach, in combination with Teslagrad 2's new traversal abilities, far more compelling.

The level design complements this too, with much more open spaces and opportunities to experiment with new abilities instead of being thrown into the deep end. It's thanks to the more evenly paced difficulty that this is possible. The challenge ramps up the more you explore and unlock, with each boss fight feeling more like a decent test of your newly acquired skills than an excessively punishing gauntlet of luck and chance.

Teslagrad 2 also introduces some light combat into the mix. I found the results of this to be a mixed bag at the best of times. The mechanics work well enough in a combat arena; however, the enemy hitboxes feel way too big, and you'll find yourself getting hit even though you should be out of harm's way. While it's not a particularly bad addition, it's definitely less welcome than it should be by the game's end.

The narrative is also a mixed bag, unfortunately leaning towards being a detriment to the overall experience. The lead character, Lumina, is well designed and fun to root for, but outside of her personal journey, the lore that accompanies the otherwise gorgeous setting of Teslagrad 2 feels needlessly convoluted. The entire time I kept wondering if the game was meant to be a prequel or a sequel to the original, and while I got my answer in the end, by that point the reveal felt underwhelming.

Despite these qualms, Teslagrad 2 is definitely an improvement over the first, and it's clear Rain Games paid close attention to player feedback and brought forth a new yet familiar spin with enough room to improve on it for a third entry.

8/10

The most noticeable part of this game is how pretty it is. Each of the monolithic structures the player climbs is rich with detail, and I would often stop to appreciate the world design. The story is even more expansive than the first game, and it's nice to piece everything together using the background elements.

What shocked me most about the game is how different it tries to be. The first game focused on puzzle solving, whereas this game focuses on traversal. Each of the new abilities gives the player different methods of traversing the world. Even the moves that returned from the first game have been streamlined.

It's nice to see a sequel take the established conventions and twist them into a new direction. While I personally enjoyed beating the main story of the first game slightly more, I much preferred the 100% completion process of the sequel. It's incredibly fun to zoom across the towers and mountains, taking shortcuts, and learning about the lore of the land.

My only gripe is with how some of the challenges are designed. Some feel just barely possible to overcome with the base move set. Some secret abilities make the platforming easier, but then I find myself breezing through challenges that weren't designed with those secrets in mind. I will admit it's a tough balance to strike.