Magnetta

Ehhh.... I bought this game, and it's good, but not that great.... "It's pretty much a spin-off of Super Metroid," was my first thought. And I LOVE Super Metroid. (Except the first or second one, never played it.) But when I played the first level, I was confused by the controls, then DIED because of the confusing controls. Twice. Also, as far as I can see, there are no checkpoints. I got pretty far, then died, expecting a nearby checkpoint. IT PUT ME AT THE START. If you hate doing repetive stuff, do not buy this game. If you're a proffesional gamer that likes Super Metroid, play it.

So it’s 2024 and while all my friends are playing Baldur’s Gate 3 and Helldivers 2 (and probably wondering why I am not) I am playing this Mega Man clone from 2016 (which was popular enough to warrant trading cards, but not enough to be included on howlongtobeat-dot-com) which I can’t even remember how I got turned on to; but I really don’t mind... in fact I prefer it in some ways. Let’s find out why... Now although I called it a Mega Man clone, the appellation is a bit unfair. Yes, it plays very similar, but there are some significant differences (for example, you can shoot while you slide, which is something that you cannot do in Mega Man, and there is no real analogue to the collectable circuit boards). Ignoring some of the basic gameplay elements, as you begin to compare it to Mega Man, you begin to see how it does not hold up: the graphics, sound, and mechanics, while all endearing (it reminds me in a lot of ways of Adventure Time), are not up to par with the quality of the games it is ostensibly trying to mimic. On the one hand, very few things will ever live up to so beloved a series, but on the other hand, one may think that this was just someone’s idea of Mega Man wit…

I am a huge Mega Man fan, so in theory a Mega Man clone sounds great. This one... isn't. I tried most of the levels, and with the sloppy level design, charmless aesthetics, and most of all the sssssslllllllloooooooooowwwwwwww pace, I just couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. I've played plenty of other similar indie games that were much better--the Momodora series, for example, or of course Shovel Knight. I wanted to support this game, but it's just such a lackluster production that I can't even say it was worth the $4.99 sale price. It's not that it's a decent game with lots of flaws; it's just an inherently boring gestalt of a game.

Polished and pristine. Heliocentric Studios, you've brought back fond memories. Huge, unique levels, solid difficulty, nice enemy variety, and unexpectedly forgiving (depending on your difficulty choice). Terrific particle effects and transitional backgrounds. It's the little touches that make me smile; Magnetta's blowing hair, her shimmer, idle interactions. This game will make you think at times, not so much to puzzle, but how to optimize. Power-ups and secrets a-plenty. Glitch-Me-Not! Magnetta, Mega Man...you two are one.

The knock back is absolutely horrendous, as are enemy placements. Throw in the lack of checkpoints after mini bosses, which means you have to refight them again and it all adds up to a game that I refuse to waste more of my time on.

THIS GAME IS a flat LACK OF lustering garbage in a clustering can of SMOKED TURDS