Teslagrad is one of those indie games I always heard about, but never actually took the time to play. It initially launched on Steam in 2013, and then it hit consoles in 2014. It's a Metroidvania-style 2D platformer with a steampunk setting, and you get to use your electromagnetic powers to help solve puzzles as you make your way up the long abandoned Tesla Tower. It's already listed on the Play Store if you'd like to pre-register right now, and you really should, since it will be available at a discounted price for those that do.
Playdigious is taking on publisher duty, and if you look at its current catalog, you'll see that this is a company that takes console-quality games seriously on Android. I'm also glad to see the developers have already made it clear in the Play Store listing that Teslagrad will release on Android with a single upfront price, and that there will be no advertisements or in-app purchases. So yeah, this will be released on Android as a premium game, just as it is on PC, which sounds great to me.
Another interesting tidbit that can be found on the Play Store is that there will be no loading screens, no GUI, and no cutscenes. You are free to roam the map however you like, but of course, some areas will be inaccessible until you find new gear or items. After all, this is a Metroidvania-style game.
The graphics are all hand-made, which gives this game a charmingly dark and cartoony look that's original. Oh, and all of its story will be told without any text on the screen or voice work. This type of visual storytelling allows the player to fill in any gaps with their imagination, which is more akin to the games many of us grew up playing, and in my opinion, makes for more memorable adventures.
I have to say I'm excited to see how Teslagrad plays on mobile. Ideally, the graphics shouldn't be too taxing for the majority of our hardware, though I have to wonder if it will support physical controllers. A touchscreen often doesn't cut it for platformers, especially ones that require as much precision as a Metroidvania-style title. I suppose we will just have to wait and see how it all turns out, but so far the devs are ticking all the right boxes. So if you'd like to pre-register to get access to the discounted price once Teslagrad launches, make sure to click on the Play Store widget right below.