Magnetized Review

Magnetized knew how to sucker me in: a grappling hook mechanic. That's all I needed to know to dive in to this action puzzle game.

The first set of teal levels involve latching to a point and rotating around it, then releasing at the proper time. Close enough to a grappling hook for me! Levels that have multiple points will have the player attach to the closest one, signified by the point glowing. After 20 levels of this, the pink levels introduce a mechanic where tapping and holding will latch on to the glowing point, and releasing will let go. Eventually, teal and pink mix in the pink level set, where using both types of hooking will be necessary. For example, one common trick is to swing around a teal point, releasing when the square is going horizontally, though it needs to go vertically – which is accomplished by latching on to a pink point.

Eventually, the yellow levels introduce an entirely different mechanic, which then itself blends in to the rest of the game. Part of the joy of playing is learning what each mechanic is and the unorthodox ways that they will be used. The way that everything starts to blend together by the end is well done, but by the yellow set, I said to myself "I bet that I'm going to have to use all three colors to beat the last levels!" I was correct yet irrationally disappointed because it's not necessarily a bad thing, it just wasn't a surprise.

Magnetized aims for minimalism in its graphics but there's just something kind of crude about it, at least on Retina iPads. Everything seems kind of rough and a bit blurry instead of crisp and elegant like a great minimalist game does. I suppose the visuals here are good enough, but unlike something like Super Hexagon, I want something more from them.

As well, I'd love to see some incredibly difficult levels added in; something to really throw a wrench at the player, because otherwise nothing gets to be too difficult. The game could easily be more devious and I'd like to see that dark side explored at least a bit!

Magnetized charmed me with its inventiveness at times, though it did let me down a bit. Still, it's an overall satisfying and interesting experience.