Developer: Brainy Studio LLC
Publisher: Brainy Studio LC
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Windows Phone
Tested on: PC
TurnOn – Review
Brainy Studio LLC, the creators behind Witchcraft, now have developed a game for Windows Phone, Xbox One and PC. With so little titles behind their names, it would be easy to mistake the studio for another run of the mill corporation, however, Brain Studio LLC is something to watch out for as they’ve nabbed some awards and have been nominated for several others. So TurnOn might spark your interest.
Story
Remember the meteor that killed of the dinosaurs? Well something alike went down in the world of TurnOn and it killed something crucial to the survival of mankind, namely electricity. In its wake it has left behind an alien entity that is sentient and made up of neurons and electrons. So what humanity lacks, this creature has abundance of. So it takes it upon itself to run across conducting surfaces and regenerate humanities depleted energy sources.
Between every level there are some cartoon panels depicting the scene transition and the consequences of your actions in the level before. The thing about TurnOn, for that is the name of the electrified wisp you control, is that it has no realisation of the moral consequences of its actions. There’s a part in the game where this becomes obvious. Even though this happens, TurnOn still holds a very lighthearted narration.
Graphics
TurnOn has a mix of aesthetics. There’s the comic style, of the cutscenes in between. Now the cutscenes aren’t animated. This isn’t really bad, as the scenes tell the story just fine. They work perfectly as scene transitions. Then there’s a background in the levels which have the aesthetics which are reminiscent of ‘Tearaway’. This works well with the cartoonish vibe the rest of the game emits. The level design can sometimes be a little confusing, but all conductive surfaces eventually lead to the end. So you’ll know what to pay attention to, right from the start.
Sound
When it comes to sound, TurnOn has a lot going on and even though there isn’t any voice acting, there are still some vocal sounds. These make it apparent when you do something right or when the characters around you are miffed. Even TurnOn, the main character has a voice, or something akin to it. The sound it makes when it zips across surfaces or slams into the ground. An electrified zap. The music is really diversified. Nearly all of them however are rather upbeat and only a track or two aren’t all that cheery. Some songs have a very ‘stock’ feeling to them, they sound really generic.
Gameplay
TurnOn is an action adventure puzzle game. The goal of the game is to zip across conductive surfaces and electrifying electrical boxes. Doing so will unlock other parts of the level. The controls are really easy to get the hang of. Up and down makes you jump up a conductive surface, and down makes you fall down one. If there aren’t any surfaces, you’ll fall to your death.
TurnOn, the character has 3 chances to make it to the goal of the level. Generators are where you respawn, should you fall to the ground. Falling to the ground has no repercussions, however getting zapped 3 times with red electricity forces you to restart the level from the start and any progression made to be reset. Green bolts regenerate the amount of hits you can take. There is another kind of bolt, blue ones. You collect these alongside electrifying lights and air condition units to up your score. At the end of the stage the amount of blue bolts and accumulated points gives you a score.
The controls are rather fickle, when you are playing a level that you can play at your own speed, this isn’t that big of a deal. However, when you are racing along an electrical line, running away from a helicopter or a droid with fried circuits, the controls tend to drop your input. This is slightly annoying, when you have the start the level over again, for the umpteenth time. Luckily, the levels have some really good checkpoints, so this is only a small annoyance. Sadly, TurnOn is rather short and in theory you’ll be able to finish it in under 2 hours. If a level is really to your liking, you can select it from the overworld and click it, replay it and unlock some more achievements.
Conclusion
TurnOn is an easy, fun and fastpaced puzzle game. The graphics and sound go hand in hand to make a rather fun and appealing game game. The controls are easy and the gameplay is varied, immediately pleasing a very broad audience. Even though the game is short, TurnOn isn’t a one trick pony kind of game and has a certain replay value.
TurnOn - Review,
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