TurnOn

People rarely think about the things they take for granted, as it’s only normal, since it would be pretty stressful to live otherwise. Electricity is what propelled humankind so far in the last two centuries, because we wouldn’t have anything without it, including cars, computers, airplanes and everything else that makes up your daily life. Whenever there’s a power outage for a few minutes, people are remembered how bleak everything would be without electricity.

TurnOn is an adventure game with a unique set of gameplay elements in which you play the role of an alien being that took the form of an electric spark. Hence, it is able to travel along power lines and restore electricity supply where it is needed the most. As for the actual game, it’s basically a platformer in which you have to jump around and figure out a few puzzles, while also navigating mazes and scoring as many points as you can along the way.

The story starts with an accident at a power station that plunges the entire city into darkness. However, the same accident also creates an alien life form capable of sentient thought and moving through power lines, which comes in handy when you need to quickly bring electricity to those who need it. Hence, each level features a few missions for the happy spark, such as helping little girls get home by lighting the way, or restoring power to houses in order for the residents to watch TV or take a shower.

The gameplay itself is pretty simple, especially since there are no written explanations needed to teach you how to play. Thus, you can only move left or right along the power lines, as well as jump or drop down on parallel lines. Speaking of which, there are usually multiple routes you can take. Some of them feature additional bonuses, while others lead you to the main mission objectives. Hence, exploration is encouraged as well, although there’s not an awful lot of it.

Things get more difficult later on, especially since it gets tougher to avoid certain traps along the way. You can pick up helpful power-ups every now and again, but there are nasty ones as well, and you might not be able to avoid them all the time. Thankfully, this all in good fun, since it’s nice to put your reflexes to the test every once in awhile, especially since the harshest punishment in this case is a reset to the last checkpoint.

Speaking of which, the level design is top notch in almost every case, because you always have an alternate route to check out, or a tantalizing area that’s a bit more difficult to reach. There’s also a bit of learning you have to do sometimes, because not everything is obvious the first time around. On the other hand, that’s definitely part of the fun if you are not scared of a learning curve.

The graphics are marvelous as well, at least in certain regards. Although you shouldn’t expect DirectX 12 or anything like that, the visual style is very cozy and pleasant. There’s a lot of color in every landscape, and the environments are quite detailed as well. Moreover, every level has something unique to offer, and the special effects fit extremely well on top of it all. To make things even better, the soundtrack has the potential to stick with you for a while, especially since it’s so appropriate for the general mood of the game.

When it’s all said and done, it’s pretty difficult to say bad things about TurnOn, but there are a few inconveniences you might have to tackle. Hence, the stages can be a bit disorienting at times, especially since the mazes become a tad repetitive after a while. It’s not serious, but the level design is not as sharp as it could be.

Despite that, you can still have a great time with the game for a few hours, and you can even replay the experience later on to pursue better scores. Thus, TurnOn is a breath of fresh air in the industry, especially if you are a fan of platformers and you are looking for something new in the genre.