TURNONIT’S ELECTRIC!When a widespread blackout hits the town of Electro City, its people start to panic. It's up to you, a brave and energetic creature from another world, to help get the power back on. That's the premise for TurnOn, the exceptionally charming platformer from Brainy Studio. Full of fun, puzzles, and charm, TurnOn is a refreshing take on the genre that is both casual and thoughtful enough to be genuinely fun for every audience. Across its many levels, players will learn that being selfless can mean a lot to the people you help in doing so.
TurnOn is really easy to like. After being introduced to a helpful scientist, your alien creature is treated to a tutorial of sorts that effectively shows off its simple mechanics. For the majority of the game, players will find themselves jumping and dropping between electrical wires to restore power to whatever they come across. From generators, record players, and even Ferris wheels, the game has plenty to interact with. Many of these objects have little details that make the world all the more lively. Whirring air conditioners and static zaps makes your energy feel connective while keeping the game simple and vibrant. The actual objective, aside from reaching the end of a level, is to collect little lightning bolts as well as get points from turning on non-essential items. If you do both of these in excess, you will typically earn three lights at the end of any given level which is the best possible ranking. This makes exploration key.
Some of the game’s best moments come from the more open levels that let you explore, so to speak. In general, the title has a great sense of level design, but in these particularly larger segments the design shines even brighter. The level design is also key to the storytelling, as each meaningful interaction ultimately leads towards the final goal. The games heart really is in helping others, which you do in virtually every level. You get to scare off crooks, dogs, and solve other issues that get people back to enjoying their night. Even though you are helping without anyone but the scientist knowing, the game manages to still feel rewarding just by seeing people’s reactions. It’s got charm in excess, from its characters to its visual style. Its clean, paper craft kind of style fits it perfectly. Subtle yet effective, the style works well with concept, and lighting stuff up really brings it all together along with the fantastic score. The music makes up for the lack of a narrative, tying in all the emotion through audio. Many scenes feel like they were freshly picked from a Disney trailer thanks to the score.
Though the title features a mostly harmless adventure, some points ramp up the difficulty. Most of the more difficult segments are these on-rails style levels. These follow your alien as it travels across powerlines without stopping, allowing you to ascend or descend to stay on track as you collect lightning bolts. The earlier ones are more fun, with the later ones being much more trying. Aside from these, there are some levels with out of control electronics that spit red lightning bolts out that can damage the player. One level even features an awol drone that serves as a boss fight of sorts. These levels were a welcome change of pace that add to the value of the game.
TurnOn is a fantastic platformer. Its highly enjoyable themes make for an excellent experience, and is consistently fun throughout. Its hard not to adore its apparent charm, and even harder when you hear the phenomenal score. The team at Brainy Studio nailed it with their scope. Aside from a few technical issues, the game handles and plays great. TurnOn is without a doubt great for anyone, and stands out as a highly original platformer this year. It goes to show that kindness and selflessness still mean something today, and that we could all learn a lesson from a little blue alien.
*Note: A copy of the game was provided by the developer for the purposes of the review
8.5/10
+Good for any audience
+Full of charm
+Excellent themes and score
-Some Minor Technical Issues
Originally posted on Player2Reviews.com
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