Game Review: MagNets: Fully Charged (Xbox One)

Coming from UK studio Total Monkery, MagNets: Fully Charged is an arcade style collect-athon where you control a small robot called Faraday tasked with saving Polarity City from the Bloxbots.

Using your MagNet, an electro-magnetic net you can stun & destroy the attacking Bloxbots collecting their scrap to put in a recycling machine that then spits out an item required to progress in the level.

Upgraded significantly from its original release on Steam, it’s retro look is appealing to the eyes & the gameplay easy to get into.

Early tutorials give you the basics, you cast your net using the trigger buttons, this extends from behind you but has limited range. Stun or destroy enemies (depending on how many times they have already been caught in the net), collect the scrap then repeat. It’s a formula that has very little variation unfortunately.

The game is very easy at first…you’ll fly through the first 2 zones of which there are 4 with 5 levels in each. The Factory is when things finally get a bit tougher requiring you to become a bit adept with the dash & slam moves. These can get you out of trouble in a pinch but most of the game will just see you running, casting a net then running some more.

It’s these later levels where the game massively improves, urgency is needed & much more skill to survive the relentless attacks of the Bloxbots.

The enemies only ever really become a threat when you find yourself surrounded by many but a quick slam can see you away to safety quickly. Faraday’s speed far outmatches the Bloxbots so running circles around them while casting nets is the sensible way to survive. Standing still for too long in this game will not only see you take damage but scatter your collected scrap around forcing you to pick it up again.

It’s repetitive but addictive too, it’s the kind of game where you tell yourself you’re just going to do one more level but keep carrying on.

The main story can be completed in a handful of hours depending upon your skill level but where the game really comes alive is in its challenge mode. Timed challenges spread across all the levels offering a more intense experience, easily my favourite part of the game.

There are a different types of robots to unlock which adds a bit more replay value to the overall package but it’s not going to hold your attention for very long.

The game does suffer from a few visual bugs & roughness, nothing game-breaking thankfully. The level designs are a mixed bunch, a bright & colourful world but with some levels lacking inventiveness.

The music is well worth praising though, retro & catchy as hell. It fits the game perfectly and some of the later levels really capture the desperation you’ll feel as you try to survive the relentless attacks of the Bloxbots.

Unfortunately the mutli-player side of the game is currently unavailable, going to be included in a free update soon. Local co-op/competitive modes will be a great addition to the game & when it is available will probably knock the final score up by a point or so.

The simple arcade gameplay is addictive & fun but the lack of variety, lack of available multi-player (currently) & visual bugs hurt the overall package.