Game: Super Magbot
Genre: Action, Platformer, Puzzle
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam)
Developer|Publisher: Astral Pixel | Team17
Age Rating: EU 3+ | US Everyone
Price: US $17.99 | UK £14.99 | EU € 17,99
Release Date: June 22nd, 2021
Review code provided with many thanks to Team 17
The Rise of Team 17
Team 17 has done an impressive job of publishing a wide variety of good quality games like the Overcooked series, The Escapist series and Neon Abyss (many of these reviewed on this site). The company I once knew as ‘those folks that made the Worms games’ have grown into quite the powerhouse and when I see their name attached to a project I feel confident that the game is solid. This is a very nice position to be in as a publisher these days in the gaming industry. Continuing that trend today we have Super Magbot; a precision platformer for those looking for a challenge with a difference.

Magnetic Powers
Super Magbot is a 2D platformer. Only it’s not your typical jumping platformer that we’re used to seeing. The little robot you play as is too heavy to jump. The hook here is that you navigate around the levels and platformers by using magnets. You’re presented with single-screen levels with the goal being to reach the fragment piece at the end.
You can move your little robot fella about and aim your magnet gun with the analogue stick and use the trigger buttons to use either your blue or red magnets. Dotted around each level are blue and red bars, you use your magnets to attract yourself towards them or repel away from them.
Just like in school, use blue on blue and you repel and red on blue to attract. By using these mechanics, you can zip around the levels avoiding hazards (yes, buzzsaws are present). There are no enemies to defeat in this game. If you fall into a hazard you die instantly, restarting at the start of the level without any load times.

Fast Reflexes Required
Controls are simple to pick up but you need a lot of fast reflexes to conquer these challenging levels. You need to shoot your magnets at the right time often while falling into hazards. My biggest problem is that under the pressure I often forget which magnet to use. Most of my deaths were a result of pulling into a hazard rather than away from it. As you travel to new levels new challenges are posed.
In the ice world, you slide on platforms which was a nightmare when playing with my joy-cons that suffer from drift (the game does let you use the D-pad but the analogue stick is more favourable). There are also different magnet platforms like wormholes, clouds you bounce off and bars that will disappear after you attract or repel off them. Make no mistake, this is a hard game that requires lots of pattern memorization and patience to conquer.

Plot Better Than Deep Impact
The story of the games sees an evil asteroid hurtling through the galaxy on a collision course with four planets. It’s up to Magbot to head down to each planet to find a fragment to stop the asteroid. When you enter each planet you are greeted with a small cutscene and short quest to complete to gain the fragment.
This includes helping someone un-freeze their husband and taking down an evil lava based octopus. The plot is certainly better than Deep Impact (which oddly I watched recently). It keeps things simple, letting you focus on the platform gameplay.

Pixel Graphics
The graphics are colourful 16-bit sprites. It’s a familiar art style but it does work here, the game presents itself with a comical style not taking itself too seriously. Levels are your usual variety of green place, ice, lava and purple area. Hazards and magnet points are highlighted clearly. The chiptune soundtrack was quite memorable and probably my favourite part of the game. It does help when you’re dying constantly to listen to some good tunes.

Accessibility
Once I hit the ice world it quickly occurred to me that my reflexes were not quick enough for this game. There are three accessibility options to make things a little easier. The most useful for me was the inclusion of a checkpoint in each level. I think if this option was not present my Switch may not have been in one piece still. Additionally, you can opt to use your magnet shots as many times as you need and by holding the magnet shot button down you can pause in mid-air.
These options are helpful but if you’re not fond of these challenging platformers they may not be enough to keep you engaged to the end. I had to walk away a few times when the stress levels rose and the last boss in the game felt pretty over the top in terms of difficulty. All I will say is thank goodness for the Switches standby feature.

Content
There is plenty of content to keep you busy. Each of the 4 worlds has 28 levels. If things are too tough the game lets you skip 3 levels per world. Each world ends with a boss encounter which is essentially you running away from a big character and just surviving long enough.
Once you’re all finished with the main game there are another 9 levels per level to complete. It’s plenty of platforming for your buck. This feels like another one of those platformers speedrunners are probably going to get into. So even if you don’t want to play this game you might have some fun watching someone else beat it.

Conclusion – Magnetic Platformer
If you like your challenging platformers Super Magbot comes highly recommended. A unique magnetic hook that stands out from the crowd with a memorable score to boot. Not for the players looking for a relaxing experience so in a fitting way there are aspects that will repel people away but for the most part, there are reasons to be attracted to Super Magbot.
Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot