TurnOn Review

TurnOn by Brainy Studios LLC is one of the mot relaxed games you can purchase. Not just the game play mechanics, suitably easy to learn by the way, but the musical score that accompanies TurnOn. Quite simply put, it is relaxing, stunningly beautiful, and upbeat when the need arises. The change for each level retains a fresh approach by the Russian developer. If I was to rate Turn On by music alone, it would certainly warrant a 10 rating. Alas, I must do my job and deliver an impartial review for you readers. Only fair after all.

The game is quite simple with regards to story. You are a friendly little alien, that has to turn on the electric across Electro City. Each level is rated by 3 lamps as opposed to stars for the highest rating that most games will use. There are electric objects you need to interact with, simply by touching them. Shards to collect to boost your score, generators to supply power to various locations within the level, what also act as checkpoints, and people to save. Like I said, easy to play, and easy to learn. However, it is a rather easy game and you will likely breeze through it in a very short space of time. The levels could certainly have been made a little tougher. Even towards the end game, you will not be challenged, and instead, the levels become more lengthy.

Story focus here. It is very simple to understand, and each level rewards you with the next regardless of your score. Each level is replayable from the game hub, which is an aerial view of Electro City. You will face certain obstacles to overcome, such as red electric shards that deplete your health, or falling off the electrical wires that support you. See, there are no platforms as such within TurnOn. The lack of a challenge may turn off (see what I did) potential players from a purchase, which at £11.99 may seem a lot for a few hours of play. I think for a casual gamer it is ideal, and includes young children too.

On to the achievements. There are 82 achievements to unlock. But before the hunter in you begins to panic, do not fret. You will get the vast majority just by playing the game, as each level has an achievement for hitting 3 lamps, and a lot of them levels also have an achievement for just completing the level. You will also unlock plenty of randoms just by completing objectives within certain levels. Exploration is vital, and if you just search thoroughly and collect all shards possible, and interact with everything you can find, you will rack up that gamer score very quickly.

Graphics are by no means the most impressive you will ever see, and cries of “it should be on mobile phones” will ring out. It does have a cartoon feel to them, and this has come to be expected of Indie games on the Xbox One. Levels are dark upon starting, but light up as you power up the areas, and interact with neon signs and street lighting.

Will you continue playing once you complete the story? Well, that all depends on how much of a completionist you are. I will certainly attempt to complete TurnOn 100%, but once the experience is over, it remains highly unlikely that you will return to Electro City. Unless you want to listen to a certain piece of music.

To round-up, who would benefit from buying the most? Children would certainly enjoy the leisurely pace on offer, as would the girlfriend/wife. The Call of Duty playing macho man would happily steer clear. But for those who are open-minded enough, and are looking for a game to gently ease them through a musical masterpiece, you would be hard pressed to find a game that suits them needs like TurnOn. The low difficulty will make for a relaxed session in front of you TV, and achievement hunters will be happy with every achievement popping like your birthday has arrived without warning.

The lack of challenge is a shame. The hope of added DLC from myself is high, as with puzzle games of this nature, the possibilities are endless. Maybe Brainy Studio will treat us soon with more levels, or will we just have to wait patiently as they hopefully work on a new Xbox One Indie game. I have fingers crossed that the answer is both. But I am a greedy chap.

To end this review, I would implore you to go ahead and get to the marketplace as quick as you can and make a purchase to support the developers. Even if you just wait for a sale. Worth the asking price for the music alone, what with different musical scores for each level, with varying degrees of tempo, and styles. Did I mention I loved the music? No? It’s fantastic.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.