or all of the long lost franchises to reappear, Tex Murphy might just be the most obscure property to surface again. Let’s get one thing straight: Tesla Effect has probably got to be one of the most bizarre game releases in recent memory—not in style or content, but just its sheer existence. For those not in the know the following game reviewed here is a Tex Murphy adventure; as in an FMV Tex Murphy adventure, a “last seen in 1998” Tex Murphy adventure, a “originally appeared on the Commodore 64” Tex Murphy adventure.
Despite the quality, because of this the game is at least worth some degree of admiration that unfortunately may just be the only thing it deserves from you at all.
When jumping into Tesla Effect, you’ll be immediately greeted with almost retro FMV sequences. As said before this is a truly weird sight to see in 2014. It's then when you realize just how much this game is made for pre-established fans- there's no real reason for this outdated style, no excuse for such a jarring contrast between the CG environments mixed with live actors. However, surprisingly it works. While it doesn't really work in adding or helping anything in the actual game, it does give off the impression that this Tex Murphy game was lovingly crafted for fans. Indeed this is also demonstrated by a loving message flashed before the first cutscene even starts. It's important here to note that Tesla Effect is a kickstarter product and that really shines through in almost every aspect- for better or worse.
There's a certain atmosphere to the whole project- a feeling of warmth towards the games origins. An extreme example of this would be the setting of the game, being that it's a direct sequel to such a dated franchise. The concepts of the original series remain intact here. The unique cyberpunk setting is still strong, and the goofy humor is an integral part of the case. Knowingly lame puns are littered throughout the adventure, and in any over game this would come off as plain stupid, but as an homage, it totally works. Nearly everything about the presentation oozes charm, and it's plain to see how much effort has gone into recreating an experience for the fans. This is what stands out the most about Tesla Effect- it's a product of pure love.
However, love can't keep a game endearing for long and a lot of aspects work against this unique tone. While the FMV cutscenes paint a cool cyberpunk dystopia when translated into the actual playing field of the game, environments look dull and grey. The color from the world outside the gameplay unfortunately is lost when you're actually playing, and it really makes an otherwise zany experience so boring. The same is for the music- or extreme lack of it. When gathering clues and wondering about the world the game is awfully silent. It's hard to see this as an artistic choice because the game does such a good job of maintaining a certain je ne sais quoi otherwise. The presentation becomes lacking when you dive into the meat of the adventure, which is a statement that could be applied to the entire product.
The actual meat of the game is what follows: Gathering clues in a first person viewpoint, and exploring an empty world, talking to (admittedly charming) secondary characters, and solving very tedious puzzles. This wouldn't be as bad as it seems if a clear objective was present, but the designers give you very vague goals which ends up in a lot of aimless wondering. Usually in this type of story-driven puzzle game there's an inciting event- a mystery that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. Nevertheless, Tesla Effect starts off without this, and hideously slow, leaving to a general air of confusion which taints what could have been interesting puzzle mechanics.
This is pretty much consistent with the actual gameplay too. Take for example your stereotypical Simon Says activity. In any other game, these are easy to complete due to only a handful to patterns to remember- but Tesla Effect takes this to absurd levels. Very early on in the game you're tasked to complete one of these with a machine that has about 20 different lights, with 9 different combinations to keep track of. This is frankly ridiculous, and horrible examples of what other games would otherwise do with ease. It's not a huge part of the game however- but it is an example of how the puzzles are executed in general: Poorly.
Tesla Effect tries very hard to create an air of accessibility to combat this, and this is probably where the game demonstrates how impressive it could be. While it's definitely a throwback, the people at Big Finish Games definitely know how far this genre has come. While old point and click games were nearly mind boggling specific in their puzzle solutions, this Tex Murphy game deals with this frustration in an intuitive and simple way. If you choose the 'casual' option before the game starts the player is given a lot of options to help with puzzles. Suddenly your flashlight highlights important objects, and walkthrough style hints can be unlocked very easily through a points system. The 'Smart Alex' (insert rimshot here) system helps with this, as it's incredibly easy to navigate through your options. A friendly computer voice sometimes even helps you along, by suggesting tasks to do. These touches are nice, however I cannot imagine playing the game in 'Gamer' mode. These features actually make some of the badly executed puzzles and objectives slightly tolerable. But with these taken away it would just make the game even more annoying in the gameplay department. Still, just that the option for greater ease exists is worth respect. It's just a shame these only help slightly.
Despite its many problems it's really hard to hate Tesla Effect. There's a ton of neat touches for those partial to exploration, secrets hidden throughout the map, and callbacks to old games, sown about the streets; creating a keen sense of nostalgia for its target audience—which in a way encompasses the whole game. This isn't a case for newcomers, in fact it's not a case for anyone except Tex Murphy fans. Just the idea that a sequel to an obscure PC series last seen in 1998 even has its place on Steam is brilliant in itself. And the fact that it's still an FMV game is the icing on the cake.
Tesla Effect isn't a great game for people not already in love with the character, but maybe it doesn't have to be. In itself, this Tex Murphy adventure is a love letter to everyone who funded it- and if you're one of those people then you won't be disappointed.
