TurnOn

TurnOn is a colorful logic and arcade game released on PC and XONE. The title was inspired by the WWF's cyclical worldwide movement called "Earth Hour", which aims to persuade both ordinary people and corporations to turn off all lights and electrical equipment for an hour, thus drawing attention to the problem of energy saving. The game was developed by four students of the Russian studio Braina - TurnOn has been honored with a number of industry awards. In 2014, the prototype version of TurnOn has also won the Microsoft Imagine Cup which promotes innovative student projects from around the world.

Plot

The story of TurnOn has a message - it wants to make us us aware of how dependent the modern world is on electricity. The game shows a hypothetical situation in which, as a result of an accident at a power plant, a whole town was deprived of electricity. We play the role of the last "living" spark, whose task is to restore power to the city.

Mechanics

In terms of mechanics, TurnOn is a side-view platform game in which classic platforms have been replaced by high-voltage wires. Moving along them, we try to gradually restore the power supply in other buildings, flats, shops, as well as lamps and other street devices. Each part of the city has various tasks for us to perform, such as helping a lost girl get back home, repair installation on the outskirts, help finish a school event or launch an exploratory drone in the astronomical observatory. The arcade gameplay in TurnOn is enriched with numerous logical elements. The individual parts of the installation can be linked in different ways. Sometimes, bringing electricity to a particular device will first require it to be done in another place.

In addition to the typical "exploration" levels, TurnOn also has bonus levels done as a simple music game. During them we move to the rhythm of the music on power cables resembling a stave, trying to collect all the notes - sparks.

Technical aspects

TurnOn, released on PC and XONE, features an extremely colorful cartoon and comic book design and a pleasant soundtrack that plays an important role. Despite the logical and arcade character of the game, the authors also took care to ensure that the story is consistent and at the same time doesn't distract the player. That's why we can't find any dialogues in the game, and the whole story is only told through the visuals.

Last updated on 29 March 2016