Introduction

I’m sure you have memories of playing with magnets as a kid, feeling the force between your fingers or seeing how close you can push the opposing poles together before your strength gives out. I certainly do. What’s interesting is that I never lost that childlike curiosity, which is why I and am always chasing the sense of discovery you get when you first figure something out on your own, like realizing you can pick up a magnet against the force of gravity or have them stick on opposite sides of your hand. The feeling is… magnetic, you might say.

In honor of the mechanical mystery of magnets, I wanted to create a game that allowed people to relive that same sense of discovery. Thus, ‘Magnet Game’ was born. The idea is great, the name is not (I swear I’ll come up with a better one someday).

What is Magnet Game?

Magnet Game is a sokobon puzzle game designed around using magnets to traverse an increasingly challenging landscape. Players must learn how to manipulate electromagnetic forces to move their magnet to the goal. The concept is very simple, as are the mechanics of the game (4 movement buttons + 1 to view forces, for a total of 5 keys), but the puzzles are anything but simple. It is easy to predict how things will move when you only have one or two magnets in the mix. Throw in a couple more magnets with various attractive forces, and the player is suddenly challenged to plan, predict, and execute a series of complex moves that use the available forces to their advantage.

There is much more in store for Magnet Game, but I don’t want to give it all away in the first devpost. The idea has been baking for quite a while now, and I finally feel that I am skilled enough to make the game and to make it right. Expect many more updates in the coming months with progress reports, logic dives, and specialized Godot code to use in your own projects. But until then, enjoy this short gif of Magnet Game’s proof-of-concept, seen at the top of this post. I threw the whole thing together in about an hour (I have previous experience making games), so expect the graphics to change dramatically and the gameplay interactions to be more complex. This demo just lets you see how two magnets, North Blue and South Red, connect to move together and disconnect at an obstacle.

If you have any feedback, questions, or just want more information, shoot me an email at coopershapard(AT)duck.com! ("@" removed to prevent bot scraping).

Shoutouts / Inspiration

I was inspired to make Magnet Game by one of my favorite puzzle games, Baba is You. The unique take on the classic sokobon style drew me in, and it is home to some of the most challenging puzzles I have ever played. I can’t claim to have beaten the game yet, but Baba is the key inspiration in my design. Another, smaller shoutout to Paquerette: Down the Bunburrow for having engaging puzzles in a very similar style. I intend to base much of the logic of Magnet Game similarly to Paquerette (i.e, for space discrepencies, always have a set order of occupants). The amount of depth in the game is much more than appears on the surface, and I intend to incorporate a similar level of secrets into Magnet Game.