Super Magnetic Neo is a 3D platform game developed by Genki and released exclusively for the Dreamcast console. The game was originally released in Japan on February 3, 2000. The North American version was published by Crave Entertainment and was released on June 15, 2000, followed by the European release on August 4, 2000.
The game is centered around the concept of magnetism. The protagonist Neo (NiuNiu in the original Japanese release) is a robot who has the ability to positively or negatively charge himself in order to repel or attract enemies, or to repel from or attract to platforms and other environmental objects.
Gameplay
The game is a 3D platformer, with the usual jumps, platforms and enemies but features a novel game mechanic which centers around magnetism. Neo himself is able to become positively or negatively charged at the press of a button, which is represented on-screen as a blue or red magnetic field/pulse. The red and blue magnetic fields are mapped intuitively to the corresponding colored button on the Dreamcast controller. Once boxed up, enemies become projectiles that can be used to defeat other enemies or to destroy roadblocks such as walls.
Neo's magnetism can also be used to interact with platforms. For example, red platforms can used to perform super jumps when Neo emits a red magnetic field, effectively repelling him into the air, or alternatively he can "stick" to them by emitting a blue magnetic field. There are also zip lines that Neo can attach to by using the opposite colored magnetic field and levers that can be pushed by using the same colored magnetic field. These contraptions are strung together in series, requiring the player to constantly change the magnetic field to rapidly repel and attract their way through the level.
The main game spans four worlds: Jungle World, Ancient World, Cowboy World, and Future World. Each world has four levels and a boss level, thus the game consists of 20 levels in total. The levels are joined by a hub world and upon returning there after completing a level, the player has the option to save their progress. There are 16 pieces of furniture to collect including a computer, a freezer and a famous art print.
In general, the gameplay and advancement is noted to be difficult and based on memorization of the location of enemies and contraptions, much like traditional platformers from previous generations.
The high difficulty of the game was an intentional decision by the team at Genki. They explained in an interview with Gamers' Republic magazine that "staff members spent long hours working on game balance". They also added that they had strong feelings around not adding in any notes or signs that told the player what to do. They then go on to explain that the "goal was to communicate, not through written words but through Neo's body movements. As the result, SMN became a very challenging game".
| CNG = 7/10
| CP = 89%
| EGM = 5.17/10
| Fam = 29/40
| GameFan = (J.W.) 73%<br />64%
| GamePro =
| GameRev = B
| GSpot = 6.4/10
| IGN = 6.9/10
| NGen =
The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.