Magnet Agent Dev Log #1

Magnet Agent is Lulubear Studio’s third game. The project originated from an idea we explored during the Winter 2024 Melon Game Jam, whose theme was “Polarity.” At the time, we brainstormed many concepts related to magnetic poles and electric charges, and considered gameplay styles such as platforming and spatial puzzles. However, none of these ideas felt concrete or truly feasible—until our designer, Bridge, proposed:

“What if we make a 2D adventure game where the player doesn’t directly control the character, similar to Good Night Mr. Snoozleberg?”*

This idea led to the birth of the prototype, Super Magnet Boy, the early version of Magnet Agent. The protagonist you would play as was a magnetic character who constantly moves forward. When he encounters magnets with the same polarity, he is repelled and launched into the air. When he encounters magnets with opposite polarity, he is attracted and sticks to them. The player’s role is to place magnets on the map to guide Magnet Boy safely to the goal.

During development, we discovered an unexpected but delightful side effect of the physics system. When Magnet Boy was repelled or attracted, he would spin uncontrollably, sometimes even “walking” on his head. This unintended behavior was really funny and added a layer of charm beyond the core mechanics. As a result, we decided to embrace this emergent behavior and establish the game’s tone as absurd, humorous, and lighthearted.

As the Game Jam deadline approached, we ran out of time to design additional in-level mechanics. Consequently, the final level consisted only of placement grids and the goal. Unexpectedly, this design choice sparked players’ creativity. In the Game Jam comments, many players shared their own unique routes and solutions. This feedback prompted the team to reconsider the design direction—perhaps multiple solutions and player-driven creativity were core strengths of the game. It also planted the seed for the idea of developing a level editor in the future.

Game Jam version:

https://tommy19981008.itch.io/magnet-boy

After the Game Jam, we shared the game with friends and family and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. This reinforced our belief in the project’s potential, and we decided to develop a mobile version shortly afterward. The mobile release largely retained the Game Jam structure, focused mainly on control optimizations, but lacked marketing support. As a result, its performance was disappointing, and the project went dormant for several months.

Everything changed in May of the same year, when we had the opportunity to showcase the game at Dundee Contemporary Arts’ “Drop In and Play” event—an event primarily attended by families and children. Many young people played the game, and they showed remarkable enthusiasm and enjoyment. This experience reignited my confidence in the project. After returning, I brought the idea of continuing development back to the Lulubear team, and this time, our goal was clear: develop a complete Steam version.

Event announcement:

https://www.dca.org.uk/news/games-announced-for-drop-in-and-play-may-2025/

To achieve this, we significantly restructured the game. Levels were reorganized into chapters, additional mechanics were introduced, and narrative elements were added. Our artist, Daniel, suggested adopting a “secret agent” theme, which naturally justified the protagonist traveling across diverse worlds and chapters. Inspired by Agent P from Phineas and Ferb, this concept also aligned perfectly with our absurd comedic tone. And thus, Magnet Agent was born.

P.S. The protagonist, Agent N-52, takes his codename from one of the strongest neodymium magnets in the world.

Below is some early concept art from the project. Enjoy!