Indie games can often feel akin to working in a coal mine. Hacking away at stone with my literary pickaxe brings me nothing but lumps of coal, but I keep going in hope for the one time I find a diamond. Magnus: Operation Hard Drive is a diamond.

Developed by Outer Space Studios, Magnus is a space-age puzzle game set in the distant future. Players take the role of Damon Foster, a cocksure officer who has been drafted into The Magnus Program to command a mission of exploration into the disappearance of a fossil fuel like energy source known as Magna.

The Magnus Program sees Foster get a state of the art bio suit. Think Metroid meets Tron, and you’re halfway there. The suit itself allows Foster to cloak, repel solid objects, run at breakneck speeds and mimic unsuspecting enemies. It’s these elements of Magnus that suck you in and leave you either wanting more or pulling your hair out in frustration.

The charm doesn’t stop there though. There’s the odd quip thrown in to keep gamers amused along their journey; my personal favorite has to be when Lt. Webb explains an overly complex part of the suit’s abilities and Foster replies with “Oh yeah, bullet time!”

Gameplay revolves around Foster, complete with his suit, working his way through a maze-like map from point A to point B, although in retrospect it’s never that straight forwards.

In between working your way through each of the forty levels, you’re tasked with escaping and remaining hidden from enemy soldiers. A single hit will cause you to restart the level, so time needs to be spent working out which path is safest and when to use your suit’s powers.

This adds a real sense of threat to the game. It’s a simple concept, but one that’s often overlooked these days. Take a step too far or over-exert your abilities, and it’s back to square one. In short, make a mistake and you’ve got to do it all over again.

Despite the high cost of failure, completing a level brings a true sense of accomplishment. Knowing that all those failed attempts where you didn’t put the brakes on fast enough and ran head first into a guard were justified.

Graphically, Magnus is a throwback to what made gaming great in the 80s.Rather than blinding visuals, Outer Space Studios has gone with an 8-bit NES style of graphics that even in the age of photo-realistic imagery, looks fantastic – providing, of course, you’re a fan of retro gaming.

There will be those out there who expect all indie games to match the visuals of Apple Jack, and if you’re a graphics-Nazi, then you won’t like it. If, on the other hand, you have many fond memories of playing games on the NES or Master System, then you’ll fall in love with the Metal Gear-like presentation.

Past the glorious presentation and addictive puzzle elements lies one of the best gaming soundtracks I’ve heard since Castle Crashers. Gaming soundtracks are fast becoming thoughtless and lack the energy they once had. So it comes as a welcome change to have tunes stuck in your head because they’re brilliant, catchy and add to the overall atmosphere of the game, rather than because they’re so annoying.

There’s not a lot to pick fault with. Magnus: Operation Hard Drive isn’t a game that will be suited to everyone’s tastes; at times it can feel a little clunky and rough around the edges, but that’s counterbalanced by the sheer volume of pleasure it brings. For the meagre price tag, does it need to be perfect? Does it need to match the multi-million dollar franchises? No, It needs to be enjoyable and exciting for the player. This is something Magnus doesn’t just do well; it does it brilliantly, surpassing what’s often expected of an indie game.