First-Person Puzzle Game Total Reload Releases on PC November 7

Developer TORSHOCK has confirmed that Total Reload, their upcoming first-person puzzle game, will release on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on November 7, 2025. The studio describes it as a cerebral experience about repairing a vast cosmic mechanism and reigniting the universe itself. After playing through the full version ahead of launch, I can say it’s one of those games that asks you to think differently – literally to “think with wires.”

You play as HAWKING, a sentient AI inhabiting a mechanical world that’s equal parts surreal and industrial. The story begins with the player assuming control of HAWKING’s body while its mind operates independently, occasionally commenting on your actions through on-screen messages.

It’s a strange, almost philosophical setup that quickly establishes a sense of isolation. The AI’s reflections on purpose and identity add surprising depth to what could have been a straightforward puzzle structure.

The goal is to reconnect dormant energy systems scattered throughout massive, interconnected chambers using Quantum Transporters. Each area has its own logic, and the challenge lies in restoring energy networks by running wires between power nodes and machinery.

Some puzzles require rerouting current through temporary relays to open doors or shift platforms.

It’s the kind of mechanic that feels simple on paper but quickly becomes intricate once you realise every power decision can affect another system entirely.

I was given an early Steam key by developers TORSHOCK, Total Reload demands patience and spatial awareness. The early puzzles teach you how to manipulate power sources, but it’s the mid-game that truly shines, forcing you to plan routes several steps ahead. At one point, I found myself sketching a quick layout on paper just to track how my energy lines interacted. That level of immersion is rare, it reminded me of the first time I grasped the logic of The Talos Principle or Portal’s layered design.

There are moments where the interface could be clearer. Right-clicking instead of left-clicking to redirect power isn’t intuitive at first, and some text prompts vanish too quickly, which can break the rhythm of problem-solving. Still, the atmosphere more than compensates and it’s only nit-picking to be honest.

Each teleportation sequence accomplished through QR-style quantum transporters creates a visual burst of digital distortion that feels almost like stepping through a living data stream. The presentation is crisp and deliberate, with lighting and reflections used to give sterile corridors a haunting sense of scale.

Narratively, TORSHOCK hides something more introspective beneath the sci-fi veneer. As you progress, the AI begins to reveal fragments of memory and philosophy, referencing everything from the works of Robert Heinlein to lyrics reminiscent of Muse. It’s a surprisingly personal story about creation, solitude, and the pursuit of knowledge, wrapped in the language of machinery and computation.

Despite some minor interface quirks, Total Reload nails the feeling of discovery that makes puzzle games memorable. Every successful connection feels earned, and every room conquered feels like progress toward understanding the world’s hidden structure. It’s slow, methodical, and beautifully atmospheric, the kind of game that rewards curiosity as much as skill.

For anyone who appreciates thoughtful design over spectacle, Keep an eye on Total Reload when it launches tomorrow (November 7, as of this writing) for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can wishlist on Steam and Epic Games Store. It’s a clever, patient kind of puzzle game, one that doesn’t just want you to solve its systems, but to understand the thinking behind them.