Save me Mr Tako might seem to look like an Kirby game from the outside and I admit, within the first hours of the game you might be tempted to assume, that this is yet another retro-styled indie plattformer which simply resembles and mimics the classic of its time, rejoicing its simplicity without bringing anything new to the table,

The more I was glad, that my curiosity brought me to one of the most remarkable and heartwarming stories I've ever experienced since Undertale.
Although it's first and foremost a plattformer, the game will surprise you with an extremely strong narrative that I never would have expected in such a game, for a plattformer this is pretty unusual.


There is more than meets the eye, Tako's Adventure is splitted into several chapters, without taking too much away, while his journey begins fairly innocent and straightforward the premise will slowly change, once you reach the capital of Sarona, up to this point the game will slowly change into a political thriller introducing a plethora of characters, all with their own backstory.
What I really liked about it, is that it doesn't shoves you the motivations of its characters into your face, it's up to you to find out, there is a lot of hidden background optionally hidden in the game that provides further context, slowly you will obtain a bigger picture and how all of the stories are connected to each other.
I've put FF6 as an example because it's setting reminds me a lot on it, once you reach "Ydor", you will see what I mean.

All I can say is that it's pretty exciting and eventful, there is lot going on during the course of its 30-40 hours of playtime.

"WAIT ALMOST 40 Hours for an Gameboy styled plattformer...!?"

Well at least if you explore everything thoroughly, which brings me to the second part of this unholy alliance


Ganbare Goemon is a series of japanese games that combine action plattforming with an non-linear exploration aspect, usually the gameplay loop can be divided into 3 sections:

Level:
Yeah not much to say about that, there is an overworld and within this overworld are several levels to select

Towns:
My favourite aspect of these games, asides from challenging levels there will be always a town in an area with NPC's you can interact to and side activites like minigames which reward you for exploring. It's important to notice that you can visit towns any time on the world map.

Dungeons:
So asides from the normal plattforming levels there are much larger ones you can compare with "dungeons" these are levels on an much larger scale which follow a classic build-up of tension. Usually these areas serve a greater purpose and mark the finale of the recent story arc.
Surviving in these with your limited lifes can be taxing but at the same time very satisfying which makes you more curious what the next area has in stock.

So yeah Tako follows a pretty similiar approach with the difference that the overworld looks a bit like the one in Kirbys Adventure. There are a handful of areas that are connected to each other in several ways, entrances on the world either bring you to a level, a town or a dungeon OR are an entrance to another area. It doesn't follow the typical plattformer approach in that case it feels more like an Adventure or RPG, it helps you getting a feeling for the "world" it doesn't feel so arbitrarily.
Overall the levels are connected to the world itself, there is no general rule, quickly you will find out that you won't visit "worlds" in a classical sense, it's neither completely linear nor predictable, levels are tied stronger to the narrative than the narrative is tied to the levels.


You play an Octopus, that means you can't defend yourself in a classical sense, well at least not until much later. Tako can shoot Ink out of his mouth, this ink won't harm any enemies instead it freezes them, inked enemies are not longer harmful (asides from a few enemy types.) instead you can use them as a platform which Tako can use to jump on, or exploiting them as an barrier. What I liked about the jump mechanic is that Tako is able to climb edges if you hold the direction button at the edge of an plattform, this is especially important because the game plays around with verticality, which is no surprise since such a feature is predestined for verticality, you can always look up or down to see what's ahead of you and plan your next move, there is something methodical to plattforming in Tako, you can't compare it directly with most other plattformers, especially since on the standard setting you're pretty much a pushover that can become quickly killed, so careful playing is the a and o.


So like mentioned, Tako is pretty much a weakling who will "die" with one hit, but don't worry there is the "Hat" feature to compensate for it. There are 50 different Hats in the game that alter Takos Ink Shot into another ability, so either it alters your shoot, so you suddenly shoot arrows, crabs or literally love or it might grant you a flight ability, dancing (which grants i-frames) or other little shenanigans. As long you wear a hat, you will not directly become defeated, instead you just lose your current hat, you can always have one in reserve.

The hat feature has a lot of potential but I have to admit that it can quickly feel like gimmicky fluff. While the hats grant you some freedom in your playstyle, there are a few pretty strong ones you most likely will use all of the time. Much later the levels become more experimental with its uses and are designed around utilizing the abilities of a single or several hats, these were usually pretty fun and I wished there were more of these kinds of levels, but on the bright side it doesn't force you into a certain playstyle.

Most hats can be found during sidequests, which are plentiful.
Generally I can say I like how the gameplay reflects the personality of the character, since Tako is supposed to be a mediator between octopuses and humans, using violence would feel wrong, this is one of the rare cases where the protagonist is mostly pacifistic.


Regardless for me to say, "Save me Mr Tako" instantly kept me interested at first sight by his old gameboy style.

But while other games just barely manage to imitate the visuals from older games, Save me Mr Tako accomplishes it's gameboy similiarity with almost 100% authenticity. Unlike other indie games like "The Messenger" for example this game really resembles the resolution of the system and its color depth.
Many similar games were developed with an retro style as a premise but without refraining from using modern technical conviences. This results at one hand in highly detailed pixel art and massive big screens, but at the other hand no longer serves the purpose of replicating the style of older games with the previous restrictions in mind.
Because of this, it is actually difficult to me, to really feel the same nostalgia than I do, when I play original old retro games.


Since steam doesn't really allow comprehensive reviews, pls look at the comments of this review if you are interested about new additions and features, I use the remaining characters to form a conclusion.


To say this game is a another cute retro styled plattformer is an understatement. I fear that this would be the conlcusion to many players at the first few hours, there is something unique which unfolds only over the course of the game. This game is basically the definition of an "Grower" and what I call "Hidden Pearl". Challenging Story & challenging gameplay with so much content, isn't something you see often these days anymore. It's already a classic to me.

It has story, it has charm, and it gets away with naming a character Lalabichoua (respect). Save me Mr Tako will engange you for many hours, if you are into its GameBoy esthetics and don't mind its quirky gameplay.

Yes, the gameplay is a mixed bag. I played it in classic mode (hard), in which the protagonist is killed immediately by touching an enemy and resets at the nearest checkpoint for a limited number of lives. I found this mechanic poor in general and irritating as the game progresses, when enemy sprites become more difficult to evade. Playing the game in an easier mode may work better. There is also a hat system which allows power ups and can protect you from 1 or more hits. Unfortunately, you are allowed to carry only 2 hats at a time and changing them is awkward. In addition, you lose them immediately when you receive damage and need to find an owl (I think?) in a random location to wear them again.

Still, you cannot dislike this game. The story is compelling and the characters are fleshed out beyond a stock narrative. The music also evokes a great GameBoy-ish atmosphere. Give Tako a chance and you will be handsomely rewarded!

Everything good about the gameboy color era

I'm surprised I've never seen this game featured after reading it came out 3 years ago, but it finally did appear after someone left the game's first review, and a very positive one at that!

I decided to try it out, and yes, the game is as good as described.

The trailer makes it looks like it's a kirby game, but the very introduction of the game makes it clear it's going to be more than that. (You start the game before a ship gets assaulted by squids, killing everyone at board.)

It really reminds me of a mix of Kirby (platforming segments) and Link's Awakening.

I'm just starting out, but I'm sure it's going to be a fun ride!

A fantastic retro style platformer taking inspiration from many retro games like Trip World, Kirby's Dream Land, and Zelda II. The variety of hats especially allows players to tackle platforming challenges in many different ways while still keeping the game challenging and engaging. The one major complaint I had is that there were several points in which off screen enemies killed me without giving me a chance to react. I do think the enemy placement could use a little work for sure. But aside from that, I think this game excels at what it sets out to do. The story in particular is great and has many plot twists, with the chiptune soundtrack being fantastic all the way through. Give this game a shot, especially if you're an achievement hunter, because these were really fun to figure out.

Save Me Mr Tako is such a cute game! The art style has lovely details throughout, the music is super catchy, and the story is hooking! Definitely recommend to anyone that enjoys a good nostalgic platform vibe.

I really wanted to like this game, I really did, I saw it's charm and silly premise and really wanted to immerse myself in a gameboy-esque world filled with colorful characters and a fantastical story. Little did I know what I was getting into wasn't just a game that would look like a gameboy release, but also feel like one, all the jankiness and sometimes downright hostile design included as was customary for that era. Seriously, If you had given me this game with no context whatsoever the only thing that would've tipped me off about it not actually being an authentic gameboy release is the fact that the character sprites don't actually follow pixel grids and the main character's jump physics let him slide up corners to make otherwise impossible jumps, so really I must commend the dev's dedication on going all in on the theme.

The story is... fine. The general concept and ideas I liked a lot, but it's when it comes to the execution that a lot was left to be desired. Now it's important to mention: I played this game in english, which I can tell is not the original language of the game, so it's possible that there were some things lost in translation or perhaps the translator just wasn't very good at conveying the original message in an elegant way (there are some minor spelling/grammar mistakes here and there so it really wouldn't surprise me if that were the case). However, as it stands I must report that dialogue in english was written in an incredibly stiff and artificial way. None of the characters feel like actual people, they're mostly just tropes and one-dimensional plot devices, and they stay very simple even when the story attempts to develop them beyond that. This would honestly be fine if the game was more self-aware and tongue-in-cheek, and while it DOES have moments that are more humorous which work far better imo, those are honestly quite rare. For a game called "Save me Mr Tako!" which is centered around a conflict between humans and a race of sentient octopuses (that's what the game calls them, don't yell at me for not using 'octopi') the tone is weirdly serious throughout, and it does not work in the game's favour as most of the dramatic moments really fall flat. There are also some minor inconsistencies in the worldbuilding as well as characters sometimes not making the most logical decisions or other plot contrivances, but honestly if you get into the headspace of this being an actual gameboy-era game this stops bothering you as such things were par for the course in most older games as well.

The gameplay is... nothing special. Really, I would almost call it boring, but it did manage to keep me mildly entertained for about six hours so that would be somewhat disingenuous. The game has two main mechanics going for it: shooting ink to immobilize enemies, letting you jump on them to do platforming that would be otherwise impossible and hats that alter your shooting style. The first mechanic is what really carries this game, without it this would be a plain 'ole regular platformer that would probably feel even blander, however the game really fails to utilize this mechanic in new and exciting ways. Once you've beaten World 2 you've pretty much seen everything there is to it and the only things that will change are how many times you actually need to shoot an enemy to properly immobilize them, which does nothing to enhance the gameplay and only serves as an annoyance. In fact, this game has a lot of annoyances, like the fact that every time you die you lose the hat you're currently wearing and the only way to get it back is to take it from a checkpoint (you can only recover one hat this way btw.) or finish the stage you're currently in to go into another stage and get it from the hat NPC. Not to mention there is always only one checkpoint per level and dying in a pit doesn't always leave you in a good position to run all the way back to it. Seriously, why? Why couldn't you just let the players have all the hats in their "inventory" and freely swap between them or something of that sort? This is less bad in the beginning of the game, as most hats basically just have the same effect but make you shoot different looking objects or make your shots have different trajectories, 99% of which are so insanely gimmicky you will never actually find them useful in any situation whatsoever. Legitimately, the default shot your character has is the best in the game by far, there is absolutely no reason to put on like 90% of the hats beause they will either do nothing or actually hinder your gameplay. The only hats that are even worth paying attention to are literally the first one you get, which grants you one extra hit before death, and the upgraded version of that which gives you two hits. Still, like I said before this wouldn't be so bad if you didn't actually need any hats to progress in the game, and for the most part when you DO need a hat the game is kind enough to not take it away after a death... provided it gives it to you in the first place. Sometimes, however, you'll be faced with challanges in stages where you're not provided with the right hat for the job, meaning you'll have to actually carry it throughout the level to the place where you need it, hoping you don't get hit on the way there because if you do you'll have to run all the way back to the checkpoint (if possible) and then hope you don't get hit again when running back where you were heading in the first place. It's tedious and unfun, and most of the time you WILL get hit either because of the janky hitboxes, unexpected enemy behaviour, or simply because you've started being so fed up with the game you started being sloppy which will just make you even more frustrated. This game really is not that hard, I've been playing on the medium difficulty where you only get one hit by default and I've never gotten stuck on a section for longer than around 5-7 lives. However, while not hard, the game does like to throw just barely avoidable ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ at you like fish and birds jumping at you off the edge of the screen, or jumps that look deceptively easy but will actually throw you into spikes because you bumped your head on a corner. I don't consider that difficulty, it's just another annoyance. Speaking of annoyances, here's another hat-related one: the button the game tells you "swaps" your active and stored hats doesn't actually do that, in fact it only discards your active hat and makes your stored hat your new active, but then when you pick up the discarded hat it becomes the active one again. That means that whenever you actually want to swap your hats, you need to discard them both, then make sure to pick up the one you DON'T want first, then finally pick up the one you actually want. Fun.

Lastly, the level design is... bland. There's just no way around saying that, the levels feel very repetitive and same-y. None of them really stand out in my memory and a lot of them just blend together into a blur. The only exceptions might be the "special" levels signified by the castle doorways on the world map, but even then those usually go for long enough that parts of the level start to blend in with themselves. Generally, I think this game could actually gain a lot by "trimming the fat" so to speak. There are a lot of levels where nothing interesting happens at all, you just move from point A to point B in the exact same enviorment you were in the level prior, with the exact same platforming challanges, just in different places or with slight variations and not even the story gets progressed in any way at all. Those kinds of levels you could completely cut out of the game and nothing would be lost, in fact I'd argue that it would improve the game by letting the other, actually meaningful levels stand out more instead of being sandwiched between complete filler that shares the same coat of paint.

All in all, I wish the best to the developers, but this just ain't it.

When taking a first glance at Save me Mr Tako, it is hard to not to have a feeling of sheer nostalgia, considering that the game very much harkens back to the "oldschool" gameboy /monochrome graphics /color palettes, which may or may not a turnoff for some people. But for me personally, it very scratched that itch of mine (having grew up in the late 90-s)

The story of the game is a rather standard affair: A war is being waged between humans and octopuses (yes, really) with our main character Tako who is trying his best to bring peace between the two rivalry factions, despite his entourage highly disappproving of his efforts. While the storyline isnt likely to beat the writing of The Witcher series, it doesnt have to: it does helps to bring context into an already well-rounded platformer and giving a goal for our protagonist to work for.

Gameplay wise, Mr Tako definitely borrowed a bit from games such as Super Mario Land series, Kirby, a Hat in Time and many others: You are plopped into a hubworld in which you are free to explore to your heart content, talk with other octopuses, visit shops and its also from here that you will acces the level portals (with new levels being unlocked along the way).
Most of the time you will go from level to level, collecting feathers and inks while also dodging and neutralising enemies with your ink. Dont let the cutesy artstyle fool you though, as the game does not kid around with difficulty: one hit and you are out. Mercifully though, there are checkpoints scattered around levels and the hats will also help making your life all that easier


But it got a new hat!
And yes, hats are also a thing in this game, which, just like in Hat in Time, will give you various power-ups ranging from special projectiles to use to other perks that will make your life all that easy, such as giving you an additional hit you can survive before you drop dead.

In terms of music, the game keeps in line with its retro/ gameboy sound design and it provides a rather mellow and pleasant vibe that goes along nicely with the overall gameplay (and dare I say, its also that kind of music which i would love to listen to off-game as well).


So how would I rate my gameplay experience so far?

While Im admittedly nowhere near even finished yet, from what I have experienced so far it is without a doubt a very competent title, even if a bit less forgiving than most platformers of that genre. Aesthetically speaking, its very pleasant to look at and it has a good amount of gameplay both for casual and for the completionists out there, definitely would recommend





Special thanks to the developers for having provided us a review copy of the game

Excellent gameplay, beautiful art, and an overall fun game, I would recommend it!

While I enjoyed what bits of the story I experienced, the humdrum level design and character art really took me out of it. Everything is so sparsely designed that it feels empty and a bit lazy. It feels like a game where the mechanics needed to be refined more thoroughly before they put this much effort into it.

Did not particularly like the story or find the levels that interesting. Also more than a few levels that are mazes with no in game map of any sort.

It's very easy to get lost if you stop the game for a bit and come back to it later, especially in act 3 where you're expected to go back and forth between the areas.

It's very easy to get stuck for a while somewhere and have no idea what the game expects you to do and have to wander around until you stumble on whatever you actually have to do to progress. I'm just done with it now. Doesn't help that I can't seem to find any walkthroughs or playthroughs around that aren't speedruns.

edit: loulou's hints become almost useless in act 3, where loulou's hints become stuff like "you have to visit the 3 temples", when the next thing I have to do is go back to some sewers with a key. Even before that, I have trouble remembering which places are named what, and names don't show up unless entering an area.