Retro Inspired indies are a major thing these days, and yet most of these are starting to follow a similar pattern. The NES inspired games are not bad, but there are many more classic systems to reference than just Nintendo’s 8bit box. Save Me Mr Tako! changes things up in this genre but taking visual inspiration from a different Nintendo system, namely the original Game Boy.
Save Me Mr Tako! sees you playing as an octopus who must go on an epic quest, and I must say that I was impressed from the moment I started playing. I felt the charm of a game like Super Mario land and Super Mario Land 2, but with modern refinements was what I was seeing. The more I played, the more I wanted to play. Everything felt so well designed about it, with the music also functioning well as a throwback to that style. I began to see more classic games represented here like Link’s Awakening, the GB Mega Man games and so on, and saw how much of a tribute this game was to the large variety of games and genres that were on Nintendo’s handheld brick.
I need to stress again though, that for every throwback that is present in the game, there are also refinements. Jumping and attacking feels much more controlled and natural than many of the best original Game Boy games, and the music sounds like you remember it sounding with nostalgia and not like it actually did. As the game went on, the difficulty ramped up and I loved the challenge but I did notice some issues. Towards the ends of the game, I noticed some slowdown that should not have been there. I am certain it was not intentional, and it felt like an actual game bug more than anything else.
I must commend the developer on the decision to replicate the feel of the Game Boy and even with changes as the game went on, it still managed to feel and look like those games I played as a child. It did get a bit blurry on occasion but overall, I have not had any real issues (the previously mentioned slowdown aside). This is just a well designed game that is an amazing throwback to a classic system, and I hope more people give this a chance. I highly recommend checking it out now!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided