‘Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse’ Review – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Pity the poor folk of Follicles. Once famed for their lovely locks, this all changed when the villainous Septipus climbed out of his cave to steal their hair. Now bald, they turn to Smiler, an angry hero on a mission to right what is now wrong. With the help of Bumper, a disembodied spirit who previously attempted this same pilgrimage, you will descend to the very depths of Septipus’ lair.
As plots go, it is definitely one of the more outlandish ones. But then, there is always room in videogames for more humour. Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse revels in its comedic story, and this is truthfully a more than welcome change from the constant and eternal grimdark of today’s gaming landscape. Even though the game is dark, this is a play mechanic instead of an attempt to appeal to the cool kids.
The play itself consists of a series of top-down single screen mazes, each with a ladder to the next level down. Between Smiler and the ladder there are spikes, conveyor belts, walls both solid and destructible, and possessed villagers. Using the left stick to manoeuvre, with a tap on the A button to boost, things are nicely uncomplicated. If this sounds a little simple, then thankfully things are made a bit more challenging by the momentum that Smiler carries after every movement, which is enough to make you think before every movement but never sufficient to feel as if you are not in control.
Some screens will merely have you finding a safe path. A selection of them are basic “Pick the keys in the right order” puzzles. Others charge you with picking the optimum moment upon which to move. All will reset should you touch anything you are not meant to. An additional complication is added the further down you go, as each successive level is slightly darker than the ones above. By the end of the 28 floors, things are quite tricky indeed and you start to feel glad that the game saw fit to furnish you with 99 lives at the start. There are times when you feel that it is getting too difficult, but it maintains the “I’ll do it this time!” feel throughout. Mistakes are always your own fault.
It is a shame that there are only 28 levels, as the title does leave you with a feeling of wanting some more. As it stands, it is all too short on gameplay. Perhaps the addition of timed rooms, or a single-life playthrough would go some way to alleviating this, and while it does seem quite unfair to demand more from something that costs 80 MS points it is hard to escape that it ends too soon. Take this as a positive, though.
With a unique setting, an unusual playstyle and some genuinely funny dialogue along the way, Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse stands out as a great advert for what is possible on the Indie channel. It won’t win any awards and may not win over too many converts, but is unquestionably worthy of the asking price. Anyone looking for something genuinely entertaining and different will find an enjoyable hour or two inside.
You can purchase Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse over on the XBLIG Marketplace for 80MSP/$1 and you can find out more information on the game over on the official website.
Review summary Pros:
Amusing story and dialogue; Well designed challenge; Pleasing aesthetic
Cons:
Zero replayability; A bit on the short side
Rating: 79%
