Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse (XBLIG): "An Epic Game With An Unusually Sinister Villain & Equally Unusual Hero"

Very rarely have I had the chance to review an indie game, or video game that has such a great production value as 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse' has. Everything about this game was delivered in an epic way. The developer, 'Soulfire Software' definitely put a lot of effort into their release of this game. Everything from the game design to the music involved shows that the developer really wanted to deliver a quality product. I actually played through the game early this morning, and enjoyed every single minute of it despite the sometimes gut wrenching difficulty that was presented. After doing my playthrough I actually rated 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse' through the XBL dashboard giving it a full five stars. This alone lets you know what I think about the game. It's not often that I take the time to give a game any ratings let alone a five star rating. Before I ramble on too much I will proceed with my review.

 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse' tells the tale (through FABLE-like visuals) of the people of Follicles who fell victim to the wrath of Septipus, a villainous octopus who's ultimate goal was to deprive them of their dignity. This of course entailed the thievery of their hair, and the enslavement of their minds. Luckily a hero arose to save the day. This hero's name was 'Smiley', a rather burly looking fellow who looked as if he stepped off of a 16th century Japanese art scroll. Guided by a trapped spirit, Smiley set out on his quest through a dark dungeon to mangle the face of the deranged, and seemingly psychotic monstrosity known as 'Septipus'. Armed with 99 lives, a spirit guide and a thirst for vengeance Smiley must save the people of Follicles as well as his own people who were also enslaved.

There are 27 levels of classic dungeon crawling goodness within 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse' as well as a final boss fight with the villain of the story. As 'Smiley' you are given 99 lives in which to traverse the darkly lit dungeon, and ultimately make it to your destined battle with Septipus. Some areas will simply require you to guide Smiley with the aid of his spirit companion to an exit located somewhere in the dungeon's vicinity. As you make further progress though you will encounter hazards that will require you to move a little more cautiously. Some of these said hazards include spikes, and even some of your zombified brethren. What really complicates this goal is the fact that Smiley, and the spirit guide move as if they were sliding on ice. It makes treading through the dungeons all the more difficult.

The controls in 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse' are likely the most simple you'll encounter in any video game, period. All you have to focus on the game is movement, and as such you will only be required to use the (Left Thumbstick) to do so. The only other controls that come into play happen during the final boss fight where the game turns into a full blown shmup (shoot 'em up). In this part of the game the movement stays the same, but (Right Trigger) is used to fire Smiley's various weapons.

The graphics, and music are where 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse' really shines. Like I briefly mentioned earlier the game opens up with a stained glass tale similar to that of 'Fable'. There are also some 3D renderings, and visuals applied during this animated/narrated sequence as well. After the story is told through the narration the screen scrolls down the statue of Smiley, finally settling an old television which turns out to be the actual in-game screen. I found it truly impressive how 'Soulfire Software' tackled the screen image by reducing it in size, and making it look as if you were actually playing from a television that was located at the base of the larger than life Smiley statue. Aside from this brilliant game intro, and design the soundtrack also had an epic quality about it. I believe there are at least five different music tracks that played over the course of the game. Some were opera-like in fashion while others seem to have been sung by a professional choir. Even the rolling end credits are accented by such music. 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse' honestly looked, and felt like a retail game with the addition of the amazing soundtrack, and the well orchestrated visual tale.

There's not much else I can praise 'Septipus: Tentacle Apocalypse', or 'Soulfire Software' about, because the game is practically perfect. I've basically said so with my own review of the game. It is a visual, and audio feast that is definitely worthy of the 80 msp ($1) asking price. If I had any complaints at all it would be that I wished there were more levels within the game. This isn't really a complaint, but merely me saying that the game was so good that I wish there was more of it. If you haven't got this game yet, and you're a fan of the classic dungeon crawlers such as 'The Legend of Zelda (NES)' then definitely get it! Even shmup fans may get something out of this game considering how the final boss battle played out.