Octonaut (REVIEW)

The year is 20XX, and the Earth is in peril. Humanity is facing extermination due to an invading alien army. In a panic they call out for help, and the one hero that answers is a cartoony cephalopod known only as Octonaut. This flying, and projectile shooting orange octopus is humanity's last hope, and through eight stages reaching from the oceans surface to the far reaches of outer space itself he must brave the odds while facing the eight alien bosses that stand between him, and Earth's salvation.

Playing like a shmup that was inspired by both Parodius and Bells & Whistles, "Octonaut" pits the player against eight stages, and eight bosses that will test their ability to use the mechanics provided. Through three modes including the main campaign, custom mode, and panic mode you will have to use a background dodge, and power-up system to destroy the enemies before you. All while trying to capitalize on points tied to a colored gem scoring system that requires you to shoot the dropped gems to change their color for increased point value.

In the main playthrough your Octonaut, the character you'll be controlling, has a shield with one thousand health points. That, and a stock of three lives. Getting shot or hitting environmental hazards along the way depletes the shield, and once the shield is fully depleted it will send your Octonaut back to the start of the stage or at a boss checkpoint if you have stocked lives. Otherwise it's GAME OVER.You start off each playthrough as the Octonaut with a basic pellet shot, and by killing waves of lesser enemies Parodius style you will find either cupcake power-ups or colored gems. The cupcake power-ups change the shot type as well as offer buffs such as shields, invincibility, and health. Pressing SQUARE will activate the currently collected shot, and shield/invincibility power-ups while health is automatically applied. As you clear the waves of enemies you'll also be increasing your hit multiplier which in turn increases the score you are earning. Sort of like a combo count. You'll find that scoring opportunities in Octonaut includes the basic killing of enemies as well as the collecting of colored gems. The colored gems will change from their starter color that is green, to yellow, to red, to purple, and finally to violet when shot with each color offering a progressively higher point bonus. Shooting a violet gem, however, will reset the gem back to green, and will need to be shot again to change the color to a color of higher point value. Aside from the power-up, and gem mechanics you'll also have to utilize a dodge mechanic that has the Octonaut swinging into the background briefly to dodge environmental obstacles, boss appendages, and bullet hell shots. It is this dodge that will help you survive.

Beyond the main campaign which harbors eight static stages, and eight boss fights are two other modes with a similar playthrough layout, but different features. The custom mode, which is unlocked alongside panic mode after you've beaten the main campaign is basically a cheat inclusive version of the main experience. It offers options for increasing the shield, lives, starter weapon, and even how power-ups drop. Something that will be accounted for at the end of a completed playthrough. It is a mode that's good for casual play. In a polar opposite presentation you'll find panic mode which is where the true challenge lies. In panic mode you start of with a shield, but will get a GAME OVER with one hit afterwards. It does include the same eight stage, and eight boss playthrough as the other two modes making it one of the hardest hardcore modes in the history of shmups.

Extras ...

The extras included in Octonaut include a scanline screen filter with a few increased visual changes as well as a sound test, and credits. It's not much, but it does offer a little something extra for those paying for the game.

The Verdict ...

I actually played through the main, and custom modes. Ultimately platinuming Octonaut. During my playthroughs I found the game at times to feel like an entry level shmup, and at other times more challenging. Sometimes I even found problematic level designs that due to color schemes hid environmental threats making them harder to dodge, and unnecessarily so. Overall the mechanics work alright though gameplay feels a bit loose. One of the biggest issues I found was that the entire Octonaut is a hitbox, and the Octonaut is big for a ship replacement. Coupled with the loose movement of the Octonaut it makes dodging things more difficult than they should be in a game of this type. All things considered it's a decent shmup, but not one I feel I'd go back to after getting the platinum trophy. With it's flaws it kind of wears thin after a while.