Teppo and the Secret Ancient City

Legend tells of a hidden Amazonian city that once acted as a gateway to parallel worlds. A portal of sorts powered by colored diamonds. So says the Indigenous individual who in 1970 sparks up a curious conversation with famed explorer Teppo in a bar. As a man of opportunity Teppo knows when to take the lead and run with it, so he sets out on an adventure into the amazon wilds to collect the fabled diamonds, and secure his name in history. 

Teppo's adventure is one of peril and platforming. For each colored diamond there is a massive maze-like 2D terrain to cover in which collecting multiples of said diamond are a must in order to complete that part of the quest. Initially Teppo can only jump and double jump as he dodges hazards and pounces upon respawning enemies. Only upon finding various weapons or tools can he switch between and use alternative methods of dispatching dangerous creatures or gathering hard to reach diamonds. These tools which include a boomerang, pistol, and bomb have dual uses both in the puzzle platforming, diamond acquisition, and combat sense. 

Furthering the challenge ahead is Teppo's limited heart container life which allows for four hits before death, and five lives which when exhausted mean a GAME OVER. With the tools in hand, and the life limitations in mind your goal in each biome is to collect the set amount of diamonds as you dodge hazardous traps, and open up gated pathways for progress. Eventually leading you to a portal which will take you to the next diamond collect-a-thon in line. 

The Presentation ...

Teppo, and the world he finds himself in is pixel constructed in the retro sense, and highly detailed for an indie of it's caliber. Featuring articulate animations, varied lighting effects, and other special effects to add to the mystique of the mysterious locales, and their treasure laden interiors. The music is indie quality with a matching retro flair keeping true to the inspired design choices that were made. You can adjust the volume via the main menu, and even change the subtitle language to a select few languages. Textual conversations that will be seen in static comic book style panels.

The Verdict ...

Teppo isn't something mind blowing in comparison to some other puzzle platformers, but what it does do well is mix up the challenges into massive sections of content which increase the difficulty of completion, without becoming an impossible undertaking. Thankfully there are checkpoints along the way as well as extra lives, and hearts. Progress made remains intact even without crossing a checkpoint totem, which is an added plus. It lessens the blow of the challenging nature of the gameplay at hand. Making the health and life limitations less of a concern if you tread carefully as an explorer would in such a situation. 

Personally I did enjoy the simple yet complex challenge that 'Teppo and the Secret Ancient City' provides. It's just right, and not overly annoying. Mistakes made are the more often than not the players' fault, and are not usually attributed to unfair features. You just have to tread carefully, mind the traps, and deal with the creatures as you go about collecting the current quota of diamonds. 

Story-wise Teppo's adventure is okay. It's not something profoundly different, but it does take a modern angle with the mention of portals, parallel worlds, and ships that came down to Earth to aide ancient civilizations. For that it gains respect for staying current with the Ancient Alien Conspiracy Theories. If you are looking for a perilous puzzle platformer turned collect-a-thon with an Indiana Jones vibe then Teppo's adventure might be the treasure you are seeking. It is currently out on the PSN store for the looting!!!