There are such a lot of indie throwbacks to previous Nintendo consoles lately, it takes plenty of juice for one to essentially catch my eye, however Sport Boy Advance-style RPG Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets and techniques (beforehand reported on by Rock Paper Shotgun) seems prefer it has the fitting stuff. Tako no Himitsu (actually “Secret of the Octopus”) has significantly beautiful artwork, in addition to soundtrack contributions from GBA and SNES vets Motoi Sakuraba (Golden Solar, Darkish Souls) and Masanori Hikichi (Terranigma, Danganropa 2).
Tako no Himitsu comes out of the gate with a generously lengthy demo masking the intro sequences of two members of a deliberate six-character ensemble solid—it looks like the sport’s taking a web page from Stay a Stay or Octopath Traveler with how our heroes come collectively, with every one getting their very own highlight introductory sequence and fewer emphasis on a single one in every of them because the protagonist. It took me about 45 minutes to complete only one character in Tako no Himitsu’s demo on Steam.
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And what’s right here is admittedly fascinating mechanically: Tako no Himitsu feels loads like Secret of Mana, with actual time fight and light-weight puzzle fixing blended up with a tactical menu the place you choose particular strikes and spells tied to magical octopi you accumulate all through the story. The little buddies may be blended and matched with totally different get together members to unlock synergies and combos, however within the demo portion I performed I used to be restricted to a projectile assault and enemy scan. The octopus system’s of completion is a house base fountain the place your little guys hang around, and you may care for the critters to construct up your bond with them—it jogs my memory plenty of the Chao Backyard from Sonic Journey 2.
My favourite factor right here is certainly the aesthetic. Tako no Hitsume actually nails the smooth strains and vibrant colours of GBA pixel artwork, and the sound results even have a distinctly GBA je ne sais quoi that I dig. The soundtrack from Sakuraba, Hikichi, and lead composer Anotine Archer, in the meantime, is simply pretty, the type of factor to essentially evoke a protracted automobile trip sat within the again seat enjoying Golden Solar.
Tako no Himitsu has already handed its preliminary funding objective on Kickstarter, however you continue to have 27 days to again the sport in the event you’re , and lead developer Christophe Galati is aiming for a 2026 launch window. You can too try Tako no Himitsu’s demo for your self and wishlist the sport on Steam.