Octogeddon

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Game Details

Title: Octogeddon
Developer: All Yes Good
Publisher: All Yes Good
Website: http://www.octogeddon.com/press/index.php
Genre: Shooter, Action
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Audience: Everyone 7+
Release Date: 16/05/19
Price: £6.88 – Rapid Reviews UK were very kindly provided with a review code for this title.

What the Developers say

Grow more tentacles and evolve each of them into deadlier and deadlier weapons! Become the ultimate eight-legged killing machine!

Key Features:

Easy to pick up, hard to put down

Deep customization: Attach different animals as weapons to each of your arms! The combinations are endless, and deciding what to upgrade is super satisfying!

A variety of enemies each requiring different tactics to fight. And boss battles too!

Wreaking havoc and destroying cities as a massive mutant octopus = Great stress relief!

You’ve played Shoot-Em-Ups, but have you ever played a brand new genre of game called Spin-Em-Up? Dive into this new experience and SPIN TO WIN!

Ridiculously fun and ridiculously ridiculous!!

https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Octogeddon-1556673.html

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to destroy all human life as a giant octopus? Have you ever wanted to wield tentacles, shoot ice clouds from a penguin’s mouth or fire explosive eggs from a chicken? If the answer is yes to any of these questions then look no further than Octogeddon!

Get angry and get even in this unique rotating action shooter like nothing you’ve ever played before. Buy new tentacles and add a range of crazy attachments to them. Then go on a rampage and destroy everything that threatens your existence.

Audio & Visual

The audio in Octogeddon is pretty good with a range of different songs that will keep you engaged in this rotating shooter. Music during the main campaign helps to maintain your focus with a lot of rock-roll tracks being played. There’s even a track which reminded me of an old Godzilla movie I watched recently.

I mean If you’re going to destroy everything in sight you need a decent soundtrack, thankfully Octogeddon has it. The sound effects of explosions and roaring destruction all sound punchy, which makes destroying stuff more satisfying.

The animations are great in Octogeddon. There are a lot of similarities to Plants vs Zombies as guys who created that created this too, and I can see that in some of the weapon designs and overall presentation which I like. The backgrounds and the general art direction is well done, making Octogeddon a delightful, quirky title to see in motion.

Gameplay & Replayability

Octogeddon on the Nintendo Switch is a truly unique little title, and it took me by surprise once I started playing it.

This isn’t your typical shooter, though. Instead of moving your killer octopus around the screen and firing, you rotate him with the left analogue stick as he fires his weapons automatically while enemies approach from all sides. It’s your job to destroy them all by aiming any one of your tentacles at the approaching enemies to destroy them.

Of course, when you start, you will have to make do with your short-ish tentacles. Once an appendage touches the enemy, they will take damage and explode. You’ll have to rotate your octopus around and use his limbs to destroy all targets.

In the beginning, the waves of enemies are few, but as you progress through each area, more enemy varieties will appear including mid-level bosses and end level bosses, spicing up each encounter. Keeping you on your toes….wait do octopus have toes?

Humour!

One thing that is apparent from the very beginning is how funny this title is. 

There are little movies before each level showing our underwater hero watching either a sushi YouTube channel or being made fun of by Godzilla which angers him and makes him attack the nearest city. Each one of these movies adds a personality to the octopus which I found quite endearing. 

Octogeddon- weapons!

So, you want to get your own back. Well, you’re in for quite ride as we have multiple weapon attachments for air, land and sea!

You’re not going to be stuck with your standard appendage for too long. As you progress through the levels, you will encounter DNA strains that are located in either buildings or submarines. Collecting these will unlock new weapons that come in the form of different animal heads that can be attached to your tentacles during brief rest periods. Each one of the 30+ weapons has its own unique attack.

For example, the ice shooting penguin head can freeze enemies, making them slow down, giving you the chance to attack them. This is an excellent weapon to have when large groups are trying to surround you; however, this weapon causes no damage.

Another example is the chicken head, which fires exploding eggs. This is another great weapon to destroy multiple enemies at once but be aware, not all weapons attack at the same rate. Some are slower while others are quicker and result in more damage. Each one of these abominations is unique and add some creative ways to destroy your enemies.

My favourites were the quick firing venom shooting snakes, the frog who can latch on to the single enemy and by rotating your octopus you can swing enemy around hitting other units causing them damage.

The enemy!

There are 50+ enemies you can encounter during your playthrough, including boss battles. Each enemy has its speed and strength. This means individual units can be destroyed with a single hit, while others will take multiple hits to take down.

All enemies will try hit your core, e.g. your face, if they’re successful then one your hearts will be depleted. You can gain extra heart by destroying ether medic subs or planes to retrieve a single hit point.

Rogue-like shooter!

Yes, other games use rogue-like elements. If you die during your run, you’ll be sent straight back to the beginning of the game. However, like all good rogue-likes, the game rewards you with extra surprises or incentives to keep you playing – that’s a win in my book, and thankfully, Octogeddon does precisely that.

Shells can be earned during each run, and after you’ve croaked it, you’ll be sent to the shop where you can buy new weapons, extra slots and other useful upgrades. Buy enough and the shop keeper will give you an extra free heart.

Lots of new abilities can be found in the shop including ones that let you skip a certain number of levels or a passive ability to increase your chances of earning more gold during levels, so you buy new weapons or tentacles during rest periods.

The shop will continuously have new stuff including upgrades for your weapons, which makes dying a lot more useful as buying that certain upgrade or passive ability can help you get further in your next run. Also, all DNA weapons you’ve collected during a run will be carried over to next which I appreciated.

Levels ahoy!

There are 6 areas in Octogeddon such as New York and Tokyo to visit. Within each area, there are multiple levels to play, which will have increased enemy variety and numbers usually ending at the end of level boss. The goal is always the same, to destroy a famous landmark. There’s quite a bit of variety, keeping levels exciting such as crushing cars or smashing buildings while you’re being hounded with constant pressure by the enemy.

Mix & match!

In between levels you will be granted a rest period, here you can spend the gold you’ve earned on a random new weapon or new tentacle. You can even buy a new life which is a lifesaver in later levels. Within this shop, all weapons are completely random, so picking the right one for your set-up is as essential as certain weapons are better at dispatching certain enemies. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a slow firing weapon while being bombarded by fast-moving enemies.

Mini games!

There are a few little mini games after defeating bosses. This unlocks helper characters that you can equip during runs which can use a unique ability to help you survive a little longer. For example, the puffer fish can puff-up and destroy all surrounding enemies. Before unlocking these little heroes, you’ll need to move them through a little mini-game which involves dodging incoming projectiles and mines while collecting shells which can be spent if you die later on. These small games are little distractions but don’t impact overall experience too much.

B-monster mash!

I’ve enjoyed my time with Octogeddon on Switch, it’s simple premise works, and the rotating and shooting is satisfying and a lot of fun too. There are a lot of weapons to unlock and areas to visit. There’s lots to destroy which is always something I enjoy. I Love B-movie monster movies, so anything that lets me be a monster and destroy stuff gets my vote.

Conclusion

I can’t deny it. I love Octogeddon on Nintendo Switch. It’s a unique title that uses just the analogue stick to attack and the A button for an extra ability. It’s super simple but works well. I’ve found it difficult to put down and review the game because of how ridiculous it is. But even though it’s easy to control there is some precision required and planning to make sure have the right weapons at the right time.

There are lots to unlock, and the unique weapons can be entertaining and wacky to use. The rogue-like elements are never annoying here, and you’re continually rewarded with new stuff, so each run feel’s different.

I’ve not got a lot wrong to say about this title, and it has been a lot of fun. Of course, some may tire because of the restarting over again after death, but this is expected with the rogue-like genre.

There is also a little compendium to complete where movies can be watched and the enemies of Octageddon can be viewed. It’s just a fresh concept that works, and it’s my new favourite shooter on my Switch.

Rapid Reviews UK Rating

You can purchase Octogeddon from the Nintendo eShop at the following link, https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Octogeddon-1556673.html.