Octopuzzle Deluxe by Mobilair,
Price: $9.95
Reviewed October 2004 by Tony Peak
These days it seems like most of the
basic formulas for puzzle games have been done to death.
That sad part is it’s
not just that the concept of many puzzle games are old, it’s
that the production quality is often lacking. That’s
why it’s so nice to see a seemingly traditional puzzle
game like Octopuzzle come along, with surprisingly untraditional
additions and a very sleek level of quality and style.
In Octopuzzle, you play as Thinky the
Octopus, on a mission to escape a dangerous reef, and save
it in the process. To do so you’ll have to make it through 25 levels blending
traditional brain teasers with action game challenges. The
basic game is a simple matter of clearing out fish by attacking
them. You pick a spot and swim directly from point A to B,
destroying any fish in your way. Your moves are limited however,
and you must reach the exit as well. Along the way you’ll
have shooting challenges, cannons to jump from, meet armored
fish, and even some boss fights. The action elements certainly
help to break up the sometimes monotonous pace of many traditional
puzzle games.
Controls are simple, but effective. Using the stylus you simply
pick a point, and Thinky darts directly there. Launching from
cannons is as simple as a screen tap, and the shooting stages
work much like swimming, but with a bigger crosshair. The visuals
are cartoonish, but highly stylish and unique. Impressive animated
backdrops give each level life, while little touches like bubbles
from the fish, little touches of animation cycles, or how each
fish is turned a random direction help free the game from just
being a collection of static sprites.
The game world feels thankfully alive,
active, and unique. There’s a good music track in the background, and though
I usually tuned it out while playing, it’s nice that
it’s there to keep your focus on the game. The more attention
grabbing sounds and short tracks of the menus do their job
well. There’re a few odd choices, such as the classic “game
over, man!” sound bite and little jingle that goes with,
but overall it’s all pretty good and well blended.
Octopuzzle isn’t the longest game out there, even at
the expanded 25 levels. If you consider yourself a puzzle master,
it could probably be beaten in one sitting. Assuming you’ll
get stuck on a level or two however, it’ll probably take
more around a few days. If you play puzzles occasionally at
best, you could be looking at quite a bit of play time to finish
the title. There’s not a heck of a lot of replay, but
it’s a solid set of brain teasers and quick action all
around.
Playing Hints and Tips
- Look for hints in the layout of
the fish as to what path to take, but don’t be afraid to try something completely
different. Following the obvious path won’t always
get you the win, it may just be a diversion from your real
goal.
- When fighting the giant puffer fish boss, the best strategy
is to quickly move to the upper left corner behind the score
and life bars, and stay there. Patiently wait and strike
from the corner, then immediately return and repeat. In the
later battles, you will have to rely on good timing and a
bit of luck.
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 Pocket
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