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Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets is an upcoming action-RPG inspired by genre classics like Golden Sun and Final Fantasy, as well as the Studio Ghibli movie Howl's Moving Castle, and it's easy to see why it's already secured nearly 200% funding on Kickstarter.
If you want to see for yourself what all of the fuss is about, you can download the demo and play two of its chapters, or about 1.5 hours of gameplay, right now for free. Having been enticed enough by the project's Kickstarter campaign to fiddle around with the demo for a little while, it certainly seems on the surface to tick all of the right boxes. The pixel art is adorable but deceptively detailed, the combat is likewise approachable but satisfyingly deep, and the music - oh, the music - is utterly transportive. I've had the soundtrack on the whole time I've been writing this article, and I think I'll keep it going for the rest of the day.
Motoi Sakuraba, of Golden Sun fame, and Masanori Hikichi, known for his work on Terranigma, both contributed to the soundtrack, and their legendary combined experience results in a score that actively elevates the story and action on-screen. Speaking of which, the combat is really something else. It's a party-based system where you assemble a team of three from six available characters, and they each have their own unique abilities that define whether they're a Creator, Warrior or Protector.
Once you kill enough enemies, a meter fills up and you can launch a Symbiosis attack - and this is where things get real good - which "feature unique gameplay mechanics and over the top visuals, like a rhythm mini game, or dashing through enemies as a drag queen."
Did I mention the octopuses? Joining you along your journey will be magical octopuses that you can befriend and train to learn spells, aid you in battle, and help solve puzzles when you're out exploring the vast world. Oh, and guess where you take them to train and care for them... The Octopus Fountain, which was inspired by the Chao Gardens from the Sonic games. Remember how I said this game ticks all of the boxes? Well, it turns out it ticks ones I didn't even know where there.
Tako no Himitsu is in development at Deneos, a France-based developer created by Christophe Galati to "pay homage to classical eras of gaming." The studio's debut project, Save me Mr Tako, is another homage to portable classics that was largely well-received, and Tako no Himitsu is a direct sequel even though Deneos says "you don't need to play the first game to understand this one."
