This is our review for Octomaze released by Octagon game studio for Android and Steam. It is available now for $/€ 3.29
Have you ever wished you had as many arms as an octopus? Well, now’s your chance! In ‘Octomaze,’ you get to control the tentacles of a giant octopus as you try to solve dozens of puzzles. But is it really fun to have so many arms? In “Octomaze,” you take on the role of Aristotle, a giant octopus whose priceless artifacts have been stolen by their long-time rival, the Parasites. While it may not seem logical, a good puzzle game doesn’t necessarily require a story; it’s all about the puzzles. So, let’s take a closer look.
Seperate worlds
“Octomaze” is divided into six worlds, each filled with 15 small circles on a pathway representing a level. Once you complete a world, there is an option to buy bonus levels for more challenges. Each world has its own distinct style and is connected in some way or another. You start in a fully grown and happy forest, then continue through a trailer park, a big city, and eventually a launch pad that takes you into outer space. With its cartoonish art style, “Octomaze” reminded me of the mobile hit “Angry Birds”.
Cartoonish Octopus
The enemies in Octomaze are colorful, and each world has small details that fit with its unique aesthetics. For example, you may see small meteorites flying through space or a spraying fountain downtown. Your octopus is always portrayed at the top of each level, but there is a small detail that is easy to overlook: the octopus’s eye follows your every move, and if you’re getting hit, you can even see it become angry. Additionally, there is an option to buy a new look for the octopus. These small details add up and make the art style great. But enough about the art style; let’s move on to the core of the game—the puzzles..
A thousand arms
The first level of the game starts off with a tutorial to acquaint you with the game’s mechanics. By swiping your finger on your screen, you can move a tentacle around the field to go for items or buttons. Every time a new mechanic is introduced, “Octomaze” will provide a small tutorial level for you to learn. Each level has a different objective to achieve, ranging from collecting a certain amount of coins, to destroying a number of enemies, or pressing buttons. Additionally, each level features different kinds of obstacles to prevent you from reaching your goal. These could be small enemies blocking your path, moving enemies, lasers, flamethrowers, and even moving spikes. It’s up to you to safely move your tentacle past all these obstacles. However, if your tentacle gets hit, it will be destroyed, and you’ll have to try again.
The puzzles are well-balanced and build up in difficulty per level. To get the full 3 stars per level, you have to move your tentacle around the level as fast as you can. Here, I had some trouble with the input because you need to move quickly to beat the par times. Movement didn’t always get registered fast enough, making it a bit annoying when you have to try again and again.
Throughout the game, I also encountered a few bugs, such as a level without any objectives to fulfill and another one where I’m certain a key item was missing to actually finish the level. However, since I was playing an early access beta version, I’m confident that the developer will fix these bugs.
During the 4 to 5 hours I spent playing Octomaze, I had a great time maneuvering the octopus's tentacles. There's enough variety in obstacles, and the difficulty is well balanced. However, going for three stars can be frustrating due to input delays, but overall the game responds well. With six worlds, each consisting of 15 levels and bonus levels for added challenge, there is plenty of content to exercise your brain. I'm even looking forward to seeing more levels being added.
