Forza Octopus, the proven tribute to Jumping Flash
Forza Octopus
We are in the year 199X and things have definitely not gone the right way, at least for our planet. 99.9% of human beings are now cosmic dust due to an explosion caused by Dr. Prometheus, the inventor of Pink Energy (never trust pink things, NEVER ed), and all the places once inhabited and full of life they are like fragments of time frozen and suspended in the void. A lot of poetry to say that we are in the palta up to the neck. Actually no, since there is no one left, but what can you do about it?The only hope for the few survivors is a small robot called Octopus (guess why) who is guided in search of the memory cubes scattered throughout the levels, protected by the robotic armies of Dr. Prometheus. Only by collecting them all will we find the meaning of life. And of the universe. And everything. 42. Come on Octopus! Take on this suicide mission for us and to say that you have at least tried! We are coming with you.
Yes, all this to say that we have tried Forza Octopus and now we tell you what it is!
Forza Octopus
The world of Forza Octopus is surreal Forza Octopus is a first-person action game that mixes the mechanics of two titles that will be obscure to many, but which will surely bring back good memories in older and more passionate players: Pilotwings for Super Nintendo and, above all , Jumping Flash! For PlayStation. The objective of each of the levels from which it is composed (eight in the Early Access version, which will become sixteen in the final one) is to go around in search of the memory cubes, interacting with the scenario when necessary and destroying all the enemies that will try to to be scrapped.It is essentially a single player game, in which the gameplay requires first of all to become familiar with Octopus, learning how to make him fly and how to prevent him from running out of energy (in the first mission there is a kind of tutorial drawn on blackboards that explains everything), and then launch yourself along the crazy levels from which it is composed, formed for the most part by floating objects, be they houses, docks, vehicles, pieces of road, boats, tunnels and everything what you can imagine to find in a Japanese city of the 90s, only torn to pieces.
Mechanics and level design are linked to a double throw, because the skills of Octopus are used precisely to extricate themselves into those who are real labyrinths of platforms, where it is not always obvious how to get to a certain place. The control system itself has been designed in such a way as to be intuitive and very direct, but at the same time more complex to master than it may seem at first glance, thanks to a gradual acceleration system and physics that make it more complicated than expected certain passages, in particular certain landings.
Some design choices are almost annoying at first, because they lead to many unwanted deaths. Moreover, you cannot save when you want but you always have to go back to the starting point of the level to do so, so in some cases the frustration is double.
The graphic glitches are part of the visual style of Forza Octopus The energy bar also complicates the situation, which is consumed by performing certain actions (for example flying) and which must be replenished by looking for the cells pink energetics scattered throughout the levels. In any case, having become familiar with the mechanics, Forza Octopus proves to be capable of thrilling in more than one way, for example by asking the player to finish the levels faster and faster or to find the various secrets, which are used to increase the score and unlock the subsequent levels. In the end we understand that Monte Gallo, the developer, does not simply want the player to finish the levels, but to become a virtuous connoisseur of the same, that is, able to exploit the game system to make impressive evolutions.
Gameplay
To enter Octopus you have to go through this computer, with which a mysterious female character interacts. The maps of them become more and more complicated. It starts from a very small environment, where the cubes are all identifiable right away and where the jumps on the platforms are very simple and intuitive, and you get to larger places, full of precision jumps and enemies eager to make us the robotic skin. Just the enemies seemed to us the weakest part of the whole game, but let's go in order. For the vast majority of the time, Octopus fights by firing bullets.If you want you can also collect bonus weapons, such as missiles, but their use is really limited, even if they are very powerful. Enemies range from weird and slow pyramid robots, to cube-shaped robotic birds that are very reminiscent of Angry Birds, passing through weird black turrets with one eye and red mouth. In general, to defeat them, just shoot them a certain number of shots, avoiding theirs, without having to apply who knows what strategies. In practice, the advanced levels are teeming with opponents and often you have to shoot a lot to advance and return to the base to take cover, but the feeling is always that of doing something out of place, almost obligatory.
Our world now floats in the void More simply, shooting hasn't really fascinated us, because it never gives us adequate adrenaline peaks and sometimes it distracts from the exploratory part.
From the point of view Forza Octopus technician is a pleasant title. The objects that make up the scenarios are very stylized and certainly do not scream a miracle, but their composition and the color palette chosen to characterize the levels, which revolves around blue, white and pink, make the experience of aesthetically satisfying and in a certain sense refreshing game, given what is usually seen around. After the levels, we were left with a big doubt: did we like what we played or not? We obviously need the eight missing levels to decide that. It is a good sign, from a certain point of view.
Forza Octopus is a title that works, especially for the vision it offers to the player, very far from that of the world of triple A and big industry. In the end it is a game in which you explore and fight, but you do it with a certain class, moreover in a world that appears beautiful despite being completely in ruins and at times empty. Too bad for the fighting, a bit subdued. However, we will see if with the final version some changes will be made to the various aspects of the game, or if it will remain as well as with a few more levels.
