Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition Switch Review

Save me Mr Tako released back in October of 2018, and it was an excellent little indie game that helped us to remember why old Game Boy games were awesome. Well, Christophe Galati is back again with the Definitive Edition of the game for the Nintendo Switch, and I am here to tell you that we are getting more of the same in all the best ways.

So does that mean that Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition is worth the nostalgia trip? Or will this poor octopus be better off grilled with Ancho Chile sauce? Let’s find out!

The story goes something like this: a long time ago, octopuses were the dominant species on earth, and they were the guardians of the memory of the ancient world. They were a peaceful species, but all of that came to a fall when humans entered the scene and took everything away from the octopus. A curse fell upon the poor octopus people, and they were hunted, eaten, and used by the new dominant species.

As their credibility declined, they were stuck under the sea with no hope in sight. That is until one octopus took it upon himself to get back at the humans and attempt to reverse the curse laid upon his people. He kidnaps human children and wages ware, and it appears that hope is even less in sight than before. However, you are here to save the day, Mr Tako!

It is a simple and effective story for a cute game that brings us down memory lane with its Game Boy-style graphics. Tako is a lovely little protagonist that serves as the middle-man and pacifist between two opposing worlds. His relationships define him, and you really want to see him succeed, a very important quality in a hero.

Save me Mr Tako is an action plaformer where you technically do not kill enemies but freeze them in their place with your ink. This lends to the platforming as well, as you are able to stand on most enemies without taking damage while they are temporarily frozen.

This is some great, simple platforming, even including the ability to look up and down like Super Mario World. Tako can even clip corners, allowing him to jump slightly higher when needed if he’s positioned well against a ledge. Learning to take advantage of enemies and their position in order to reach hard places is a huge part of the fun. Lots of items and secrets lie behind these types of situations, so mastering this will help you to find and unlock everything, including the precious hats.

Hats are awesome, because they give you different abilities. Not only do they decorate our hero wonderfully, but each of them serve a purpose in assisting gameplay. One hat will block enemy attacks from above while another hat allows you to jump higher. There are 50 hats in total in this Definitive Edition, and they are all a joy to find throughout the game.

Boss fights are all excellent and mix things up in such an awesome way, but I did find them to be a bit on the easy side. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but those who are looking for a challenge may want to look elsewhere. Personally, I think the bosses are the right level of challenging for a game that is modeling pacifism and peace. I mean, we are playing Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition here, not Demon Souls.

The rest of the game is split up by side quests, puzzles, mini-games, and dungeons. You would think such a game would not have so much depth and variety, but Christophe Galati went above and beyond the call of duty to bring a fully packed experience with Save me Mr Tako.

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Stages are split up similarly to a Kirby game where doors are in a hub of sorts that take you to stages or other areas that enhance the story. Clearing stages or talking to certain individuals will reveal and open new doors. In total, there are 6 different worlds to explore and over 50 stages where most of them have very good reason to come back later (Spoiler alert: It’s for hats!).

Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition deserves most praise for its stunning Game Boy-like graphics and even better soundtrack by Marc-Antoine Archier. Both aspects are gaming perfection and serve a purpose to remind us of gaming days long passed. It is not too often we get to play a game these days that makes us wish we could play more original Game Boy games, but here we are! Thankful for this gem.

There is so much more I could say about this game, but at the end of the day, this is a title that deserves a home on your Nintendo Switch. I love its thought-provoking story, the platforming is simple but adds some fun things to the table, the graphics are stellar and I love that you can swap color palettes on the fly, and the soundtrack is one banger after the next.

Tako is a great character that would have fit right at home on the system Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition pays homage to. If you love the Game Boy, or at least remember it fondly, then you will absolutely adore this game.

Save me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition Review provided by Nintendo Link
Developer: Christophe Galati
Publisher: Limited Run Games
Release Date: May 5, 2021
Price: $12.99, £11.69, €12,99
Game Size: 645MB