PixlBit

Octomania is odd. That's all I can say. The characters, the control scheme, etc. are all weird. Octomania is a puzzle game that definitely will kick you straight in your stomach and make you wish you got something along the lines of Geometry Wars Galaxies. But it's not a terrible game...just odd.

Octomania, first and foremost is a puzzle game full of samurai crabs, lazy angels, flaky robots, mama’s-boy demons, and sentient food items. This odd cast of characterss will easily charm  even the most unpleasant curmudgeons. Think Puyo Puyo/Kirby’s Avalanche/Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine but with the quirkiness cranked up to infinity.

The object of the game is simple: multicolored octopi drop onto your screen and you must clear them faster than they accumulate, or it’s game over when your screen completely fills. Much like any puzzle game akin to the likes of puyo puyo etc. What is different however, is that large squares pop up on each screen, each labeled with a number, and you must fill the square with at least that number of same-colored octopi to make them disappear. Once you do this, however, the octopi don’t exactly disappear, they turn into puffs of smoke that you can then use to form a chain. Move more octopi of the same color adjacent to the puffy smoke clouds to form an even bigger puffy chain. You only have a few seconds to add links to your chain, but if you choose a color that’s abundant enough you can form some massive chains. The larger the chain, the more damage you will do to your opponent.

Damage comes in the form of sea urchins. When your opponent strings together a chain, a shower of sea urchins will rain down on your screen. The only way to get rid of them is to chain them on to your octopi chains, which will slow down the amount of damage you do because urchins don’t count toward your chains.

There's a beginner mode and tutorial mode available if you can't get your head around the concept. There are also 4 options to choose from...Story, multiplayer, online, and an option settings of course. The story mode has a classic mode, arcade mode ,etc. as do the multiplayer and each character has their own story. The online mode doesn't work nowadays since nintendo cut off Ninteno Wi-Fi, but even when it was viable I still never found anyone to play against. I think maybe I played one person total. The story mode isn't terrific, and the voice acting may annoy some people. And while you may or may not like the struggles of a rhyming and rapping tree, the character's stories each have their own unique charm. The multiplayer is decent fun if you can find someone to play with.

Octomania is awkward control wise for one option. Of the two control options: classic (holding the remote sideways) and pointer (holding the remote and pointing like well... a remote), the classic style is far superior. I wouldn't even begin to tell you to use the Wii remote pointing at the T.V. Hold it sideways! The point interaction will murder you and unless your reflexes are wicked fast you will fail so hold it sideways! Another issue I have is that I find the game to be incredibly luck based. This is because you'll need to wait and risk losing to break a big chain combo out to beat your opponent while keeping your own board clear. This causes matches that last until the very end causing you to get some very cheap wins and even cheaper losses.

It's less about puzzle solving than it is dumb luck but Octomania offers a decent time if you're willing to do so. Overall, Octomania isn't the best puzzle game out there but, I've seen worse. While it isn't quite engaging and features a ludicrous cast of characters, it's Octomania's quirky charm is more than enough to pass it. Oh and that god damn intro song is friggin catchy j-pop! TAKO! TAKO! TAKOYAKI TAKORON!

Personal Opinion- 6.5/10: A decent puzzle game full of weird characters, strangely yes... I enjoyed it.

Critical Opinion- 6.3/10: One of the control optins is terrible, it's completely luck based, no more wi-fi option leaves out a selling point (not that I ever found someone online to play), and not everyone will find the cast of characters enjoyable....but god damn that theme song...

Overall Determination- 6.4/10: What a Bargain!