As an early teen who played on my Game Boy Advance far more than was healthy, Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets had no trouble standing out at its little booth at BitSummit Drift 2024 in Kyoto. With a bright color palette, an in-game Game Boy Advance-style border, and gameplay inspired by Golden Sun and Terranigma, how could it not?
Developed by Cristophe Galati, Tako no Himitsu – which translates to “the Secret of the Octopus” – is quite different mechanically from his previous title Save Me, Mr. Tako! though it’s set in the same universe. You may have heard of or played Save Me, Mr. Tako! as it looks like an original Game Boy title; however, it suffered some setbacks, like issues with the publisher delisting it and a punishing difficulty, which was eventually rectified with quality-of-life features seen in the Definitive Edition.
I sat down to play Tako no Himitsu on the first day of BitSummit and popped by to watch others do so multiple times over the next two days, chatting with Galati when I could. The demo, which you can currently play on Steam, allowed me to choose between two characters: a singer named Mylene or a depressed boy with a starfish on his face named Clive. While there was a choice in the demo, the full game will have six playable characters with narratives that intertwine more naturally. I went with Mylene because I wasn’t sure what to make of the starfish boy (Galati would later explain that fans of Mylene wear the starfish as a symbol of their adoration).
Mylene’s story opens with her and her companion Buuto storming a temple, with the priests inside claiming she has no idea what evil she’s about to unleash if she succeeds in singing a prophetic song. Immediately I got a taste of Tako no Himitsu’s action-based combat as I swung Buuto’s sword to defeat cultists, enjoying the catchy chiptune background music. I could swap to Mylene at any time, but learned later her singing attack was better suited for battling spirits.
After seeking out and defeating some hidden enemies, I arrived at the center of the temple, triggering a boss fight against the master of the temple where I avoided his magical orbs while swapping between both characters to hit him during different phases. Mylene’s slice of story ended ominously, indicating that her quest to sing the ocean prophecy might not have been a good one.
Galati said people often draw comparisons with his games he didn’t intend. For me, the weather brought to mind the opening to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and the boss fight was reminiscent of battles against Ganon. Swapping characters in the action-orientated combat, when combined with the bright color palette, felt like Secret of Mana.
Clive’s story, on the other hand, sees him trailing some soldiers that visit his quaint, boring town before he gets drawn into a mysterious void. There, he pushes around some blocks before rescuing a little tako – an octopus – that can cast spells. This part, more than anything else, brought back fond memories of the first two Golden Sun games as the tako companion felt a lot like how you’d discover djinn in the classic Camelot JRPGs. Furthermore, Clive’s side showed another way to attack: he swings his jacket to reflect projectiles back at foes, as opposed to Buuto’s sword slashes and Mylene’s song notes.
Unfortunately, Galati said Tako no Himitsu probably would not see release until 2026 – which would also coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Game Boy Advance. Despite being so polished, Tako no Himitsu: Ocean of Secrets still has 17 days left on its Kickstarter campaign at the time of writing. It has blown past its original goal already, so we are getting the game someday. Luckily, that gives me lots of time to give Save Me, Mr. Tako! a spin, as I want to know everything I can about this nostalgia-laden world before I play the full game hopefully sooner rather than later.
Published: Jul 22, 2024 10:25 pm