Save Me Mr Takois a Game Boy-inspired platformer about a friendly octopus, an inter-species war, and collecting many, many magical hats. Two years after its initial release, however, the title was delisted from digital platforms when developer Christophe Galati parted ways with original publisher Nicalis. Now the upcoming release ofSave Me Mr Tako: Definitive Editionpromises to bring the nostalgic platformer back better than ever before.
After two years of feedback,Mr Takois returning with many long-requested changes. Christophe Galati recently sat down for an interview with Game Rant where he explained just some of the differences fans can expect to see inSave Me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition.
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Re-Defining Mr Tako
Between the release ofindie platformerSave Me Mr Takoand its delisting, Christophe Galati was unable to make many of the changes fans were requesting. “The game was published for two years and I was not allowed to patch it,” Galati explained, “which was frustrating as I agreed with the feedback it received.”
Some of the challenges came from the game’s commitment to recreating theGame Boyexperience. In some cases, this led to players feeling that the original game could feel frustrating. “Mario has one-hit death when he doesn’t have a mushroom,” said the game’s creator, who began work on the title in 2014 following the Game Boy’s 25th anniversary, continuing on to say,
“I did not question why Tako also had one hit death when not wearing a hat. Retro games expect you to build a mental map to remember places and characters, I basically expected the same, but nowadays we all play way more games, so it’s hard to remember details like this, even more so if you stop playing the game for a while.”
The Definitive Edition Changes
Many of the changes coming toSave Me Mr Tako: Definitive Editionare quality-of-life upgrades. Galati claims that the re-release comes with improvements to many key areas that were initially intimidating to tackle duringMr Tako’s original development. “I spent a lot of time rebalancing theenemies' AIand level design to avoid difficulty spikes,” said Galati. Other upgrades include adjustments to the game’s camera and physics, as well as the hat and ink systems Mr Tako uses to navigate the game’s world.
When it comes to navigation,Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Editionwill also include a hint system which will help players find their way to the next hat. Players will also be able to change the game’s difficulty from the octopus village. The original game allowed players to switch between many different color palettes, but theDefinitive Editionwill also allow them to pick an “auto palette” option which will change the game’s colors depending on the player’s location. The re-release even comes with a sound system which will give player’s full access to the soundtrack.
Galati hopes that these changes will helpSave Me Mr Takogo from “hidden gem toindie classic.” To ensure its place in indie game history,Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Editionwill attempt to balance its Game Boy aesthetic with some more modernized mechanics and quality-of-life upgrades. Only time will tell how a re-release lands, but many fans of the original game will be happy to see Mr Tako again when they dive into theDefinitive Editionthis May.
Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Editionreleases May 5 on Nintendo Switch and on Steam.
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