Octopus (2002)

Developer: Tose
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Game Boy Advance
Genres: Arcade

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A frantic arcade diving game about grabbing treasure under time pressure while dodging a grasping octopus.

arcadefast-pacedscore-chasingtensefrantic

About

The gameplay in this version is largely the same, but the graphics are updated, and the divers are replaced by Mario down below and Princess Peach in the boat. In this version, Mario earns twice as many points for every piece of treasure he brings to Peach. However, Mario gets slower as he grabs more treasure. To counter this, he can throw all of his treasure, which lightens his load and can stun one of the Octopus's arms for a brief time. Sometimes the Octopus squirts clouds of black ink, and if one hits Mario, he receives a miss. When Mario amasses 200, 500, and 700 points, a Lakitu appears and drops a heart for him to remove a miss. The Modern version also features music, with the tempo changing depending on the speed of the game. In Game & Watch Gallery 4, the Octopus changes color each time the player gets 200 points. In Game & Watch Gallery 4, if the player selects the game yet does not actually start it, a humorous sequence is shown. Mario arrives with a bag of loot in one hand and a Game Boy Advance in another. However, he ends up surrounded by four octopus arms (two on each side) that are menacing him. Trapped, he then calls on a Lakitu to help him. He then grabs the fishing pole of the Lakitu and, trying to hold on, is ultimately forced to drop his belongings, with a crown and gold objects falling out of the loot bag. Finally, each octopus arm retrieves a treasure, including the loot bag itself as well as the GBA.

Screenshots

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More by Tose

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.