Save Me Mr Tako Developer Talks Definitive Edition Changes

Save Me Mr Tako is 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 of Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition promises to bring the nostalgic platformer back better than ever before.

After two years of feedback, Mr Tako is 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 in Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition.

Between the release of indie platformer Save Me Mr Tako and 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 the Game Boy experience. 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,

Many of the changes coming to Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition are quality-of-life upgrades. Galati claims that the re-release comes with improvements to many key areas that were initially intimidating to tackle during Mr Tako's original development. "I spent a lot of time rebalancing the enemies' AI and 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 Edition will 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 the Definitive Edition will 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 help Save Me Mr Tako go from "hidden gem to indie classic." To ensure its place in indie game history, Save Me Mr Tako: Definitive Edition will 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 the Definitive Edition this May.

Fans of the No More Heroes games who are finding it difficult to wait until the release of the third main-series entry later this year may find some solace in a recent announcement from publisher Limited Run Games. The first two games in the series, re-released on the Nintendo Switch eShop last year, are getting their own physical copies for those who prefer their games more tangible.