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Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Quadropus Rampage

I have a tenuous relationship with roguelike games. As a matter of fact, I've only played a couple to completion - Azure Dreams (which was relatively easy due to being built for the Gameboy Color, a kid-friendly system) and Shiren the Wanderer - which I barely beat before ragequitting out of sheer frustration (and loss of equipment earned over hours of play).

Hence, I didn't expect Quadropus Rampage to be anything much. After all, it's a free game for the Android platform from a relatively unknown developer.

It's amazing to see what people can do when they care about the game first and think about profits as a distant afterthought.

Quadropous Rampage is a roguelike brawler that features Tack (a four limbed octopus who wields things like tennis rackets and chopsticks) and his pet starfish Bingo as they try to make their way into the deep abyss against hordes of creatures to defeat Pete, the God of the Sea. It goes without saying that the deeper Tack dives, the more difficult things are and it is inevitable for him to meet his demise at some point. Luckily, upgrades are available for orbs collected by slaying enemies - and they can be used to upgrade different abilities like speed and special moves as well as purchase additional pets to aid him in his quest.

While it may sound relatively simple, there are a few other things to keep in mind that would help turn the tide to Tack's advantage (since the game becomes really difficult at some points). Masteries are tasks that are completed over the course of gameplay, and achieving them grants access to one of two available perks with provide changes to how the hero fights the creatures of the deep. Artifacts, which grant even more abilities to those who manage to acquire them, can be bought from the game's vendor (whose name I forget) or found randomly during the journey.

There's an awful lot to do, and four different game modes would keep even most players occupied. In-app purchases exist to help in gaining access to the unlockables (which could be obtained by regular gameplay. Personally, I don't mind the grind to earn them, as it definitely helps to hone the finer points of battle - and shortcuts in games like these would only go so far.

This shouldn't be free, but it is - and it's awesome. Get Quadropus Rampage from Google Play now!

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