The Daily Click

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Author:	Hill Gigas
Added:	14/02/2008
Overall:
Average:	7/10

How you do pronounce the name of this game? I guess it's "Octaan". However you say it, here is a very interesting and fun little platformer in the style of Contra. You are a soldier on a mission to.. kill everything you see! And you can do so with a variety of weapons including flame throwers, plasma rifles, missiles and more! My favorite was the flame thrower.

The engine for this game was very well built, with only minor issues here and there. Overall, it's a very solid platformer with responsive controls and a fun weapon system. The only problems I encountered were minor issues with double jumping not being 100% reliable. But thanksfully that never caused too much of a problem for me!

If an 11 were possible, I would give it an 11. The graphics are a sight to behold. Character and enemy animations are top notch, and level design is very well done. The look of this game really reminded me of arcade games from the 90's, sidescrolling beat'em ups that would take buckets of quarters to beat! From the title screen to the weapon effects, the graphics were very well done and very professional.

Sounds and music are also very fitting for this game. You'll hear every shot and splatter, and the sounds add a lot of atmosphere to an already great game. Very well done!

If you are an old school Contra fan, this game will keep you hooked for a while. It's hardcore, make no mistake. It will beat you down, chew you up, then beat you down again... then step on you. But challenge isn't always a bad thing, and lots of people can find some good lastability here. However, most casual players may not stick with it due to some unfair issues that make the game harder than it should be. Enemies below you (if you are on a crate for instance and they are on ground level) are still tall enough to register a hit on you. There are also too many "medusa head" enemies as opposed to normal enemies that you can have a fair fight with. Also, running out of ammo can be lethal since the game won't automatically switch to your next available weapon, leaving you pressing keys in a panic trying to find something with bullets left!

Overall, this is a well made action platformer. Graphics are exceptional, sounds are great, gameplay is solid, and it's very clear that a lot of time and effort went into this game. If I had to recommend any changes to help make this game more appealing to a broader audience, I'd recommend adding more brainless baddies to the early levels, let the player have some fun with those guns! There will be plenty of time for challenge later! It's not as much fun having cool weapons when you have to tip-toe through levels. Let the player have a few levels to be a the 1-man-army he's supposed to be! :) This game is recommended for action/platfomers fans.