Get Ready For One Gutsy Adventure In Tentacles: Enter The Dolphin
Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin ($0.99) by Microsoft Corporation is a smooth and fluid top-down platformer adventure for your iOS device.
In TETD, you take on the role of a mysterious black tentacled creature named Lemmy, who was created by Professor Phluff, a dolphin — they are smart creatures, after all. After realizing that Lemmy was a mistake, a freak accident occurs, and Lemmy ends up inside the guts of Phluff, and it’s up to you to help him navigate his way out.
Visuals in this game are pretty stunning, and I’m pleasantly surprised, since this was a game from Microsoft and Press Play. Everything looks sharp and crisp, and the colors are vibrant. The game’s music is pretty ambient and soothing, despite the fact that you are in a creatures insides.
Controls are simple, though it may take a bit of getting used to. In order to move Lemmy, you just need to tap the screen in front of him to make him reach out with his tentacles and grab on to walls and platforms. There will be spikes and other dangerous obstacles that will get in your way, so you’ll have to navigate him carefully.
There will be other creatures you’ll come across, but this is the fun part — you can use your tentacles to rip their eyes out for points. There are also some exciting boss battles for you to play through. Each level you are in will also have a challenge at a certain point. These challenges will have certain objectives, like taking no damage during that part, or getting through it in a certain time limit. If you can accomplish these goals, you will earn extra points.
Your final score is determined by how many orbs you pick up, if you take damage, and if you can successfully accomplish the challenge. If Lemmy gets hurt, you will see a red border on the screen, and his eyes will become red as well. You can earn up to three stars on a level, determined by the total number of pickups you got, if you died, and whether the challenge was successful or not.
There are 40 levels in TETD, and while they are definitely challenging, the game can be a bit repetitive at times. However, that doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t try the game out — it’s still plenty of fun. To pause, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
There are achievements to earn in the game, but they do not appear to be integrated into Game Center. I’m not sure why this is the case, but hopefully it’s possible in the future. If you are ever curious about what achievements you have obtained, you can check within the game itself.
If you want more, there is an additional storyline, “Dog Eat Dog,” which can be bought for $0.99.
Tentacles: Enter the Dolphin is gorgeous, fluid, and easy-to-play but hard to master. It may be a bit repetitive, but it is still lots of fun. And with the $0.99 price tag, you can have it on both your iPhone and iPad. I recommend giving it a try if you haven’t already.
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