Dawn of the Celestialpod
GWAMM LLC · 2018 · Action, Adventure, Indie, Violent, Strategy
PC
4 user reviews75% · 4
This game is free to play. Get it on Steam →
Screenshots
About Dawn of the Celestialpod
Gameplay
At the core of Celestialpod is a unique physics based tentacle system that allows you to swing, pull, and grab your way through rigorous challenges. Every ship poses new tests where you’ll need to master the use of your tentacles in order to stand a chance. The robots will do anything they can to keep harvesting the Starfish, and will constantly invent new enemies to prevent you from rescuing them. Overcome the hostile environments inside the ships of the robotic fleet and destroy them from the inside out!
Features
- Challenging physics based gameplay
- 10 unique ships with specialized tools to kill you
- 1 Boss created in your image
- Upgrade system which empowers your squid
- Custom 2D-tentacle system
- Highly destructible environment
- Unique 2D art style, with parallaxing depth
The Story
Starting out as a Starfish yourself, one day a robotic fleet appears above your planet. In mere seconds they descend, capturing every Starfish on the surface. While you’re locked in one of the cages another Starfish somehow manages to escape and frees you. The two of you make it outside, but the defense system of the ship notices and takes aim. Your savior sees the danger and, in an act of self-sacrifice, pushes you out of the way just in time. As they perish, the Starfish leaves you their remaining power. The influx of Starfish energy changes your very DNA, turning you into a Squid-like creature. With their sacrifice fresh in your mind you charge towards the fleet, determined to save the rest of the Starfish! // Defeat robotic enemies reminiscent of forgotten species and discover the chilling reality of what could befall your friends.
A Little About How This Started
Dawn of the Celestialpod started development in early September 2017 as part of a Student Capstone project. Over the next couple of months we built out and expanded upon the original concept. At the end of the semester we presented to the campus faculty and game studio cohort in an effort to move on to Senior Production. We’re here because we made it through that challenge, and over the past couple months have expanded upon the game immensely. We've gotten the game to the point where we are comfortable releasing it to Steam, and can't wait for everyone to play it!
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
Interesting idea. Bad execution. The random physics ruin the controls making this unplayable.7 found this helpful
Follow my curator page for more reviews like this at [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32939373]Phenix Emporium[/url] Provided the developers work to improve the movement mechanics a bit (in ways I'll mention below) as well as add in a settings menu with at the very least audio options, then I can recommend this game. At its core Dawn of the Celestialpod is physics-based platformer, you play as a space squid that evolved from a starfish and has escaped its alien captors only to turn back around and invade those same alien spaceships in an attempt to free your space starfish brethren. When you evolved you acquired two long tentacles, you launch these tentacles out to move by grappling onto the environment as well as using them to interact with it which in theory is a pretty interesting mechanic and in practice almost works, unfortunately given two specific issues you don't feel in control of your squid many times especially when you are in a time crunch and being rushed as each time you rescue a starfish the alien spaceship starts a self-destruct timer and you must escape. The two issues with the movement system are fairly big ones, one is the physics, now I understand…6 found this helpful
Reminiscent of Octodad or a Bennett Foddy creation, Dawn of the Celestialpod makes a challenge out of movement – something that gamers take for granted. While you have opportunities to power your cephalopod’s space swimming prowess, it never feels second nature. You’re tasked with infiltrating small spaceships and freeing their sapient power sources. You have control of two of your tentacles; these stick to most surfaces on the ship. You can shoot a laser that will destroy some walls. This is how you’ll board the ship, either by boring through the wall at your spawn point or by navigating the perimeter and finding a more clever entry point. You can also thrust gently (and more deliberately as you upgrade your skills down the line). However, attempting to rely on this would be a folly. You’ll need to master the tentacle grappling to exit the ship in a timely manner – which is a necessity since a timer counts down as soon as you free your new friends. Failure means having to restart the level in full. I never found the tentacle-based movement to be predictable, as it were, but I suppose that’s the point. Likewise, the triumph, as in Texas Hold ‘Em, lies in patience and the ability t…3 found this helpful
Good game, but should have been called Star Squidizen.3 found this helpful
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