It’s your first day at a new school and you already need to save the world from impending doom. Welcome to Kraken Academy!! This charming, 8-bit style game created by German studio Happy Broccoli Games has a demo that’s ready to play on Steam! But what exactly is Kraken Academy?
Kraken Academy is no ordinary high school. Ghosts fill the art department, cultists meet below the monkey bars and now crocodiles are eating children. Join forces with a magical Kraken to uncover the Traitor, a malevolent mastermind, who could be anyone at the school. With each time loop, you’ll get closer to saving Kraken Academy.
The game’s official trailer can be viewed on the Happy Broccoli Games YouTube channel:
A host of fun features!
The game boasts a myriad of fun features to explore. Sure, the threat of an imminent annihilation looms over most of the game’s runtime. But while saving the world is definitely an important goal there’s a whole range of other activities to dive into. Learn teachers’ and students’ routines as you explore every corner of the campus during a three-day time loop. Attend a costume party, become a detective, and help the school’s janitor bring down a crime syndicate.
Kraken Academy is split into four distinct clubs that each offer unique storytelling branches and activities to partake in! You can join the alternative Music Club and complete the school’s edgiest rock band. Maybe flex your creative flair in the Art Club and show off your work at an exhibition. Or why not compete in challenges to become the ultimate warrior in the Sports Club. Meanwhile, the Drama Club may be full of snobs, but if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! Who knows, you may even become a star in their next extravagant play.
Apart from being the epicenter of the apocalypse, Kraken Academy is a melting pot of wacky personalities. In the Music Club alone you will meet pretty boy and lead vocalist, Vladimir, who struggles with keeping his hysterical fangirls at bay; ill-tempered bassist, Simona, always seen in her giraffe hoodie, who hates everyone (including you); and Broccoli Girl, the drummer, who just can’t get over her ex.
Charming, captivating, and comical!
Though the demo only features a small portion of the Kraken Academy’s full story, it was an absolute pleasure to go through. The 8-bit style animation, alongside the game’s cast of colorful characters, exudes so much charm. Many of these characters fall into school-based character tropes we’ve seen before. It won’t take you long to find the school bully, the awkward shy girl, or the textbook tsundere. However, their personalities are extremely over the top, to the extent that the characters end up being quite memorable.
The gameplay is quite cute and captivating too! The demo boasts a delightful soundtrack that perfectly complements the adorable graphics on display. Throughout the demo, you are allowed to explore a small portion of the school, where there is a vast opportunity for exploration. It is so satisfying to knock over trash cans, kick over piles of leaves, and accumulate bottles to one’s heart’s content. The story is also very easy to get invested in. It is almost cruel, how much the demo leaves you wanting more from it. However, that is a testament to just how enthralling the game truly is.
What was especially surprising was just how hilariously comical the game was. The game often chucks jokes at players in such a casual manner. The absurdity of the things that are said so often go by unaddressed, as though it’s normal to have the cafeteria be operational for only two days in a week, or to have a cult regularly meet right by the school playground. The funniest moments in the demo are so subtle and come by so quick. It’s extremely refreshing, and definitely adds another very enjoyable layer to the game.
A fun, happy demo!
Kraken Academy’s demo is now available on Steam! While short, it promises an absurdly fun time, allowing a small glimpse into the exciting game Happy Broccoli Games will release soon.
So come on! Grab your uniform, magical time-travelling amulet, and ignore the voice in your head that says this is a terrible idea!
© 2021 Happy Broccoli Games
