Tadpole Tales is a charming and challenging little hand drawn shoot ‘em up where a little tadpole sets out to rid the rivers of the pollution that’s corrupting its creatures.
The side-scrolling shoot ‘em up gameplay of Tadpole Tales takes place in a once peaceful and idyllic river, which has been corrupted by three terrible monsters. The monsters have polluted the water and turned all the creatures that live within it evil. You now need to swim up the river and use water to clean the creatures and defeat the three bosses.
Taking around 10 minutes to play through, Tadpole Tales is a short game, but surprisingly challenging. There’s a Cuphead energy to the animation and gameplay, especially with the boss fights, which require you to learn and anticipate attack patterns (though it is a little more forgiving). It also has a unique power-up system that’s tied to your health. You basically become more powerful the more health you have, but you also become a bigger target so it’s harder to dodge attacks.
It’s a great little game with beautiful hand drawn visuals, challenging gameplay and a charming premise. A delightful little clean ‘em up that’s packed full of character.
Controls: Arrow Keys – Movement, Spacebar – Shoot
Available On: Windows