Kraken 64

Do you have what it takes to defeat the monster that stole the fish jewel? Kraken 64 is a homebrew game by Nomnom, Vapnet and Inverted Silence released on 23 Sept 2025 where you battle the evil titular beast of the seas.

You can get the ROM from its download page by using the password unleashthekraken. You can also get it from the itch.io page.

About Kraken 64

You start out on “The Island” where there is a small settlement of seals living. Approach them and they tell you that there is a mean kraken harassing them and that it stole their jewel.

You sail away to the lagoon which is a dead-end path with a large area. As you approach it, a cutscene begins where the titular beast emerges from the deaths and attacks you.

What ensues is a boss battle with the dreaded kraken. It’s a battle inspired by Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass where the boat is trapped in a maelstrom and you’re facing the enemy.

The kraken attacks you by either slamming its head on your ship or by laying mines in the water. You can dodge these attacks by changing your speed or by jumping over them. After a few attacks, it’ll grow a bunch of vulnerable spots which you can then attack with cannonball bombs. Once they’re all gone, that’ll take one health point away.

You have three hit’s worth of health, and so does the boss. You can collect hearts along the path to healup, so there is a bit of leeway with dodging hits.

Once the kraken is defeated, you recover the stolen Fish Jewel and the residents of The Island can finally find peace.

Credits

There is no team name, but Kraken 64 was made by:

• Nomnom (Andrew Burke) – programming
• Vapnet – art & game design
• Inverted Silence – audio

Review and conclusion

This is a pretty good short experience. It has a brief intro to set the scene and then it drops you right into the action.

The battle itself is action-packed and exciting. You have to multitask quite a bit looking for upcoming mines and figuring out whether to accelerate or not when a slam attack comes. Then the weak spots appear and you have to add aiming to the mix. Every bit of the scene is demanding your attention and any mistake will cost you a heart.

The graphics are gorgeous. Your boat is detailed, the kraken is a fork-tongued monstrosity and the islanders are cute little seals. It’s a pleasure to look at every moment.

Kraken 64 is a bit on the short side like Pandemonium, but definitely worth spending a few minutes on.