Octodad is something very strange to describe. As it says in the name, Octodad is about a father who is secretly an octopus. He poses as a human, marries a woman and somehow has normal children.
This review is about “Octodad: Dadliest Catch”, the sequel to the first game, “Octodad”, that was developed by students at DePaul University. The new game was developed by Young Horses Inc., which has eight students from the development of the original game working for them. They’ve produced a game with an interesting game mechanic and interesting story to say the least.
In the game, you are Octodad, or you will be after you get through your marriage. This is where you find yourself as the octopus protagonist where you must get ready for your wedding. You must perform many mundane tasks like putting on a bowtie and even just walking up to the alter and opening a door; as you will find, all these things are incredibly difficult for an octopus. The main parts of the game involve places like the aquarium (a place that Octodad really despises) and flashbacks to explain more about the crazy Chef (the antagonist of the game) who is chasing you because he is aware that you are in fact not a human but an octopus. The real humor of this game is the lack of observation from Octodad’s peers; his own wife only has small suspicions.
The game is very interesting in its gameplay which is just moving and picking things up with your tentacles. This sounds easy but when faced with challenges this can become difficult and at times and very frustrating as the player. Climbing up large places is difficult, walking is difficult, and getting your tentacles caught on everything makes anything a mess but nonetheless fun.Although inclined to just bash around and break everything in sight, a meter at the bottom of the screen keeps track of the level of suspicion in the room; acts such as hitting people, breaking things, and falling down adds to this meter. If the meter is filled, you lose and have to restart at your last save point.
This game is very charming with the personality that is put into it. Yes Octodad is an octopus but that does not stop him from being comedic and expressive with his two big cartoony eyes. He also communicates with people by makeing blubbing sounds that are deciphered in subtitles as thingsalong the lines of “nervous blubs” or “explanatory glubs”. Don’t ask how, but everyone just seems to understand him. The graphics are simplistic and stylized which makes it moderately timeless. The graphics can be disappointing at times however, the biggest eyesore being in the flashback on the ship where octodad first dawned his suit. The ocean and skybox are terribly bland and have no definition while the rest of the game is vibrant, though those are minor details. The game has not distinctive music that ever caught my attention but in this kind of game the graphics are what is important. Overall I give Octodad: Dadliest Catch an 8 out of 10. The game is so new and refreshing that it isn’t just another first person shooter. It really is great especially with just how much personality the game has and honest fun. Though the game can be incredibly frustrating at times at its core it is very solid and fantastic. So check out Octodad: Dadliest catch which is now available on Steam for about fifteen dollars, (and on Steam, a sale could drop that price any day).You’re sure to have a fin time playing this game.
