Octodad Dadliest Catch Review
Octodad Dadliest Catch
Publisher: Young Horses Inc
Developer: Kevin Zuhn
Genre:
PEGI: 10+
Comments:
Octodad Dadliest Catch – Introduction
As a cephalopod protagonist, Octodad Dadliest Catch is nothing if not original. Your flailing tentacles create charm and humor in spades. There is truly no other game like it. If it wasn’t for a few maddening levels, I would want another order of this tasty calamari.
A Sheep in Octopus Clothing
Octodad Dadliest Catch puts you in the tentacles of an octopus trying to live on dry land with his human family. The story is told starting with your marriage to your human wife and your life at home with your kids follows. About half way through the story, a traumatic incident happens and you flashback to how you came to live in the human world. I really enjoyed the storytelling and how it was accomplished through this flashback. This look back gives a necessary twist since there is no change in the gameplay. These narrative moments are where the game excels.
Chores Made Fun
As Octodad, you get the opportunity to do normal everyday activities such as grocery shopping, mowing the grass, and making coffee. The goal is to act as human as possible, so as you perform these tasks you try to blend in and not have your cover blown. The gameplay is unique in this regard because it revolves around each tentacle being controlled by a different button. The movements are not precise, which makes for some very funny moments. I had a smile on my face for most of time watching Octodad try to navigate the environment without knocking over things or running into people.
One Trick Pony
It is only when the game tries to venture into more standard video game territory that it fails. Due to the tentacles being purposefully hard to control, the harder platforming levels that are in the later parts are extremely frustrating. Near the end, there is a level that has you walking across wooden planks that are the width of your tentacles. I had to start this level over about 25 times. I was near a controller-throwing rage, brought on by intentionally bad controls and poor choices in design. There are only a couple of these types of levels, so the magic isn’t completely lost, although it can come close.
Also, the camera is uncooperative at times and since it isn’t controlled by the player, it can make for some blind encounters. Another downfall is there are no upgrades or progression in gameplay, both of which would have given more motivation to keep playing.
Octodad Dadliest Catch – Conclusion
Octodad was refreshing to play since it is such an original, bizarre, and likable game. During the 3 or so hours it took to complete, I was mostly charmed and had a few laugh-out-loud moments that wont be forgotten. It is just a shame that a few frustrating levels hold it back from being truly special. This octopus was a good appetizer, but I wanted a main course.
Positives
- Playing as an Octopus
- Humorous
- Charming story
Negatives
- Some frustrating gameplay
- Short with little replay value