Developer Young Horses provided GamesBeat with a download code for this game for the purposes of this review.Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a game about destruction, deception, and fatherhood. Gaming is growing up, and Octodad is some of the best evidence of that. Octodad is a great example of a game that conveys a message through gameplay. In conjunction with its story, characters, and setting, the controls offer an empathetic look into the life of an extreme outsider trying to fit in and trying to do right by his family. I plan to go back and grab all of ties, but I hope I get a chance to explore more of Octodad’s world in the future because Dadliest Catch just wasn’t quite enough. The story hits all of its beats with a nice rhythm, and nothing feels like extra fluff, but I wanted more.
This isn’t a huge problem - and for some it’s likely not a problem at all. What you won’t likeĭadliest Catch only took me only a couple of hours to beat. These collectibles usually require expert control to obtain. In addition to this, the developer has hidden three ties (dad’s favorite!) around each level. Obviously, these everyday tasks aren’t so easy for Octodad.
The story spans a series of stages, and these have a variety of straightforward objectives. After a few hours, you might have Octodad moving around with some confidence, and that’s a victory all in itself.įor some reason, banana peels litter Octodad’s every path. It’s satisfying to bash your brain against the obtuse controls until things start to make sense. The action is fun because it’s so frustrating. We’ve seen it in QWOP, Surgeon Simulator 2013, and Minotaur China Shop, but it implements the concept well. Octodad didn’t invent this genre of games that require overly complex inputs for basic motor functions. You need to know that the controls are frustrating on purpose. Like all of us, he just wants to be loved, so he tries even though everything is nearly impossible for him.Īll of this subtext lends a heavy dose of tragedy to what are otherwise simply humorous situations, and it was enough to make me tear up on at least one occasion. Octodad is frightened because he thinks that he’ll lose his family if they see him for what he really is. It doesn’t matter, because we are all just desperately trying to scrape by without alerting the people in our lives that we don’t really know what we’re doing. Maybe you, like Octodad, are having a hard time raising children or performing at work. My secret is that I struggle with the responsibilities of adulthood. To keep that secret, he has to do his best to mimic the way people behave with one another. No one knows what they’re doing when it comes to raising a family and human relationships, and we all live in constant fear that someone will expose us for the frauds we are. The way this octopus flails about helplessly as he tries to do the most basic things for his kids is devastating to experience because every parent feels something similar.
Octodad’s plight, in a way, reflects everyone’s self doubts. The basic conceit makes for a really joyful and silly experience that is easy to laugh with, but Octodad also uses its absurd gameplay to touch on some themes that players might relate to. His suit is enough to fool even his wife, kids, and everyone else … except for an evil chef who is desperate to out Octodad to the world and then make sushi out of him. It’s obvious to the player what is going on, but the colorful animated characters in Octodad have no idea that the person slopping around everywhere is actually an octopus. On top of that, Dadliest Catch is like a great Saturday morning cartoon. This turns mundane chores, like making coffee or grocery shopping, into hilarious visual gags. To accomplish this, he constantly battles with his shortcomings to perform his fatherly duties. Octodad is an octopus that can breathe air, and all he wants in life is for his family to love him. Join gaming leaders live this October 25-26 in San Francisco to examine the next big opportunities within the gaming industry.Īs awful as the controls sound, Octodad is fun and touching.
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