HomeVideo GamesSam’s Quest For Something Different #2 – Octodad

Sam’s Quest For Something Different #2 – Octodad

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OctodadWhile there have been many great games released to the market over the last couple of years, very few of them have been able to offer a truly unique gaming experience in comparison to other games of the same genre. For example while the fast-paced battle mechanics of Final Fantasy XIII may offer a completely different gaming experience to the random-encounter turn-based strategy that was Final Fantasy X… they are at heart still RPG’s that make use of the same core mechanics.

Last month I launched a brand new article series known as Sam’s Quest For Something Different, what I hope to be a monthly review series reviewing and/or previewing some of the games in the market that are filled with potential unique ideas but don’t always get the attention they deserve. In my very first installment of this series I looked at 99 Spirits by Fruitbat Factory that is (To describe it simply) an RPG that swallowed a puzzle game – requiring you to sort out clues in order to identify an object before defeating the monster itself. A simple idea that worked really well.

The second installment in this series will look at something a smidgen more mainstream, in the fact its sequel was showcased briefly during the Sony Computer Entertainment conference during E3 2013. I am talking about Octodad, originally released as a free to play game in 2010 by a group of students at DePaul University which later went on to win a couple of awards and lead to the formation of the studio Young Horses, Inc. Octodad is both nonsensical and frustrating, and while in some games this would cause me to consider chucking out the disc out my window or banging my head against my poor innocent keyboard…. it actually works in the games favor.

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You play the game as an Octopus who lives with an incredibly dense family who unlike the gamer are unable to identify him as an octopus – despite the number of octopus related puns and references littering their house. Set to complete a mysterious project down in the basement later that night, he needs a manner of detracting his family from his disappearance. This eventually leads to him coming up with the idea of producing a mannequin resembling himself. However the three items he requires to produce this mannequin (A banana, octopus doll and dinner suit) all happen to be in the hands of his wife, son and daughter who are not willing to let him have the items until he produces a number of menial chores and tasks that are not so fitting for an octopus.

The biggest issue with undertaking these tasks is that Octodad has tentacles and no spine. To that extent the WASD or control keys on your keyboard are of no use to use, instead all the movements are done through your mouse and mouse clicks. Clicking left and moving your mouse forward/backwards will move the left leg and the opposite goes for the right leg. Pressing the spacebar key gives you control of your tentacle “arms” allowing you to hopefully pick up items or otherwise brush them away. The controls were riddled with inaccuracies and even if this was due to programming issues by the developers it would still suit the game very well. Despite being hideously frustrating and more than a couple of times on each level you will be left struggling with the controls, some of the movements do end up hysterical and is the charm point of the game. This alone is the reason why the game ended up in the Sam’s Quest For Something Different review series. This isn’t aided however by a twitchy and unsympathetic camera.

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As I mentioned above, the game gives you some very menial tasks to undertake during the game – and these range from washing the dishes to squashing swarms of rather sizable ants that are swarming towards your daughter. These tasks are simple but once you incorporate the octopus element into them, they end up quite fun and challenging at the same time – often with eccentric or over the top means of doing them. Have to empty the fridge? Who needs to be neat about it!?!??! I AM AN OCTOPUS! Surprisingly your dear wife will let you get away with this but not half of the other more logical accidents you have.

To add an element of challenge, while the family is relatively impervious to your octopus ways, not everything passes their glimpse and thus there is a suspicion meter. While you are given some leeway towards acting less human, going overboard or not completing the task at hand in a satisfactory manner reduces the gauge until they come to their senses and identify you for who you are. There are a few logicality issues throughout the game, but nevertheless it adds an element of challenge to the mix.

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Octodad is limited in its musical and visual scopes, however the gameplay along with its often eccentric and witty progression are the true stars of this title. It is short and will take you under an hour to finish, but on the other hand is completely free for anyone to get their hands on it via the games official website. That being said, the game has a sequel lined up for both the Windows PC and Playstation 4 consoles later this year and looks to be just as if not more promising than the first.

The question remains however…. how in the world will they adapt these complicated controls to the Dualshock 4 controller for the Playstation 4!?!?! The games E3 2013 trailer with some catchy music is available for your listening pleasure below.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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