As we play offers the thought strands of the reviewer as they’re going through the game. This offers unique content for the reader so they can come to understand the conflicting feelings of the reviewer as they’re playing a game for the very first time. All feedback on this concept is welcome.
Octodad; Nobody Suspects A Thing.
The camera pans in to a church. Waiting at the altar, bouquet in hand, is a young woman.“He’s just running late, he’s always late” she mutters, with a hint of worry. “But what on earth could be keeping him?”.
The scene cuts to a hallway. A man knocks on a door; “Mr Groom, the wedding is starting.” He opens the door to see an obvious looking octopus wearing a shirt and trousers. There’s a gasp.
“My God, you aren’t even dressed!”
As you hurry to dress for your wedding, two things instantly become apparent:
1. People in this game aren’t too observant.
2. Having no bones makes impersonating a human and completing the most mundane tasks pretty darn hard.
Welcome to the world of Octodad; loving father, caring husband, secret octopus.
What’s all this about then?
My initial impression of Octodad: Dadliest Catch made me think of Surgeon Simulator 2013; if instead of a surgeon, you were playing as Roger from American Dad. Octo seems to be an ET-like alien in that, when he is in disguise, no one seems to notice him and Surgeon Simulator was famous for the hilarity that came from its incredibly clumsy controls. Except, compared to SS2013, the controls here are a piece of cake with a little practice. The wayward tentacles can be wrestled into something more or less controllable; especially if you’re using a game pad.
After the open tutorial set at Octodad’s wedding, you settle into the mundane life of a middle class husaband/father/secret cephalopod doing chores around the house, mowing the lawn and shopping at the supermarket. After spending a few minutes pulling weeds, flipping burgers and mowing the lawn, I was wondering when the game would get going. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a giggle to be had watching Octodad blunder around the garden causing havok, but it all felt a bit empty. Then I met the chef… and the game crashed.
A Chef, eh?
A quick reboot later and I was once again face to face with the chef; a chef who is onto me. This chef seems to be the only one who knows what you are and may have gone a little crazy knowing that no one else seems to realize. Let’s just say he has it in for you and the end of each chapter is punctuated by a dust up with the man in the big white hat.
The supermarket section is the finest moment of the game. Finding your way through the freezer and stealing cereal or just chilling in the child’s rocket toy. The comedy and challenges are well balanced, and there is much fun to be had pottering around, causing mischief. Don’t go too crazy, though. If you act strangely, people will keep an eye on you. Act abnormal and they will suss you’re an octopus in disguise. With a humiliating shot of ink on the screen, you’ll be bounced back to the last checkpoint.
Beyond this section, there are still several funny moments to be found. A poster that states “They certainly know a fish when they see one” was a real stroke of genius. However, the action starts to take a turn for the frustrating, rather than fun with insta-death, irritatingly tough climbs and some imperfect stealth sections. I’ll be honest, when I finally got through the final section, I’d just about had my fill of Octodad’s shenanigans.
2 Hours? Is that all you get?
Thankfully not, kind reader. Take a look at the acheivements and you’ll discover there’s still a bunch of fun to be had pratting around in the world of Octodad without having to play through the frustrating bits of the story. There are hidden ties to find, nods to popular culture to uncover and achievements to hunt. The game also works with Steam Workshop, so there is a surprising amount of user generated content to discover, including a Zero G shopping trip and a Mario 64 inspired star hunt.
Final Analysis
An engaging and surprisingly heart-warming game, with moments of real comedy and fun. But it falls short later on, with some frustrating sections and a lack of depth.
Technical Competancy – 7/10
Graphical State / Sound Quality – 7/10 (I really like the theme song..)
Network Stability – N/A.
Overall – 7/10
Time Played: Three Hours
If you have any specific questions about the game, noticed any problems or don’t feel we’ve answered something specifically enough, sound off in the comments below and we’ll get right on replying.
