Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Developer(s)	Young Horses, Inc. Panic Button Games (Wii U)[1]
Publisher(s)	Young Horses, Inc.
Director(s)	Kevin Zuhn
Producer(s)	Kevin Geisler
Designer(s)	Majdi Badri, John Murphy, Seth Parker, Kevin Zuhn
Programmer(s)	Kevin Geisler, Devon Scott-Tunkin
Artist(s)	Chris Stallman
Writer(s)	Kevin Zuhn, Majdi Badri
Composer(s)	Seth Parker
Engine	Irrlicht Engine, PhysX
Platform(s)	Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox One[2]
Release date(s)	Linux, Microsoft Windows & OS X January 30, 2014 PlayStation 4 NA April 22, 2014 PAL April 23, 2014 PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox One NA Q2/Q3 2015
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player, co-op
Distribution	Download

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is an adventure independent video game developed and published by Young Horses, Inc. It is a sequel to the 2010 freeware game Octodad. The game consists of controlling the protagonist Octodad in completing chores typical of the mundane suburban father, but complicated by the fact that he is an octopus in disguise. A port to the Wii U eShop has also been announced, with Panic Button Games helping with the port.^[3]

Gameplay

Octodad: Dadliest Catch requires the player to control the protagonist, Octodad, as he maneuvers his way through increasingly complex challenges all while attempting to hide the fact that he is a cephalopod in human clothing. The player can control one of two sets of tentacles, mimicking arms and legs, switching between the two with a single button. The player is able to pick up and throw loose items as well, through manipulation of these tentacles. To maintain Octodad's identity, the player must avoid doing too much chaos in moving the character around while in sight of certain non-player characters, like guards or scientists, as tracked by a gauge in the game; how quickly these characters catch on is set by the game's difficulty level. If the gauge becomes full, the player will be forced to restart at a recent checkpoint. The game is divided into several levels with various objects to be completed to progress in a level. For example, in a supermarket, the player must collect several groceries items before being given their next task. A multiplayer co-op mode is also available where up to four players control four limbs.

Plot

In the 'Octodad' series, the player takes the role of an octopus attempting to mimic a human, with otherwise mundane tasks made difficult by attempting to maneuver the octopus' tentacles as limbs.

Set after the events of the original game, Dadliest Catch features Octodad working around the house, going grocery shopping, and accompanying his family on a visit to the local aquarium at his wife Scarlet's request, much to his chagrin. As before, he must spend time with his wife and children while not arousing the suspicion of other humans, including the evil Chef Fujimoto, who knows Octodad's secret and seeks to expose and cook him. A series of flashbacks also explains how Octodad originally took on a human identity, met Scarlet, and eventually married her. Eventually, Chef Fujimoto throws Octodad into the shark tank and kidnaps his family, trying to convince them that Octodad is an octopus. Octodad escapes and shows up without his disguise, revealing the truth to his family, though his daughter Stacy admits she knew the entire time. Fujimoto tries to kill Octodad, but is incapacitated by Octodad and his family. Octodad, however, forgives Fujimoto, who makes amends with Octodad and promises to leave him and his family alone. The game ends with Octodad's son Tommy asking where he and Stacy came from if their dad is an octopus, to the amusement of the rest of the family.

Two bonus chapters were released under the name "Octodad Shorts". The first is a flashback recounting Octodad and Scarlet's first date, and the second features a story made up by Tommy and Stacy about Octodad working as a nurse.

Development

After the success of the original, the team formed Young Horses, Inc. and put up a Kickstarter^[4] page for the game, originally titled Octodad 2. The campaign exceeded its request and made 24 thousand dollars. The game took two years to make and was finally released in January 30, 2014 through the creators' website^[5] and Steam Greenlight.^[6] Additional free downloadable content, titled "Octodad Shorts", were released on October 14, 2014. The development time for the game was 2 years and 7 months and the size of the core development team was 9 members.^[7]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (PS4) 74.27%[8] (PC) 70.92%[9] Metacritic (PS4) 69/100[10] (PC) 69/100[11] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 8/10[12] Eurogamer 7/10[13] Game Informer 5.75/10[14] GameSpot 6/10[15] GamesRadar [16] GameTrailers 8/10[17] Giant Bomb [18] IGN 7.8/10[19] Joystiq [20] VideoGamer.com 8/10[21]

Octodad: Dadliest Catch received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating in the 0–100 range, calculated an average score of 69 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews", based on 31 reviews for the PlayStation 4 version^[10] and 44 reviews for the PC version.^[11]

The game has sold 460,000 units and made $4.9 million of revenue.^[7]

References

External links

• Official website
• Octodad at Facebook
• Octodad at Twitter