Octodad: Dadliest Catch Reviews
Octodad: Dadliest Catch isn't a system seller, but if you already own a PS4, it is a game you must buy, because it is just so different it must be experienced. What could have felt like a tech demo, or an experiment, turns out to be so much more. A well rounded game, that will give you so much joy when playing.
Despite the flaws, Octodad offers a good, ludicrous journey that at least pays off in its key moments to make enduring the frustration worth it in the end.
Octodad isn't a game that's for everyone but it is unique and for that I applaud it.
Octodad succeeds as both a gut-busting slapstick routine and a touching treatise on what it means to be a family. It's a little short, and it won't turn the gaming world on its head, but at least it's fun, replayable, heartwarming and didn't cost 15 million dollars.
Octodad is a pretty interesting game. It takes a huge risk in making frustrating controls its centerpiece of gameplay, but it really pays off considering the absurd subject matter. It's not without its flaws, especially considering the repetitive level design, but it's undeniably fun. Octodad is one of those rare games that literally gets you to laugh out loud while playing it. It's a comedy in a landscape filled with dramas starring hardened marines and action movie stereotypes. It's a real gem of an experience and for $10-$15 dollars, depending on whether or not you have a PlayStation Plus account, it's certainly a game worth spending your time and money on.
Octodad has brilliant ideas, endearing characters and a great sense of humour, but as a game it's not quite where it should be. The deliberately vague controls cause a little frustration along with the hilarity, and it's not long enough or rich enough to hold your interest for more than an evening or afternoon. There's potential here for something great, but Octodad needs to stretch those tentacles further if it wants to reach that point.
I wanted to like Octodad more than I did. The concept and craziness of the idea intrigued me and the humor was great. If Octodad were a more robust adventure, I would have very few complaints. While it started out as a great experience, sadly, much like the floppy tentacles of Octodad, Dadliest Catch couldn't hold itself up and began to flail wildly all over the place. The hilarity and novelty wear thin quickly and there was too often that my tentacles became glitched inside of random objects or the environment itself. Octodad is worth experiencing just for how different it is from most other games out there, not to mention the trying multi-limb mode that is the co-op, but don't expect to be enthralled by it for longer than it takes to watch a couple of ocean life documentaries.
If nothing else the IP represents an interesting attempt to turn a brilliant tech demo into a full game and it's certainly unlike anything I've ever played before.
In the end, the entertainment value of Octodad rests on one all-important factor; what kind of sense of humor you, as a player, have. If you can laugh at the absurdity of game mechanics, then this game will be silly, goofy fun and well worth the $15. If, on the other hand, you get mad at any design failing that impedes your ability to win, this game will simply bore you at best, enrage you and make you put your foot through your TV at worst.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a quirky mix of physics and mini-games wrapped up into a story about an Octopus that pretends to be a man and simply wants to live a normal life with his family.
Still, even if you don't subscribe to that particular analogy; that Octodad is code for anyone a little different that needs to figure out how to act in mainstream society, there's still a lot of fun to be had here. Even when the overall challenge of living a day in Octodad's shoes bears too much weight, the game is amusing enough to quell most of the frustration.
It's hard to recommend a game that may or may not work each time you load it up.
Originally and stupidly funny, with plenty of charm wrapped up in a package that is a bit too short.
Intentionally uncooperative controls are one of the most difficult ways to engage a player, but Young Horses has pulled it off twice in a row as of Octodad: Dadliest Catch. Aside from a handful of gameplay missteps (heh), the game is sublime slapstick that never stops being funny.
While many ports are simply lesser versions of what is already available, Octodad on the Vita retains what made the original releases so fun and therefore it is easy to recommend.
Octodad is a short, sweet story with some fun gameplay and challenging tasks. Grab three friends for some multiplayer action.
Octodad is a clever game that is fun in the same sense something like Goat Simulator is. It is hilarity, physics-based mayhem that is entirely random. The difference here is that the developers tried to streamline it with actual objectives and level progression, which can lead to frustration.
As a game, Octodad seems less interested in entertaining and is more intent on taking the player through a journey, and by its own design can be an incredibly stressful affair. Break it down and you'll see why: challenges involve shopping, chopping wood and pouring yourself a cup of coffee. Add this on top of a few technical hiccups, such as slowdown and some drops in framerates, and you have a middle of the road title.However, this game is all about portraying life's bigger picture and would appear to be one big analogy for some of life's biggest challenges and the problems some of us face, depending on you interpret it. That in itself is good art and also where Octodad is a success. The real fun lies in seeking your own meaning behind this bizarre title and helping Octodad cross the metaphorical finish lines that seem to plague his every turn - no matter how mundane the challenges are or how taxing it may be to guide him through life, he's a character you'll want to see succeed.
I loved Octodad's premise right when I heard about it, and I'm glad to finally have the chance to play it. The Wii U version doesn't run at 100%, but It's already sold me on any projects Young Horses works on in the future. I just hope it comes to a Nintendo platform sooner.
Octodad is the sort of game that is going to sell itself on absurdity alone. But by reducing it to just a joke, we miss what makes it so special