Octodad Dadliest Catch is a game about an everyday normal guy who happens to be an octopus — an octopus who just wants to take care of his family and be a good dad to his son and daughter.
The independently developed title was released last year on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, has finally made its way to iOS, Android and the 4th generation Apple TV. Thankfully, unlike a lot of mobile ports, Octodad has translated exceptionally well to mobile devices, save for a few control-related issues.
Following the same strategy of games like I Am Bread, Octodad’s controls are intentionally awkward. After all, the game’s main character is a multi-limbed Octopus – performing everyday tasks should be difficult.
Octodad opens with the game’s main character getting married to a bride, tasking the player with maintaining his “I-am-a-real-human-not-an-octopus” persona. If you knock over too many objects, or are unable to accomplish simple goals like finding a ring (this is harder than you think, trust me), you’ll raise the suspicion of bystanders, breaking Octodad’s carefully crafted disguise.
The right side of the touchscreen controls Octodad’s right leg and the left side controls his left leg, similar to how the gamepad’s left and right joysticks dictate the direction his Octopus body is headed in the game’s console versions. If you tap the screen with two fingers it zooms in, allowing the player to pick up objects by dragging them around with just one finger. Two fingers allows you to use Octodad’s arms in a more precise way. If these controls sound simple, they aren’t — Octodad is about controlled chaos.
Octodad is also delightfully self aware and full of clever writing. For example, early on in the game’s story, Octodad’s wife suggests that the family should take a trip to the aquarium. Obviously this isn’t an activity an Octopus would likely to partake in given the restrictive confines his aquatic brethren are forced to live in for human entertainment, and amusing dialogue ensues.
On the downside, Octodad’s touch controls unfortunately aren’t as accurate as the game’s PC counterpart and frequently feel finicky. There are various sections of the game where I found my self stuck and unable to move forward because the game’s controls didn’t allow me to do so. Eventually I was able to push forward, but I frequently ran into unnecessary roadblocks related to control.
If you’re looking for a fun, inventive and very different kind of gaming experience, Young Horse’s Octodad: Dadliest Catch is definitely the game for you.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is priced at $5.79 on iOS App Store and $6.26 on the Google Play Store. The Steam version of Octodad: Dadliest catch costs $14.99 and the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Wii U iteration is priced at $14.99.
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