Octodad: Dadliest Catch is a weird but refreshing burst of slapstick

One title that stood out at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo—the gaming industry's biggest annual trade show—didn't have cutting-edge graphics, innovative multiplayer modes, nor push the envelope of motion controls. 

 

Instead, it featured an octopus pretending to be a loving husband and caring father, but struggling with eight limbs that refuse to do anything the way a normal human would. 

 

Yes, that's the premise of Octodad: Dadliest Catch, which challenges players to guide Octodad and his unwieldy tentacles as he executes mundane tasks like grocery shopping and Sunday barbecues. The analog sticks control Octodad's appendages while the shoulder buttons/triggers must be pressed in alternate succession to simulate a two-legged man walk. Silly, yes, but a game with potentially broad appeal. His frantic gesticulations amuse regardless of player skill, and its entertainment value comes from how much slapstick chaos one can get away with rather than any abstract notions on 'winning'. 

 

The indie development scene

 

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is just  one of many quirky titles emerging from the independent development scene. Over the past decade, indie devs have been gaining greater traction in a trade show that has historically focused on the loudest, brashest upcoming releases from publishers with deep marketing budgets. However, the independent scene often involves long and convoluted pathways from development to release.

 

In the case of Octodad's developer, Young Horses, the journey started with eighteen students from dePaul University of Chicago who created the game together for the 2011 Independent Games Festival. Octodad made it as a Student Showcase Finalist. They used the attention to initiate a Kickstarter to fund development of the sequel, titled simply Octodad 2,  and earned $24,000 in pledges out of a goal of $20,000.

 

Eight of these students went on to form Young Horses to create the sequel, while the rest of the original team signed over their rights in exchange for a share of the royalties. Six of them, including community manager and president Philip Tibitoski and producer Kevin Geisler bunkered down together in a five bedroom apartment that also serves as their development offices, requiring they learn not just be effective as co-workers but good roommates as well. Since then, the Young Horses have 'expanded' into a neighboring apartment, creating a healthier amount of space from one another.

 

Plans for Playstation 4

 

Over the past two years, Octodad: Dadliest Catch has been shaping along nicely, in spite of the shock of the real world and the amount of time that needs to be divided between development and day jobs. In the past, Young Horses has demoed the game on PCs and has toyed with a Kinect prototype of the original Octodad. A few months ago was when Sony decided to actively court the Young Horses and their game, and asked them if they wanted to be a part of the PS4 E3 conference. 

 

Now the company is thinking about Move integration. The current plan is to release the game on the Playstation 4 in early 2014, following a launch on the PC in January. They haven't ruled out possible releases on other platforms in the months after, but for now the intention is to take things slowly. While the Young Horses have earned credibility and publicity, they're still looking to pay their bills.— TJD, GMA News