In 2010, a group of friends from DePaul University got together and created their own game called Octodad. The group made the game free-to-play for everyone. It was released later that same year for Windows, Mac and Linux, respectively.
Octodad is the story of an Octopus father, disguised as a human, with a human wife and child. Octodad’s main goals are to get through a usual day without raising suspicion from various family members. Because he is an Octopus, normal every day tasks become arduous, and he is led on countless crazy adventures. The highlights of the game are its use of cheeky humor and its strange control scheme, which takes some getting used to. Even when you think you’ve got it down, you don’t. The controls are the driving factor in Octodad, which makes the game so unique and will leave you laughing like a crazy person when you realize that the simply duty of turning off your alarm clock is made nearly impossible.
The game turned out to be well received and highly lauded. This lead to the group of friends formed their own company, Young Horses, Inc. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Young Horses decided to move forward with the production of the sequel, appropriately subtitled Octodad: Dadliest Catch. The game will be available on Windows, Mac and Linux through Steam, thanks to Valve’s Steam Greenlight project.
One of the main differences between Octodad and Octodad: Dadliest Catch is the ability to actually leave the house and be in public. He’ll be able to go places like the grocery store and the aquarium. This only means that Octodad has to be more on his toes about maintaining his secret. The game’s creators have promised a more polished, prettier game with deeper storytelling and wider in-game physics.
Development for Octodad: Dadliest Catch began almost immediately after the game’s Kickstarter campaign ended, which was the Summer of 2011. Since then the team has been working nonstop, creating, writing, plotting, showcasing and polishing their new game. With 40-50% of the game completed, Octodad: Dadliest Catch made its first public showing at PAX Prime 2012. So far in 2013 the game has been featured on several anticipated games lists and it even made a playable appearance at PAX East 2013 at the Indie MEGABOOTH.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch is being slated for an end of the year 2013 release. Because the game is being carried by Steam and because Young Horses has invested so much money into developing it, Octodad: Dadliest Catch will not be freeware. The estimated price is $20 for a four to five hour game.
The original Octodad was uproariously funny and very fun to play. This sequel will no doubt bring a ton of entertainment and laughs to anyone who plays it. Spending a little bit of your hard earned dollars is a fantastic way to support and help shed more light on indie game developers through the fledgling Steam Greenlight project.
If you want more information, or if you just want to follow the crazy antics of the Young Horses, Inc team, you should visit their website, “like” them on Facebook and follow the Octodad: Dadliest Catch team on Twitter.
