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Curling. Role-playing games. Finding Nemo.
Three things that don't seem to have much in common. And three things that haven't been
combined much. It's not like the Swedish curling team is playing Shining Force between their
matches at the Olympics. With...Ellen DeGeneres. See, you can't even make up a scenario, combining
these things. They're like oil and water and Pixar.
Then you play this, and they suddenly become peanut butter and jelly.
And...Pixar. It's Squids Odyssey, for the Nintendo Wii U.
So let's swim through the trench here and cut to the chase. This is a pretty cool game.
If you have a Wii U, and you're looking for something fun and different, and cheap...Squids
Odyssey is highly recommended. It's a clever action RPG, that just so happens to be fun
and different, and cheap. Not to mention so original, it's hard to think of a game that
compares.
I mean, maybe Angry Birds, but...
More like Angry Squids: The RPG Sequel...The Revenge?
Thankfully, it's not called that. That name sucks.
But speaking of Angry Birds, Squids Odyssey has a similar kind of gameplay. But with more
curling. You have a team, a little squid squad...and you have to move them through the water. By
pulling back on their stretchy tentacles, and launching them like deep-sea missiles.
Really squishy missiles, that taste great deep fried. So you can move each squid as
long as their stamina allows. Once you've moved all your squids, your turn is over.
And that's when the enemy squids back.
What I love about Squids...is that the gameplay is built on a really simple idea. Launch your
squids into things. There are bad guys to fight, treasure chests to open, and you do
all of these things by launching into them. It's easy to understand, and even easier to
play. But it also adds a bit of depth. So for example, each squid has different abilities.
Some have guns, some can heal their teammates...actually, this is where the RPG elements come in.
You're the one who puts your team together. And there's a bit of strategy in terms of
which squids you choose, and figuring out which ones work best together, given your
play style.
And actually, there's strategy to the gameplay itself. Because it not just about hitting
your opponents. It's about hitting them, and also protecting yourself. Like, you don't
want to use up all your stamina just attacking. It might make more sense to attack, then to
create some space, so you don't end your turn right next to the enemy. Or maybe use your
remaining stamina to grab a bottle, which might have a defense power-up.
So even though its got a simple foundation, there's a surprising amount of strategy and
nuance on top of it. And that combination of simplicity and depth is what makes the
game so much fun.
Of course, another reason the game works...is how it controls. Now, you can choose to play
with the game on your TV, and that works fine. But the best way to play this game is offscreen,
with the entire game on the GamePad. That way, you're pulling on the squids directly...which
makes aiming a lot easier, visually. And not only that, it just feels right. I've played
previous Squids games on iOS, and it actually feels better with the stylus.
It doesn't drag on the screen, like your finger can...and it doesn't block your view as much.
In fact, I loved games like Squids Wild West on my iPhone...but Squids is even better on
Wii U.
And it's just a great example of offscreen play.
And you know, the presentation isn't bad, either. Even though the cutscenes are a bit
sparse, the in-game stuff looks fantastic. Again, the art style is very Finding Nemo.
And the characters, in particular, are really well done. They're cute, and colorful...and
actually, with a lot more personality than you might expect from a downloadable eShop
game.
Like, it's kind of a shame so much generic crap sits right on store shelves, but a game
like Squids has to be fished out of a digital store.
Of course, the game also has other drawbacks. The menus are oddly clunky to navigate, so
unless you're playing with the stylus, it's kind of frustrating. And there's also some
pretty serious slowdown at times. Like, if you get a big combo? It feels like the whole
thing's going to explode, which is not an ideal situation for a game about the sea.
When things explode at sea, baby ducks get covered in oil.
And Squids Odyssey has no dish soap.
But you know what? At the end of the day? Mere inconveniences, for a game this enjoyable.
Forgettable music and clunky menus and combo hiccups aside, this game rules. It's way more
fun than you're probably expecting, it's addictive as hell, it's got more than 90 levels...and
it's only 15 bucks. I mean, it costs more to go to Red Lobster.
And even without biscuits, this is way better.
It's Squids Odyssey...a great RPG, and one of the eShop's biggest surprises.