E3 2013 Preview: Octodad: Dadliest Catch

One of the strangest games that will be coming out at the end of 2013 for the PS4 is Octodad, a game that will have you screaming at the controls second, and laughing your octobutt off the next.

When I first picked up the controller to play Octodad I had no clue what I was supposed to do. The controls they had laid out at the booth were no help. It was frustrating to play and I almost walked away. Until I reset the demo. Once I did that, the game gave you an on screen tutorial that walked you through the controls. But if you're not paying attention, you're going to get frustrated.

You control Octodad by using the L2 and R2 buttons to move each of his legs. Press the L1 button to switch between his arms and legs. Use the analog sticks to control where his arms go, and use Square to pick up and drop objects. Remember the ragdoll physics from Half-Life 2? It's like that, only looser. Much, much looser.

The physics in this game are crazy. You'll spend so much time flopping around as Octodad that at times, you're going to both laugh at how stupid the game is and get angry at how stupid the game is. You've never had to deal with controls like this before and it can get really frustrated if you're not patient.

BUT once you do get the controls down? You are in for a f-ing party. Once I was able to get control of Octodad and easily switch between his arms and legs, I was cruising around the rooms like it was nothing. Don't get me wrong, it was still tough, but I was actually able to relax and enjoy the game. And when I got a part where I was walking down the aisle and the people in attendance were suspicious of me (they apparently don't know you're an octopus), I could not stop laughing.

The game asked you to walk down the middle of aisle without raising suspicion. Only problem is, they put pillars with jars on top lined up along the aisle, and you had to try and walk down it without knocking anything over. And you knock over everything you come across in Octodad.

It was here that I saw and appreciated the genius of this game. I honestly had the biggest smile on my face as I laughed like a maniac trying not to flop around the aisle. The people around me must have thought I was insane. But that's what you want from a game! One that brings out an emotion in you as you play. And Octodad, once you get past the frustrating control scheme, will have you smiling from ear to ear.