There have been plenty of stories told throughout the ages about families weathering a tragedy together or learning to overcome things and love one another, and plenty of stories throughout the ages that are called a 'fish out of water' tale, but none are so literal as OCTODAD: DADLIEST CATCH.
We're often told that family is the single most important thing in the world. That family will be there for you, no matter what, no matter who you are, that you can always, always, depend on family. I'm here to tell you that's a big steaming pile of crap. Now, to be fair, my life is very different than other peoples. Some people have families who WILL actually do those sorts of things. Who WILL actually stand by them and every decision they make, love them unconditionally, all that hollywood schlock, but from my own experience, it has been not the least bit true. That's partially why I'm drawn to stories like this, stories with a family that actually cares about one another, even if its told under the guise of a goddamned octopus who wears a suit and somehow fathered two human children. Because, ridiculous as the premise is, the sentiment remains. Here is something I wish I had, and now I can live on in the dream. Play out my fantasy, if you will, of a loving, supportive family.
OCTODAD: DADLIEST CATCH is not just fun, it borders on goddamned joyous. It's so ridiculous and so amazingly bright and happy, even at it's supposed darkest moments, that it reminds me of games I played on the computer growing up. It was one of the first times I've felt like a kid again playing video games, and I mean that in the most sincere sense that I can muster. And even beyond the lunacy of it all, even beyond the ridiculousness that the game is built around, where you play as an octopus who's married and has human kids and mows the lawn somehow, it's heartwarming. It's just heartwarming. Because, as much as the reality may be different than what television and movies and games try to sell us, it's still nice to imagine that a family can love one another, even when faced upfront with their most uncomfortable secrets for all to see.
To stare your loved one in the eyes and realize they aren't who you exactly thought they were, but that that doesn't really change anything about them or how you feel about them, that who they really is just as fine...it brings out a primal urge in us all, I think, to want that for ourselves. Family or lover, we all want to be accepted for who we are. OCTODAD hits in the same place that GONE HOME hit for me, but in very different ways. It's still ultimately about that love that you need, that you want, that acceptance that every single person should be allowed to have to just BE, and not be judged by it, especially by their appearance. He may be an octopus, but he's a damn fine father, and he loves that woman, and god help him if his wife ever discovers tentancle hentai, because then he may be in for some weird times.
It's a fairly short game; I managed to beat it in just about 3 hours, but the love and hard work that went into it is so obvious, and for that I would easily play it time and time again. It was fun the whole way through, very funny, very endearing and just outright loony in the absolute best possible way. I didn't find it anywhere near as hard to control as other people have said it was, in fact I think of games like this, "I AM BREAD" is MUCH harder to control, and I still don't have a huge problem with that one either, but to each their own. OCTODAD exists in that sweet spot of crafting something because they genuinely wanted to, AND being successful at it, and it achieved both in spades.
While I may never have a loving, supportive family, I do have my girlfriend, and some communities online who have been more than welcoming, and that seems about the same. A lot of times, if you aren't given family, you have to MAKE family, and that's totally fine. As long as you feel accepted and happy, then who cares who your 'family' actually is. I think the one lesson OCTODAD can teach us more than anything else is that to be ourselves is a gamble, but one that often pays off for the better. I may not be a tentacled creature from the sea who wears ties and such, but I know that if he can be accepted and loved, then why can't I.
OCTODAD is, without a doubt, the single best 3 or 4 hours you could EVER spend playing a video game. I for one hope to see more OCTODAD titles in the future, and maybe, just maybe, we all can be a little more like him. Great parents, loving partners and, more than anything, sassy, slimy, quick witted creatures from the depths below, because in the end, isn't that what we all dream of?
I know I do.
