Publisher: The Game Bakers
Price: $9.99 (£6.99)
Description: A Team-Based RPG Where you Fling Squids Around the Screen
Fullscreen Support |
Mouse Support |
File Size |
Launch Date |
Required Specifications |
Yes |
Mouse Recommended |
710 MB——- |
1st March
|
None |
Rating
Pros: Unique concept, really high production values.
Cons: Some rough edges from moving from iPad to Mac.
Review
I would love to have been around when The Game Bakers were brainstorming this game. Someone in accounting thought a flinging game like Angry Birds would be a good idea… then that geek in programming wanted an RPG… then there’s that girl in the art department really loves Calamari… and the janitor plays those team based tactical shooters. Unable to make any kind of cohesive decision, the swarthy Project Manager hitches up his pocket protector, fiddles with his tie nervously and announces that the dev team will be creating (drum roll please): A team-based RPG where you fling squids around the screen while collecting treasure and battling enemies in order to save the world from the “black ooze”. This is a crazy game idea. But here is the thing: this game is fanfreaking-tastic. Something in the way that every detail of a game is polished and worked through and assembled. The way every gameplay mechanic is optimized and every line of character dialog is smooth and natural. A game like that just oozes a certain consistent quality. Squids is that kind of game.
Squids begins with the story of a trio of treasure-hunting undersea tentacle-wielders. As they are busily liberating some pearls from an ancient ocean temple they are attacked by an ooze covered giant crab. Faced with the possibility of the black ooze taking over the entire world they decide to assemble an army to stop the invasion in its tracks.
Squids is a turn-based RPG where you play the role of a team of squids whose tentacles you pull in order to fling them like a rubber band toward their enemies or collect treasure. Victory conditions are usually clearly stated at the beginning of each level. Each character gets a turn sequentially: you can fling away as long as you still have action points, so you are free to use a ranged attack (if your class permit it) to fling yourself at the enemy to finish them off. After all your squids have moved, any enemies in the area take their turns and a new round begins. Your squids can be killed either by running out of hit-points or being bumped off the playfield. The level ends once either the victory conditions have been met or your entire team has been killed.
Each of your squids have a series of attributes such as health, stamina, attack and defense that improve as they level up. Items and helmets are unlocked by discovering them in the ocean or as bounty for finishing levels. Once unlocked they can be purchased using the pearls you collect by defeating enemies and opening shells. Helmets help improve character stats, and items give special bonuses such as revival of a downed squid or the summoning of a Kracken to attack enemies. There are multiple character classes with differing abilities such as the healer who can heal teammates by bumping into them and the shooter who fills his opponents with lead from a safe distance. Making good use of items, helmets and classes is essential to beating the game’s 21 levels.
The game’s very few issues come from being converted from the iPad. The game occasionally makes reference to touching the screen. It can also be difficult to boost your character in mid movement as you are required to click your moving squid with the mouse. It may have been nice just to use a right-click to do this instead. The upgrade menus are a bit cryptic, but they do the job once you are used to them.
Graphics and sound are really top notch. From the rolling seascape of the title menu down to the smallest details on the game screen everything is beautifully rendered in bright cartoon graphics. There is also a lot of animation in the backgrounds without it seeming too busy. The main characters are well defined, cute, and portray a lot of emotion. Sound is equally well done. If the tropical soundtrack doesn’t make your toes tap you may want to check yourself for a pulse. The base is deep and thumping and tonal sounds are crisp and clear. In game sound is fairly limited – mostly just the sounds of the squids clunking into walls and obstacles or the “ugh” an enemy makes when getting hit, but it gets the job done well enough.
There is an intangible “magic” that happens when a developer loves creating a game, and I mean really loves it. It’s not something you can really put your finger on, but you can just tell. Squids has this kind of magic, making it an excellent turn-based RPG and one you should definitely consider playing.
