It might be said that Squids has come full circle. Starting on mobile platforms, The Game Bakers’ brand extended its tentacles to a console experience with Squids Odyssey on the Wii U, which we’ve reviewed. The same game has now found a home on the 3DS, returning to its portable roots with a few small differences.
Squids Odyssey combines slingshot-like mechanics with mild RPG elements to create a fun little battler. A player’s party of up to four squids faces off against ooze-possessed denizens of the deep in each top-down stage, largely by pulling back on their tentacles and launching them into foes. The direction and intensity of each shot can be controlled with either the Circle Pad or stylus, but the Circle Pad, with its smooth rotation and tighter feel compared to a Wii U control stick, is especially suited for the job.
Each squid recruited along the journey also belongs to one of four classes capable of a special skill or attack. Scouts can make a few small dashes beyond the amount of stamina given for movement in a turn, healers can recover the HP of friendlies they bump into, shooters can hit with a long-range attack each turn, and troopers can unleash an area-of-effect sumo stomp that sends opponents scattering. The A button or a tap of the stylus can execute special attacks but the button feels more reliable, especially when used in tandem with the Circle Pad to aim a dashing scout.
The reliability of control is important, as positioning and precision each play play a significant role. A squid can only go so far each turn, and you don’t want to leave one stranded near a gang of enemies or easy prey at the edge of a pit. Squids Odyssey delivers the means to manoeuvre, but the need to plan out a strategy increases through the stages, especially if you want to reap bonuses for time and safety.
The menu is the control point for choosing your party, their turn order, and using pearls found throughout the game to purchase items, level-ups, and stat-boosting hats. Boosts gained from hats are cumulative and permanent, meaning you’re free to adorn a squid with whatever you want. The whole method still feels a bit of a chore, though, especially when straight up level increases can also be bought.
While the 3DS version of Odyssey doesn’t quite share the hi-def TV glory of its Wii U sibling, 3D has been utilized to make the beautiful level artwork stand out and provide a better sense of watery depth. Cutscenes do play on both screens, which is a slightly disappointing waste of real estate — some additional artwork would have been wonderful to see. The often light and bubbly soundtrack and its use of ukulele, however, is perfectly placed.
The story within Squids Odyssey also has an amount of depth not usually expected from former mobile titles. It’s by no means 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but the characters shine with personality and zippy dialogue is frequent through the game’s eight chapters. It’s a pity that all characters in a class operate the same, but favourites will be chosen and more than one member of the same class can be placed in a party. If you want to send in a strike team of shooters wielding pistols, crossbows, and candy canes(?), you can.
Conclusion
Squids Odyssey may not satisfy those looking for a deep RPG experience, but it remains an appealing, charming choice for players wanting kinetic fun with a side of strategy. The 3DS version suits the pick-up-and-playability of the title well, even if it looks more gorgeous on the Wii U. Yet depending on the cross-buy options in your area, having to decide between the two may be a moot point.
Comments 15
Sold on this. Great review. Will be getting this on both Wii U and 3DS thanks to cross buy!
Does anybody know if cross buy works with any account? Say, if I were to buy Squids on my brother's 3DS, then go on his account on my Wii U, could I still download it? Or does it have to be my account? (My account being the first).
@C-Olimar I'd assume you have to download it on the same NNID, but after that it would be playable on any account on that Wii U.
I'm only part way through the 3DS version so far, however I agree that it does have a lot of strategy involved. Definietely seems better than most mobile games!
@Prof_Clayton @smikey Thanks, that sounds greats, I assumed as much.
This was we can both enjoy the game
I"m hoping the cross buy option comes to North America, I'll pick this up for sure if that is the case, it's clearly a well made game.
@XCWarrior agreed. I will buy it if NA gets the cross-buy. If not, there are so many other titles on the eshop to play instead. Guacamelee, Armillo, Pushmo, Shovel Knight......I really wished the WiiU had a larger HDD.
The only way I'm getting this is if NA gets the same Cross-Buy treatment that EU got.
@bezerker99 I feel sorry for the dev. They were approached by NoE to apply this offer, but when they asked NoA they said they couldn't do it. Seems like Nintendo has incoherent policies on the matter.
@shigulicious I think I'll pick it up eventually either way, but what I mean is if they announce Cross buy for the game, we all should pick it up ASAP so Nintendo of America knows that cross buy can be successful. Totally agree on the other games you mentioned, but with my current backlog, I can wait for a sale at least right now.
Wish you could buy free time...
@C-Olimar The entire Cross-buy promotion has been just one giant flustercluck. The NL article made me think Cross buy was coming for all downloadable games on Nintendo platforms....and then it's just really one game that has it.......and then it's just Europe with that one game that has it.
All that's lame^.
would got it for 5. 15 is way overpriced. game is what a 5 hour game tops
Why is this double price of the wii u version, it's almost like they increased the price to incorporate the cross buy option. If this was £4.49 I would buy it and feel like I got something for free but this seems overpriced to me
That price is outrageous! It'd be different if it were bross-buy, but I won't pay more than $7 tops for this otherwise.
Cross buy is brilliant and all that but when you consider that this game is $2.99/£1.99 on the AppStore for a more complete content rich version (due to multiple updates) then you have to acknowledge that Nintendos digital stores are mostly always more expensive than their competitors.
@bezerker99 I wouldn't say the article was misleading, it simply was making people aware of the fact that it was a first, and an exciting first too for Nintendo Platforms.
It would be down to the developer whether they want to go for a deal like this in most cases, and not everyone wants to do it(or has the same game on most platforms) so this is a great first step. Let's see what the coming months bring for cross-platform games.
Being honest though, what percentage of games are available i the same form on both platforms? Mainly virtual console games for the NES to be honest. But as I said, a great first step and fantastic option to have!
Looked like a nice game so I went ahead and bought it to encourage Nintendo to offer more cross buy titles. I'm guessing that digital distribution is more important in Europe. Nintendo is losing shelf space in the brick and mortar stores here. Tomodachi Lives is not available in stores here and I live in a big city. Last month I added a USB hard-drive to the Wii U and my 3DS XL got a larger SD Card. I wished Nintendo was further with the catchup to the digital age. Can't wait till Cross Buy and game binding to accounts are the norm. I'm ready and Nintendo has the games I like. Just wish they would hurry these changes.
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