Octodad: Dadliest Catch

It's an absurd premise for an absurd game. In an age when a simulation about a goat can go from joke to cult success in the blink of an eye, a cleverly designed game that has us helping an orange octopus remain disguised amidst humans can have our cash.

It's a short game, and entertaining. You'll laugh a lot. We did. But then, we like this kind of humour, the kind that tosses logic out the window.

To remain hidden, this octopus father must perform a range of everyday - human - tasks as accurately as possible. But even mowing the lawn or packing your kid's school bag is a challenge in itself when everything's physics-based and you're having to control four slimy, sticky tentacles (two as arms, two as legs).

The game begins at Octodad's wedding day, which doubles as a smoothly-crafted tutorial. The simple matter of grabbing and spraying some fragrance from the dressing table saw us tear the room apart as tentacles went flailing everywhere. It's hysterical stuff.

If you've seen the video for Fatboy Slim's Push the Tempo, you'll know what you're in for. Yet for all the flailing limbs and laughter, there's a genuine moral to the story that's quite touching. The tale of an outsider who's trying to fit in for his family's sake. Though it's easy to miss over the bizarreness of the out-of-control arm movements.

Unlike other indie games that are based on physics disasters - such as Surgeon Simulator - Octodad: Dadliest Catch isn't very difficult. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It took us around three hours to laugh our way through the adventure, enough time to adjust to the mechanics and the challenges they offered.

Silly, funny, and a great side dish to this year's rich blockbusters, Octodad: Dadliest Catch feels like an easy recommendation despite the short gameplay time. Buy, laugh your ass off, come out with a smile in the end.