Squids Odyssey (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Squids Odyssey's plot is just as barebones as its soggy protagonists. When a mysterious, dark ooze starts coursing through the ocean's water and infecting its inhabitants, it's up to a handful of valiant cephalopods to wear their favourite headgear and try to save the day. Such a narrative intricacy pretty much reflects itself on the gameplay basics: each stage is infested by a certain amount of enemies, which need to be defeated in order to move on to the next one. To do so, the squashy troopers only have one weapon: their own bodies! The way the game flows is quite simple: first thing, pulling back on squids' tentacles, using either the Circle Pad or the stylus; then, aiming at one direction, to change their position or strike the opponents; finally, pressing A or releasing the stylus to throw them for good.

Unlike the majority of Angry Birds's offspring, in Squids Odyssey the arcade, slingshot-like mechanics come supported by a fairly complex, turn-based battle system. The player's party consists of up to four different characters, each of them equipped with a set of stamina gauge per turn. Even though this amount of energy is usually enough for a couple of full-strength attacks, fling's intensity demands an accurate calibration, in order - for example - to place each squid in the best offensive position, and then making the most of one single critical hit against the closer enemies. On top of that, environmental barriers, fatal chasms and other instant death traps almost balance the zoning phase with the more brainless raiding operations.

Each squid in the party belongs to a specific class, which adds unique abilities and moves to the standard offensive manoeuvres. Shooters can fire a long-range attack, Scouts can perform a few more dashes during a single turn, Troopers can kick the enemies out with a wide-spreading smash, and Healers can bring some life back to the party members they bump into. The game menu works like a control hub to assemble the party, to decide the order for each turn, as well as to spend the pearls collected throughout the stages to purchase bonus items, level-up increases and different boosting hats to equip and tailor each squid with.

For a game of such kind - where movement and precision constitute its very gameplay fundamentals - to feature snappy, responsive controls is essential, and Squids Odyssey thankfully delivers in this department. Both touch and button layouts feel equally tight and reliable, opening up to everyone's taste for cross testing. No matter how much the difficulty level ramps up in the later stages, or the maps get cluttered with obstacles and enemies, the double configuration never fails to support even the most hazardous assault plan.