Squids

Stop and ink

by Bulent Yusuf 13/10/2011

When tactical role-playing games are designed well, they can be hugely engaging.

Some folks grumble that they're devoid of personality or character, their gameplay boiled down to a tedious drudge of turn-based combat. But that's the beauty of it. These are RPGs in their purest form, with all the florid storytelling and stale archetypes stripped away. No distractions.

And then along comes a game like Squids, whose purpose in life, it seems, is to imbue the tactical RPG with a wee bit of charm.

Octopus's garden

The title will give you some indication as to the theme. A malign, inky, dark influence has corrupted the fishy occupants of an undersea kingdom. It's up to a gang of eight-armed freedom fighters to liberate them from slavery, and to save our seas in the process. ...

Like a bowl of deep-fried calamari with sliced lemon and mayonaise, every bite is a delight. It's just a shame about the pricing model

RATINGS
Audio/visual: 8
Gameplay: 8
Value: 8
Innovation: 8
Overall: 8