Octodad gets PlayStation Move support

Young Horses' third-person adventure game about a wobbly Octopus dad, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, is getting PlayStation Move support, the developer announced today at a PlayStation showcase in Seattle.

The Move motion controller has been integrated in such a way that players can play through the entire game with just the Move controller.

"We've always wanted to integrate some sort of motion control because we felt like it was a natural fit for Octodad, just because any time you're using motion controls, you kind of feel awkward about it," developer Phillip Tibitoski told Polygon. "Generally, it's something you do when your friends are watching at a party, so you're crashing into things and it's a bit entertaining. In our game, it's a positive thing. It comes together well."

When players use the PlayStation Move controller with Octodad, they control each arm with the front and trigger buttons and point the controller to determine Octodad's direction. During Polygon's hands-on time with the game, it played as awkwardly as we'd imagined. Octodad's tentacles flopped wildly, and the careful and direct movements we were trying to perform resulted in clumsy judo rolls into walls, tables, stairs and doors. Once we got into a rhythm, our Octodad was able to move in the direction we wanted by seemingly throwing himself at things.

As difficult as it was to move elegantly, we couldn't help but smile at the silliness of it, and every player who got their hands on the demo also walked away with broad grins, even when all their Octodad did was flail his tentacles about.

"We tried to stay away from making the movement tedious," Tibitoski said. "The arms are almost one-to-one, but it's still awkward, so you're knocking things over. The result of your movement isn't always what you think it should be."