Swimming its way onto both Nintendo’s Wii U and 3DS consoles are a group of underwater creatures on a quest to save their homes in a recent eshop title called Squids Odyssey . The way they intend to accomplish that is similar to that attempted by Angry Birds: thrusting their own bodies onto their opponents. Will their efforts be successful? Only you can guide them to victory.
Essentially, Squids Odyssey mixes physics-based mechanics with elements of RPG. Hence, you get a blend of puzzles and some degree of character development. The game is played from the top-down perspective as you control a group of maximum four creatures. Here, you’ll be batting against a variety of black-oozed enemies in a turn-based manner.
 
Control-wise, you’ll be launching your creature similarly to what you would do in Angry Birds by pulling back on the squid of your choice using either the left stick or stylus. Then, you just aim followed by pressing the A button or releasing the stylus from the screen. As it turns out, be it on the Nintendo Wii U or 3DS, the controls are responsive which makes the whole ordeal of aiming and slinging your squid around easy and accurate.
As you progress through the game, you’ll be having more creatures joining your efforts. Note that each can belong to one of four classes, thus making them unique in terms of their attacks and attributes. You have one class that can pull off a few extra dashes in a turn. There’s also the healers can recover the health of your allies. Additionally, there are those that, with each turn, can pull of an attack at a long range. Finally, you have the troopers that can leave a damage to opponents that happen to be occupying a certain area by performing a stomp.
Looking at the presentation of Squids Odyssey, the graphics are well-done in both the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS. The characters are presented in a cartoon style with the visuals on screen looking all vibrant and colorful. On top of that, the backgrounds in the levels hardly look the same as you have various themes constantly. Nonetheless, the cartoon-like approach can be a bit too simplistic for some types of players. As for the audio, the music is acceptable, but may be too light-hearted for hardcore gamers. Too much ukelele and not enough bass may be off-putting. Still, the audio effects help to immerse players into the game itself.
​There is some distinction between the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS. For the latter, it also adds in the stereoscopic 3D effects. Within the underwater setting, this really brings out the depth in the atmosphere. In other words, you really feel like your creatures are swimming underwater. As for the Wii U, the gamepad serves as an option for players to engage in off-TV modes. It’s something that can be convenient for those who doesn’t want to get their games interrupted while their family members want to watch their TV programs within the same room.
While playing through Squids Odyssey, you’ll quickly notice that pearls serve as currency which is important if you wish to level or if you simply want to purchase some items to restore either stamina or health. But what also keeps Squids Odyssey alive are the number of hats you can acquire. These can also be purchased with pearls. What makes them special is the fact that they can boost your stats.
On top of this, there are added challenges to the game such as secret stars to find, trying to keep all your creatures alive, and completing the level within a certain number of turns. Thus, this prolongs the longevity of the game especially for players who are wanting to revisit and perform a perfect run. However, frustration can occur when launching your squid can lead to falling off the platform. Thus, trial-and-error approach may be key to success.
Whether on the Nintendo Wii U or 3DS, Squids Odyssey has a lot to offer in terms of engaging gameplay and content. It may not be as violent or action-packed, but it certainly is a pearl to the eshop scenery.
