Squids: review

• Format: Android, PC, Mac, iOS (reviewed on iPod Touch)
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: The Game Bakers
• Developer: The Game Bakers
• Players: 1
• Site: http://www.squidsthegame.com/

Navigating the iOS and Android marketplaces is like wading through a heavily polluted coral reef: every step feels grimier than the last, but there are pearls glimmering just beneath the garbage floating on the surface. Take a deep breath and get used to the idea of growing a third leg, because it’s worth risking chemical contamination for a shot at one of the shiniest pearls of them all: Squids. The Game Bakers have whipped up an adorable turn-based strategy adventure that rolls with the casual conventions of the day without sacrificing depth or selling their souls along the road.

An enthusiastic bunch of squids are on a quest to save the ocean from an evil source of vile goop that spawns deadly minions of your darkest nightmares. You know, like shrimp. The good-natured story’s silliness never gets in the way and gives you a reason to launch its varied cast into undersea warfare. Although different character classes will take turns tactically beating one another to a frothy pulp, there’s no grid to be seen; instead, you’ll fling units around the lovely overhead maps like pucks on an air hockey table. Addicting in its smooth simplicity, the battles quickly evolve into all manner of strategic physics manipulation and risky bank shots. Although a series of gentle nudges to avoid pits might not do much damage, yanking back a squid’s rubber-band-like tentacles and letting it crash into a crab can eat up half your turn. It takes careful management of stamina to get the most out of each round, but taking out three bad guys in one clever move feels like blowing up the Death Star with the flick of a finger. Without targeting computers.

Each of the four classes (shooter, trooper, scout, and healer) has a special trick up its sleeve that lends another layer of uncomplicated tactics to the mix. Using these abilities at the right time and in the right order can make all the difference, particularly if you’re keen on completing the objectives. Finishing levels swiftly, keeping your squids alive, and finding secret stars are the primary ways to earn pearls, which can buy you items and upgrades. Micro-transacting your way to the top is an option, but the developers have enough good taste to leave you alone if you prefer, as is the case for social media integration. The amount of stats to tinker with isn’t complex, but there’s more than enough to keep you invested in earning enough cash for a new helmet or five.

And that’s what makes Squids so remarkable: it melds the “casual” and “hardcore” crowds together with no hurt feelings on either side. Nestled in this sweet spot of videogames and boasting over twenty-five solid levels, the customary iOS price point feels criminally low. After topping off the well-rounded content with well-produced visuals, not to mention the delightful soundtrack, recommending it to just about anyone isn’t much of a stretch (yes, that’s a pun, please laugh). In the murky seas of a strange emerging market, The Game Bakers are doing things right.