GDC11: Octodad Team Talks Development, Sequel + Hands-On

Allen Park March 5, 2011 7:39 PM EST

A couple days ago I brought you guys one of the more ridiculous things at GDC, the Octodad Kinect demo. After playing it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and the entire night I had pleasant, semi-erotic dreams of flailing about to control a well-dressed cephalopod. The next day I couldn’t help but go back to DePaul University’s booth so I could ask some burning questions about the demo, the Octodad franchise, and what’s next for the team.

Most of the team was busy helping others play Octodad for Kinect, so I only managed to talk to Majdi Badri, game and level designer for Octodad. Of course, the first question I had to ask him was why in the hell Octodad was on the Kinect, and if it was actually coming out as a full retail title for the 360. To that, Badri replied that they weren’t planning on releasing it for the time being. According to him, one of the main reasons they were showing off the demo was to drum up interest for any publishers interested in distributing Octodad for retail, which they unfortunately have not had any luck with yet. To date, trying to find a publisher seems to be the DePaul team’s number one priority; after all, these fine gentlemen do hope to make money off their commendable talents.

When asked about the future of the Octodad series, however, there was a bit of good news. “We’re completing the Octodad story, releasing in late March,” stated Badri. “In the first game, there were some unresolved story elements, like Octodad’s unfinished anniversary gift, that we wanted to resolve.” Fans of Octodad’s nemesis, the sushi chef, will be glad to know he’ll be back too. “He’ll play a big, important part in this one too.”

At that point Badri welcomed me to play a short demo of the upcoming sequel, which I had no idea was present onsite. The demo was signature Octodad, where I had to find a key to the entrance of a secret room. There were piles of dirt and a shovel, so naturally I used my barely functional limbs to dig up some treasure, a key, and also a pile of bananas. The bananas appeared to be a new feature, as when I stepped on a banana peel, I slipped so severely it was like ragdoll physics on Four Loko and crack. The delightful chortle that escaped my mouth afterward was proof positive that it’s sure to be a welcome addition to the game.

The demo ended far too quickly, and above all, it made me remember how fond I am of Octodad. I have immense respect for the DePaul University game development team, and hope they find a publisher soon; if/when that happens, I’ll be first in line. Make sure to keep an eye out for Octodad 2: Octodadder fairly soon; if things go as planned, it’ll be the last free game from them.