Squids Wild West Review: Best iPad Game Just Got Better

Last year, the Game Bakers cooked up “Squids,” a strategy/RPG that rocked the very foundation of tablet gaming.

Cute little squids swimming on a screen- what’s the big deal?

Without a gimmick, the game proved that you could have a console experience on a tablet. Providing hours of rich gameplay, it was as if the Bakers combined “Final Fantasy Tactics” with the ‘80s cartoon “Snorks.”

The sequel, “Squids: Wild West,” continues the story and even though it’s much of the same experience, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Powered by colorful graphics, a fun story and intuitive controls, “Squids: Wild West” is an adventure unlike anything else on the iPad.

Well, except its big brother.

Aside from the addition of sea horses, bonus levels at the end of every chapter and some interesting new costumes (Sammo has a Skyrim hat that is uber cool), there’s nothing really new added to the formula behind “Squids: Wild West.” The same pick up and play game mechanics that the first entry in the series thrived upon is back, as well as the beautiful visuals. What has changed is the story. A bit darker than the original, the tale continues to progress and build. If things stay this intriguing, it’s easy to see a comic book and cartoon series fall into place.

The development as Steev as the group’s leader in the wake of Winnick’s “disappearance” is well-crafted. You’ll see a bit of Disney or Pixar in the delivery- this is definitely a coming of age story. Little kids will love this game because of it, but adults and hardcore gamers will adore the old-school charm the gameplay provides. The story will also allude to several moments in pop culture history and if you’re a fan of Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin Westerns, you’ll definitely get the asides. The Game Bakers did their homework on this one and everything, from the added costumes to the names of levels, will induce a smile at some point.

That is the exact reason why even with a minimum amount of “fresh” content, “Squids: Wild West” is easily in the running for best iPad game of 2012.

Every character has a signature style- so much so in a way that the emotional connection that comes about is unparalleled for a tablet title. You’ll root for them, you’ll smile; you’ll want to see what happens next. Even the hand-drawn loading screens make you feel comfortable and connected too the characters.

That’s not to say the game is a complete cakewalk. The combat is addicting and sometimes rather difficult. Some levels will take a dozen attempts to simply understand what you need to do to get through. Combining strategy with fun doesn’t come naturally and some levels make sure you use your brain. Simply put, the level design is expertly designed. It’s almost as if the Game Bakers understood their title was cute and had to give real gamers a reason to fall in love.

So yeah, the game is adorable, but there will be moments where you want to throw your iPad against a wall before realizing how expensive it is.

The fact that the game is only two dollars and can cause such frenzy is a tribute to the company that made it as well.

Speaking of money, you won’t need to spend anything extra to access parts of the game like other iPad titles. There are no ads. That’s because “Squids: Wild West” is a real game.

It just happens to be on a tablet.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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