|| REVIEW || The Otterman Empire (Xbox One)
Developed By : Tri-Heart Interactive Published By : Tri-Heart Interactive
Category : Action, Shooter, Platformer, Multiplayer
Release Date : July 2, 2020
Like most gamers, when I think of party games I think in terms of whacky, fast-paced mini game filled games. It's not often, if even ever, that you think of something with any sort of gun gameplay involved. I mean, I've seen shooter games take whacky approaches for limited time modes, but nothing that has fully merged the two genres. Tri-Heart Interactive looks to get the edge on the market with their otterly puntastic title, The Otterman Empire.
While it's built and billed as a party game, there is a single player campaign for you to enjoy. You'll step into the role of Astrid and her team of animal creatures in their fight against the evil Tiko. Tiko is trying to destroy all of Otterspace and, well, that would be a very not nice thing, so obviously he needs to be stopped.
The campaign itself is broken up over various levels, all of which are only a few minutes in length. Each chapter of the campaign will bring you to a different area in the Otterman Empire and will require you to put a stop to whatever dastardly plan Tiko has cooked up. At some points you'll need to stop bombs from being deployed, destroying various of his robotic minions, or even facing off against the man himself. Er, otter...
Whoever you choose to play as, you'll have access to all the same basic features. Each otter comes with their own weapon, so you'll have to decide if you want something quick-firing, or something that's slower but deals more damage. They each have their own ultimate move as well which go hand in hand with their weapons. Otherwise, they all utilize the same jetpack worn on their backs to assist with vertically conquering your foes. When the jetpack and ammo are running low, each stage has a series of small rivers and streams for you to swim into, replenishing both stocks and putting you right back into the game.
Don't want to go it alone? The entire campaign is playable with up to four players. And if you don't care much for the campaign, or want to keep causing otter chaos after you're done with it, the game offers a plethora of party maps to face off against your friends. Go at it in teams of two, or a four-otter free-for-all.
As you play through the levels you'll earn stars based on how well you perform. These stars will unlock a bunch of customization options for your otter squad, additional characters to play as, and even some levels to visit. None of the cosmetics alter how the characters and their weapons perform, but it's a lot of fun to swap out the pieces of their outfits and make them look as crazy as can be.
If you're a fan of party based games then The Otterman Empire will be a lot of fun for you and your family or friends. The short and sweet, yet hectic, approach to all the levels means it's the perfect game to throw in when you don't have a lengthy time to spare, or if you have a large group and want to promote rotating players in and out. But, at the same time, it keeps those levels interesting and highly replayable. Bonus points for those who love puns, because this game is otterly overflowing with them. So don't miss out on a fun game for your library.
One final side note on this review is that I have seen it noted in some places with people having bugs and glitches with this game, and I personally never experienced anything of the sort. I'm not sure if there were specific scenarios that caused these bugs or if they occurred closer to the initial release date, but by the time I played, everything worked fine for me.
Game Rating : 8 / 10
