The game is divided into several levels with various objectives to be completed to progress in a level. If the gauge becomes full, the player will be forced to restart at a recent checkpoint. To maintain Octodad's identity, the player must avoid causing too much chaos in moving the character around while in sight of certain non-player characters, like guards or scientists, as tracked by a gauge in the game how quickly these characters catch on is set by the game's difficulty level. The player is able to pick up and throw loose items as well, through manipulation of these tentacles. The player can control one of two sets of tentacles, mimicking arms and legs, switching between the two with a single button. Octodad: Dadliest Catch requires the player to control the protagonist, Octodad, as he maneuvers his way through increasingly complex challenges all while attempting to hide the fact that he is a cephalopod in human clothing. In the 'Octodad' series, the player takes the role of an octopus attempting to mimic a human, with otherwise mundane tasks made difficult by attempting to maneuver the octopus' tentacles as limbs.
