What is "squids"

Calamar \Cal"a*mar\ (k[a^]l"[.a]*m[aum]r), Calamary \Cal"a*ma*ry\, (-m[asl]*r[y^]r)n. [LL. calamarium inkstand, fr. L. calamus a reed pen: cf. F. calmar, calemar, pen case, calamar.] (Zo["o]l.) A cephalopod, belonging to the genus Loligo and related genera. There are many species. They have a sack of inklike fluid which they discharge from the siphon tube, when pursued or alarmed, in order to confuse their enemies. Their shell is a thin horny plate, within the flesh of the back, shaped very much like a quill pen. In America they are called squids. See Squid.

n. (plural of squid English)

Squids is a tactical role-playing game by the French studio The Game Bakers, released in October 2011 for iOS devices. A sequel was released entitled Squids Wild West, and a spin-off called Squids Odyssey was also released.

The object of the game is to defeat a range of aquatic enemies with a party of up to four anthropomorphic squids, which belong to one of four character classes: stomper (melee fighter), shooter (ranged fighter), scout or healer. Combat is turn-based, but not grid-bound: squids are flicked across the playing field by a motion of the player's finger, bumping like billiard-balls into enemies to attack them. In between the linear (but repeatable) levels, which are interconnected by cutscenes that develop the game's story, players can level up their squids or enhance them with items that can be bought with pearls, which in turn are found in-game or available to purchase for real currency.

The game was well received upon its release, obtaining a 76% aggregated score on Metacritic by the start of November 2011. Gamezebo praised the game's "pitch-perfect" gameplay, graphics and sound. TouchArcade appreciated the game's "inventive, grid-less, and active" combat mechanic, but criticized the ability to purchase pearls as unbalancing. Edge and PocketGamer likewise approved of the game's gameplay and production values but criticized the inclusion of in-game purchases.