Something Fishy Review

Darwin's mobile game of choice is both ridiculous and totally entertaining.

In Something Fishy, it's eat or be eaten...apparently even if you're the same species. You control Walter, a rambunctious fish, as he swims through an ocean environment that contains a number of different breeds and sizes of fish. The goal of the game is to eat the smaller fish, while avoiding the big ones, until you physically grow, thus literally moving up the food chain. Walter is a particularly aggressive character, and even though the other fish might live harmoniously with one another, every single fish in the sea is either predator or prey to you. Darwin's mobile game of choice is both ridiculous and totally entertaining.

It's more Lamarckian than Darwinian, actually.
It's more Lamarckian than Darwinian, actually.

The game is reminiscent of Joust, in that you're always aiming for enemies, but momentum often carries you far beyond where you intend to be. Like Joust, the entire game takes place on one screen, and when you or any other fish exits off one side, you'll reappear on the other. There's a shark that prowls through the level from time to time, but this rule doesn't apply to him, as he would take up too much room if he were always present. This mechanism can work for or against you, so it's important to always be aware of the situation on both sides of the level. There's a wide range of fish sizes, and as you grow, bigger fish that weren't there before begin to populate the area. At every point in the game, there's at least one species onscreen that's larger than you, and there's at least one that's smaller. This keeps the play area exciting, but not too crowded, throughout the game.

The graphics work well with the game's theme, despite the fact that all the fish are somewhat generic-looking on the LG VX7000. And even in his tiny sizes, Walter has elements of a personality. The sound effects could have been much better, as they consist of annoying beeps when you eat a fish or get eaten. In fact, you'll probably want to leave the sound effects off entirely, because they do nothing for the game at all. The catchy theme on the title screen is its best aspect, but even still, it's not good enough to merit leaving the sound on.

Something Fishy is really quite enjoyable, even if the gameplay remains more or less the same throughout. The game does get significantly more difficult as you get larger, but only because there's less room for you to maneuver without being near the jaws of a fish that wants to eat you. Something Fishy capitalizes on the simple mechanic of a game like Joust in a unique, charming way. If you're looking for a little bit of fun, you're sure to find it in Something Fishy.

The Good

  • Great game mechanic
  • Unique gameplay
  • Fun to play
  • Suitable graphics

The Bad

  • Sound effects are terrible
  • Pretty simple

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