Editor’s Note: imissmyfriends.studio provided IGN India with a game code for Sony PlayStation 5 for this preview.
Fishbowl is an upcoming indie puzzle game by Goa-based Indian developer, imissmyfriends.studio under PlayStation’s India Hero Project (IHP) banner. For context, IHP is a developer acceleration program for up-and-coming game devs in the country. This game also got the runner-up spot for the “Upcoming Game of the Year” award at IGDC 2023.
While the work on the game is ongoing, IGN India got access to the first 20 minutes of Fishbowl and here are our first impressions.
8-bit Journey of Alo
Right off the bat, the 8-bit art style is a visual treat as the colours pop, the character models are cute and interesting and everything has a very homely feel to it. The game follows the journey of Alo, a 21-year old budding video editor. She has just landed a cushy job and has had to relocate to a different city.
The story is about dealing with grief and the first 20 minutes left me wanting more to learn about how Aloo’s story unfolds. How she deals with such a challenging time in her life which involves settling in at her new workplace while dealing with a very big personal loss, the demise of her grandmother.
Personal-touch and Relatability
The in-game elements have a very personal touch, such as mentions of grandmothers’ mango pickle. Indian grand children will relate to such elements as many of them have lived similar experiences in their childhood.
Dialogue and the story of the game are quite good as they succeed in capturing the emotions and the moments like interactions between grand kids and their grand parents well. This makes the game quite relatable for a large subset of the audience.
Writing and the art of Fishbowl also interestingly encapsulates the emotion of despair. It is worth noting that you will get extra interactions depending on the choices you make for certain decisions.
Also read: IGDC 2023 First Impressions: Sojourn Past, Highlight of the Conference
Gameplay is very easy: it includes different types of simple puzzles. None of the puzzles that I encountered in the first 20 minutes of the game were head-scratchers highlighting that Fishbowl is a very casual game. Like an 8-bit movie with interactive elements, imissmyfriends.studio has ensured that the game focuses on the narrative.
Pandemic and First Impressions of Fishbowl
It is likely that the game teases the pandemic as dialogues repeatedly mentioned everyone going online and working from home. Exploring the struggles of the pandemic can be an interesting evolution for the game narrative.
While we are not sure about the release date of the game, this (8) bit(e)-sized taste of Fishbowl has left me excited to see what the full game brings to the table at launch.
Continue reading: IGDC 2023 First Impressions: Mumbai Gullies, Enormous Potential
