by Jikuu

Created on: October 29, 2008   Last Updated: June 12, 2011

Downloadable Game Review: Fishco, by Fugazo, Inc.

Fishco is a simple game where you assume the responsibilities of a fish seller. In the game, you have up to four tanks where you breed and feed fish, keep their environment healthy, supply plants to keep them happy, and sell them for a tidy profit.

The game play is very easy to pick up. The first level serves as a tutorial, and as you progress in the game, more features are unlocked and explained before the level begins. The game lets you flip between three tabs that dole out different responses. The supplies tab provides the fish owner with eggs for new fish, food, plants to increase happiness, and medicine in case the fish get sick. The tank status tab allows you to clean the tank by removing algae or changing water. The last tab will deal with either breeding or selling, depending on the tank you are using. In a normal tank, this tab allows you to put it up for sale. In a breeding tank, it allows for fish to breed and make more eggs. As the game progresses, special tank tabs will pop up to grant access to the other tanks. The first ten levels seemed easy to beat, even in expert mode (by a certain time limit), but it's conceivable that the game progresses in difficulty with more tanks and faster spawning of fishy needs and dangers. At some levels, you need to plan ahead a bit in order to meet all the criteria and pass to the next level. Fishco has two modes of play, differentiated only by the presence or void of a time limit.

Fishco's graphics are nice, but nothing to fawn over. The fish and their tanks are rendered well, with some cartoon-like elements such as hearts around breeding fish or crudely drawn pellets in the mix. In general, it's watching a lot of pretty fish tanks in the midst of feeding and cleaning them. The sound, again, is pleasant but not symphonic. Bubbly noises and friendly music offer the ears a soft accompaniment that amplifies the fish seller vibe.

There's not much creativity or innovation when it comes to the game's plot. Fishco serves a very simple, almost quaint, plot of being a fish owner. It serves more as a pet simulation than an arcade game. While well done in execution, the game becomes tedious from round after round of the same routine of clean, feed, breed, and sell. After the first few levels, Fishco walks a tightrope between the amusements of quick game responses and the peacefulness of fish strolling by, and often, it falls off the rope.

This game is best suited for young children in order to teach them the ins and outs of general pet care or for any fish aficionado with a few minutes to kill. Outside of that audience, it's not a game worth buying.

Gameplay: 3/5
Graphics and Sound: 3/5
Creativity and Innovation: 1/5
Total Score: 2/5

Learn more about this author, Jikuu.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.