Fish Game

Fish Game you say? I wasn’t sure what to think when the editor asked me to review early access code of a fish tank simulator – yep, another entrant in the simulator genre. This time where  you create fish tanks, populate them with a variety of fish and plants then work to ensure a thriving ecosystem develops – but you know what, it’s a supremely chill experience that I’m enjoying so far.

I’ve never really been someone who has wanted an indoor fish tank: Oh, sure my children had goldfish when they were smaller, but there was never a desire to create a centrepiece in the lounge with a tank full of tropical fish.

The Steam description for Fish Game, which is currently in early development, describes it as a “highly ‘sofishticated’ aquarium simulator, lovingly crafted by enthusiasts for enthusiasts but I don’t think you need to own an aquarium to enjoy this game.

The first tank you create will be a simple affair and the opening moments of the game hold your hand teaching you the basics of buying fish and plants from three stores, feeding them and how to monitor the tanks – and its residents – to ensure optimal living conditions.

The game says it has over 50 varities of fish to choose from, all with unique personalities and behaviors.

From Fish Game to burgeoning obsession…?

As I progressed, buying more plants and more and more fish, the serene nature of this simulator started growing on me: I’ve now got two tanks on the go – one a 40 gallon and one a 25 gallon – and the fish seem happy. I mean, none of them have died on me, which is a good thing, right?

There seems a lot of depth, too, here as tank sizes range from 7 gallons to 3000 gallons.

The more you progress the more perks for your tank you unlock, like a vacuum that will suck up algae off substrate and objects or a glass cleaner, and  you’ll need to change the water from time to time to ensure things stay crystal clear.

What I’ve been enjoying, too, is that it’s a currency-free economy, which means you don’t have to grind doing mundane tasks to earn money to purchase that next fish or a new plant: You just visit a shop, select what you want and put it into your tank.

While the name isn’t the most inspiring, Fish Game gives people the option of owning your own aquarium without the costs associated with that.

Sounds like a win-win to me.