A Fisherman's Tale

While A Fisherman’s Tale is shorter than many people’s daily commute to work, its abundance of charm and clever use of the core puzzling mechanic make it a VR title worth cozying up with on weekend afternoon.

92%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, stability

92% User Score Based on 982 reviews

Critic Score 72%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $0.54

Buy NowGet on Steam$14.99

About

In "A Fisherman's Tale," become Bob, a tiny fisherman puppet living in a cabin, unaware of the world outside. To turn on the lighthouse light before the storm, solve mind-bending VR puzzles, and interact with unusual allies. Manipulate objects with your hands and prepare for a reality-bending adventure.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 982 reviews

story176 positive mentions

replayability11 negative mentions

Innovative gameplay mechanics that utilize VR effectively, creating a unique experience.
Charming story and visuals that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.
Engaging puzzles that encourage creative thinking, making the player feel accomplished.

Very short playtime, typically around 1 to 1.5 hours, which may not justify the full price.
Some puzzles can be frustrating due to janky controls and collision issues.
The constant hints and narration can become repetitive and detract from the immersive experience.

story
329 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
45%
2%
The game's story is generally described as charming and engaging, with many players appreciating its whimsical and heartwarming narrative, despite its brevity, typically lasting around an hour. While some found the storytelling to be simple or cliché, others praised its emotional depth and the effective use of VR to enhance the experience. Overall, the narrative is seen as a delightful complement to the puzzle mechanics, making it a worthwhile experience, especially when purchased on sale.
- “Brilliant escape room game with a captivating, mysterious story and great VR mechanics!”
- “The story has many special moments of humor, sadness, fear, and victory that entice the player to continue playing to see what will happen.”
- “A charming and innovative VR game with a nice story and interesting puzzle mechanics.”
- “Some very interesting ideas, but they get boring quickly and it becomes just waiting around trying to find one thing which is supposed to progress the story.”
- “The dialogue and plot is saccharine cheese and not the good kind.”
- “The story didn't connect to me in any way.”
gameplay
222 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
The gameplay is characterized by a unique and innovative scale-shifting mechanic that effectively utilizes VR capabilities, providing players with engaging and imaginative puzzles. However, many reviews note that the game is relatively short, typically lasting around 1 to 2 hours, and some mechanics can feel repetitive or underexplored. While the charming visuals and immersive atmosphere enhance the experience, the gameplay can occasionally suffer from minor control issues and a lack of depth in puzzle variety.
- “The gameplay is both ingenious and rewarding, and there are many moments of awe where the player will think to themselves, 'this is so cool!!' It can take a moment for the player to realize what needs to be done to finish a puzzle and progress, but when the player finds a solution, they are rewarded with a great feeling of success and further progress into the story.”
- “The nested scale mechanic works very well in VR. I felt great when I reached the end; the only downside is the price tag for one and a half hours of gameplay.”
- “Extremely original and creative gameplay that maximizes and takes full advantage of what virtual reality can do.”
- “The puzzles can be a bit samey as they all utilize the same mechanic of changing sizes of objects.”
- “But the gameplay itself is a bit boring and janky; the narrator treats you like a brain-dead child, which is really annoying.”
- “The gameplay is the worst kind of mundane that plagued older VR - pickup, insert, and twist puzzles.”
graphics
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
25%
3%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, cartoonish art style and immersive quality, making it visually appealing in VR. Many reviewers highlight the vibrant colors and unique design elements, particularly in underwater sections and the overall aesthetic, which contribute to an engaging experience. While some mention that the graphics are not highly detailed, they are considered effective and well-suited for the game's whimsical narrative and mechanics.
- “The graphics are bold, bright, and cartoony and look fantastic in the headset.”
- “Immersive, beautiful graphics and artwork, great soundtrack, brilliant narration and story, and challenging without being too difficult to enjoy.”
- “The graphics, sounds, and cinematics in the game create a charming and immersive tiny world within a wooden lighthouse.”
- “Average/poor graphics for a game from 2019.”
- “The game lacks smooth locomotion and requires teleport/snap turn and features no graphic options.”
- “What the visuals lack in polygons they compensate in charm, and the sound design is gorgeous for the most part (one character in the third part was repeating its lines a little bit too often).”
replayability
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
55%
35%
Overall, the game is criticized for its short playtime (typically around 1-2 hours) and lack of meaningful replayability, with many players noting that once completed, there is little incentive to return. While some mention the presence of achievements as a potential reason to replay, the consensus is that the game does not offer enough variety or depth to warrant multiple playthroughs. Players recommend purchasing it on sale due to its brevity and limited replay value.
- “It's a relatively short experience; however, the achievements and general replayability make it a 100% recommendation of mine.”
- “If there is any downside, then as I said (and others have), it's a bit on the short side (I finished my first playthrough in about an hour) - that said, there are a chunk of achievements you're unlikely to pick up first time which should give some replay value.”
- “First run took me ~2h, but there's a bit of replayability with orbs to collect.”
- “There's no replayability whatsoever.”
- “I finished the game in 1h15 and there is no replay value for this game.”
- “No replayability at all because the game will be exactly the same through each playthrough.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
21%
16%
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, contributing to an immersive atmosphere alongside excellent narration and graphics. While some users noted that it may not be the absolute best, it is consistently described as beautiful and fitting, with a great soundtrack that complements the gameplay. However, a few players expressed disappointment over the lack of music volume adjustment options.
- “Great music and narration.”
- “With the lovely music and great atmosphere, I played through it all in one go!”
- “It has been a very pleasant experience with an amazing soundtrack, a wonderful story with great narration, a gameplay mechanic I've never seen before, and very nice stylistic choices.”
- “Can only say one thing I did not like about this game: music volume adjustment unavailable.”
- “Even the cheapest of games often include music, voiceover, and sound effect volume controls.”
- “Music globally did its work, not the best of the best, but clearly not bad either.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
11%
17%
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its cozy, immersive, and unique qualities, enhanced by charming visuals and engaging music. Players appreciate the balance between the environment and gameplay, noting that the atmosphere often compensates for a sparse story. Overall, the combination of delightful voice acting and surreal elements contributes to a captivating experience that many find enjoyable and worth recommending.
- “The atmosphere is very cozy.”
- “It has incredible atmosphere and some very unique mechanics that I have not seen in any other game.”
- “With the lovely music and great atmosphere, I played through it all in one go!”
- “The story is a little sparse, but the atmosphere that the game creates is far more important.”
- “It's a pretty great-looking escape room game, and not really as frightening as others. The surreal nature of the atmosphere and story gives it its own charm.”
- “The game revels in its narrator, really trying to spoon-feed the player atmosphere.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its witty characters, funny dialogue, and a blend of comedic and poignant moments throughout the story. The game's charming voice acting and clever puzzles contribute to an engaging experience that keeps players entertained and laughing. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the gameplay, making it a standout feature.
- “The story is fun and funny.”
- “Witty and funny characters.”
- “Amazing game filled with mind-twisting logic and wonderful humor.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a charming and wholesome narrative that features touching moments, particularly in the story of the fisherman. While the puzzles are simple and at times overshadowed by the narration, the overall experience is heartwarming, leaving players with a sense of emotional fulfillment despite some critiques regarding the game's pacing and claustrophobic design.
- “Puzzles are well-executed and the story is solid, with some nice emotionally touching moments.”
- “Overall: expected an average puzzle game, got a heart-touching story with decent puzzles that challenged my fear of depths instead.”
- “Finishing the adventure, and learning about the fisherman is a touching, emotional journey.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with several users reporting bugs that affect gameplay, particularly in specific puzzles and mechanics. While some players experienced no significant glitches, others found the issues to be frustrating enough to hinder their enjoyment, leading to restarts and unplayable moments. Overall, the game has charm but suffers from notable stability problems.
- “The voice acting appealed to me, and the game suffered from no glitches.”
- “Graphics are great; there were no glitches during my playthrough, but I have a pretty solid PC build, including a 1080 Ti.”
- “A little buggy section with the hoist and hook section.”
- “Last puzzle is also really buggy; it involved lighting a match and the match kept disappearing from my hands.”
- “I really want to enjoy this game, but it's buggy to the point of being unplayable.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be tedious due to poor movement mechanics and limited navigation options, which frustrates players accustomed to more fluid VR experiences. While the core gameplay mechanics are enjoyable and well-executed, certain sections, like the crane puzzle, detract from the overall experience by introducing unnecessary complexity and collision issues.
- “Movement is terrible with no options; people used to VR will hate the snap-change turning and the fact that it's limited to like 25 degrees, so navigating the areas gets really tedious.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “There is a crane section that was not even a puzzle - just tedious wacky collision detection.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, offering great performance and a charming visual style that enhances the overall experience. Players noted that it effectively prevents motion sickness and features impressive graphics, although there were minor issues when placing the last piece of a puzzle. Overall, the optimization contributes positively to the game's appeal.
- “The game felt well optimized to prevent motion sickness.”
- “Great graphics and performance.”
- “It's only about an hour long, but it's a cute little puzzle game with charming narration and visual style (and great performance).”