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.

83%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

replayability, stability

93% User Score Based on 1,017 reviews

Critic Score 72%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

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About

A Fisherman's Tale is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by InnerspaceVR and was released on January 22, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

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

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93%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,017 reviews

story186 positive mentions

replayability11 negative mentions

Charming and visually appealing with a unique art style.
Innovative gameplay mechanics that creatively utilize VR capabilities.
Engaging story and voice acting that enhance the overall experience.

Extremely short, typically completed in about 1 to 2 hours.
Puzzles can be overly simplistic and lack challenge.
Repetitive narration and hints can detract from immersion.

story
342 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
45%
1%
The game's story is widely praised for its charm, creativity, and engaging narration, often described as simple yet deeply immersive. Players appreciate the unique mechanics that enhance the storytelling experience, although many note that the narrative is relatively short, typically lasting around an hour. Overall, the combination of beautiful visuals, clever puzzles, and a heartfelt storyline makes it a recommended experience for VR enthusiasts, despite some critiques regarding its brevity and replay value.
- “The storytelling is simple yet deeply engaging.”
- “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.”
- “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
231 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
57%
3%
The gameplay is characterized by innovative and unique mechanics that leverage the strengths of virtual reality, particularly through a scale-shifting puzzle system that immerses players in a charming environment. While the puzzles are generally straightforward and engaging, some players noted that the experience can feel short, lasting around 1 to 2 hours, and may lack depth in exploring its core mechanics. Overall, the game is praised for its clever design and captivating storytelling, making it a recommended choice for VR enthusiasts seeking a light and enjoyable puzzle experience.
- “Unique core gameplay mechanics, only possible in VR, made me completely immersed every minute of my time played.”
- “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!!' 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, providing a unique and clever gameplay experience that maximizes the potential of virtual reality.”
- “The gameplay is the worst kind of mundane that plagued older VR - pickup, insert, and twist puzzles.”
- “The puzzles can be a bit samey as they all utilize the same mechanic of changing sizes of objects.”
- “The whole experience felt like a demo with its simplistic mechanics and ~40 minute play time, and the story was written and narrated in an overly simplistic and hand-holding way.”
graphics
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
26%
2%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their charming art style, vibrant colors, and immersive quality, effectively enhancing the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the visuals as a standout feature, noting their appeal in VR and how they complement the engaging story and clever puzzles. While some mention minor issues with graphical synchronization and simplicity, the consensus is that the graphics are well-executed and contribute significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere.
- “The voice acting and charming art style add to the immersive atmosphere, making the world feel alive despite its small size.”
- “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.”
- “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
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
57%
34%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its limited replayability, with many players noting that it can be completed in a short time (typically around 1-2 hours) and lacks significant incentives to replay beyond achievement hunting. While some players found value in experiencing the game with others or pursuing completionist goals, the consensus is that the short length and minimal replay value make it more suitable for purchase on sale rather than at full price.
- “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 the 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
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
20%
15%
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 voice acting. While some users noted that the music volume adjustment was unavailable, the soundtrack is described as beautiful and fitting, complementing the game's engaging story and graphics. Overall, the music is considered a strong point, elevating the gameplay and emotional impact.
- “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, 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
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
74%
10%
16%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, charming art style, and engaging voice acting, which together create a cozy and lively environment. Players appreciate the unique puzzles and surreal elements that enhance the overall experience, despite some critiques regarding the brevity of the story. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics, soothing music, and a well-crafted atmosphere makes it a standout title in its genre.
- “The voice acting and charming art style add to the immersive atmosphere, making the world feel alive despite its small size.”
- “The atmosphere is very cozy.”
- “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 fun story, witty characters, and clever dialogue that enhances the overall experience. Many reviews note the blend of humor with emotional moments, making the gameplay engaging and entertaining. The game's charming voice acting and humorous accents, particularly in the English version, further contribute to its comedic appeal.
- “The story is fun and funny.”
- “Witty and funny characters.”
- “Amazing game filled with mind-twisting logic and wonderful humor.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its charming and heartwarming story, particularly the touching journey of the fisherman, which resonates with players despite some critiques of the narrative's depth. While the puzzles are simple and at times overshadowed by the storytelling, the overall experience is described as wholesome and engaging, leaving players feeling emotionally invested. However, some found the storytelling to be overly wordy, detracting from the emotional impact.
- “As I unraveled the tale of the fisherman, I found myself emotionally invested in his journey.”
- “Overall: I expected an average puzzle game, but I 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
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and no significant glitches, others encounter frequent bugs, particularly with specific mechanics and puzzles that can disrupt gameplay. Issues such as disappearing items and controls that behave erratically have led to frustration for some users, suggesting that while the game has potential, it may require further refinement to enhance stability.
- “It runs great and makes good use of what you can do with VR.”
- “The voice acting appealed to me, and the game suffered from no glitches.”
- “Graphics are great; 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, primarily due to poor movement mechanics and limited navigation options, which frustrate players accustomed to VR. While the core gameplay mechanics are enjoyable, certain sections, like the crane puzzle, are criticized for being more about tedious collision detection than engaging challenges. Overall, players feel that grinding detracts from the overall experience.
- “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 visually appealing style that enhances the overall experience. Players noted that it effectively prevents motion sickness and runs smoothly, although there were minor issues when placing the last piece of a puzzle. Overall, the optimization contributes positively to the charming narrative and gameplay.
- “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).”

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72%Critics’ scoreBased on 8 critic reviews

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3h Median play time

3h Average play time

2-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

A Fisherman's Tale is a puzzle game.

A Fisherman's Tale is available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Virtual Reality and others.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing A Fisherman's Tale.

A Fisherman's Tale was released on January 22, 2019.

A Fisherman's Tale was developed by InnerspaceVR.

A Fisherman's Tale has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its replayability.

A Fisherman's Tale is a single player game.

Similar games include The Room VR: A Dark Matter, FORM, The Gallery - Episode 1: Call of the Starseed, Moss, The Pedestrian and others.

A Fisherman's Tale

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