I Am Fish
- September 16, 2021
- Bossa Studios
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"I Am Fish" is a physics-based adventure game where you guide four fish friends - Goldfish, Pufferfish, Piranha, and Flying Fish - who have been separated from their home in a pet shop fish tank. Each fish has unique abilities, and you'll need to utilize them to navigate through various obstacles and hazards in Barnardshire, England, in order to reach the open ocean and reunite. The game is about exploration, strategy, and friendship, with lighthearted humor for a fun, engaging experience.
PC
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Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- Charming graphics and art style that create a whimsical atmosphere.
- Unique gameplay mechanics with different fish abilities that add variety to the puzzles.
- Engaging and humorous storyline that keeps players entertained throughout.
- Frustrating controls and physics that can lead to frequent deaths and trial-and-error gameplay.
- Inconsistent performance and optimization issues, causing lag and crashes on some systems.
- Poorly placed checkpoints that can make progress feel tedious and punishing.
- gameplay190 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "I Am Fish" is characterized by its whimsical and inventive mechanics, offering a mix of fun and frustration as players navigate through creatively designed levels with various fish, each possessing unique abilities. While many players appreciate the charming visuals and humorous premise, they often criticize the inconsistent controls, tedious mechanics, and reliance on luck, which can detract from the overall experience. Despite these challenges, the game provides moments of enjoyment and laughter, particularly in cooperative play, though some players find the gameplay can become repetitive and frustrating over time.
“The game is a whimsical blend of inventive gameplay and charming graphics that transform every level into a laugh-out-loud experience.”
“From flipping and flopping to sliding across unconventional environments, the gameplay offers a refreshing challenge and plenty of laughs.”
“The gameplay is smooth, the atmosphere is amazing, the characters are unique, and there is somewhat of a story as well.”
“The whole game mechanics are too luck-based; two times the same move could have different outcomes.”
“What could have been a fun and casual game has been ruined by tedious game mechanics and questionable level design that just end up wasting your time.”
“The gameplay is tedious at best.”
- graphics132 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, whimsical art style reminiscent of Pixar, contributing to an engaging and charming atmosphere. However, many users report significant performance issues, including lag and stuttering, even on high-end systems, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are generally considered beautiful and well-designed, optimization problems and occasional graphical glitches have been noted as drawbacks.
“The game is a whimsical blend of inventive gameplay and charming graphics that transform every level into a laugh-out-loud experience.”
“The graphics are adorable, the gameplay itself both engaging and rewarding.”
“First and foremost, the game is visually stunning with a cool art style and great soundtrack.”
“Graphics are outdated and yet this game runs like crap.”
“The pc video card requirement is kinda steep for graphics of this caliber.”
“Unfortunately, Bossa may have been a little over its head, trying to make a game that needed to have semi-complex visuals, voice-acting, and water physics.”
- story100 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "I Am Fish" is described as whimsical and heartwarming, following four fish on a quest for freedom, filled with humor and charming interactions. While some players appreciate the engaging narrative and vibrant visuals, others criticize the story for being simplistic or illogical, with clumsy controls detracting from the overall experience. Despite mixed reviews, many find the storytelling elements and character abilities add depth to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for those seeking a lighthearted adventure.
“It has a great story along with a unique world which allows for different paths you can take to get from point A to B.”
“The story is a cute tale about a group of friends attempting to reunite after being separated!”
“Adorable art style, heartwarming story, and worth every penny!”
“It's just stupid illogical storytelling.”
“The story is a silly excuse to find reasons for a fish to get stuck in a variety of containers and takes some obvious hints of inspiration from the movie Finding Nemo, but there's not much to it and it's not very deep.”
“I have finished the main story entirely and I'm fairly certain it exists just to make YouTubers/streamers angry for content.”
- humor56 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in *I Am Fish* is widely praised for its whimsical and absurd premise, featuring charming characters and lighthearted narration that enhance the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the blend of funny moments, dark comedy, and memorable dialogue, although some find the frustrating controls detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite its challenges, the game's humor and creative design make it a standout in the physics-based adventure genre.
“This delightful physics-based escapade introduces you to four brave fish who have been unceremoniously yanked from their cozy pet shop tank and are now on a hilarious journey to the open ocean.”
“The writing is funny, and I had fun running from a guy called Greg who thought a goldfish could run faster than him.”
“The mechanics are fairly simple, amusing, and its scenario is quite hilarious and over the top.”
- music56 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as whimsical and upbeat, effectively complementing the playful atmosphere, though some players find it repetitive and monotonous over time. While many appreciate the soundtrack's charm and its ability to enhance the gameplay experience, others express frustration with its lack of variety and the inability to turn it off. Overall, the music is seen as a highlight for some, while others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment due to its repetitiveness.
“The soundtrack complements the game's whimsical atmosphere with upbeat tunes and playful melodies.”
“The soundtrack is enjoyable and adds to the fun.”
“Very cute, wholesome fish, extremely pretty and atmospheric level design, nice story with comical dialogues and the soundtrack is amazing!”
“Could use more work on the soundtrack.”
“The soundtrack is also not very good and feels very repetitive.”
“Controls feel clunky, the music is the same throughout the whole game, and overall just wasted potential.”
- grinding31 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 84 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often describing it as a slog due to inconsistent controls and challenging level design. Many reviews highlight the repetitive nature of gameplay mechanics, which detracts from the enjoyment and leads to a sense of annoyance rather than challenge. While some appreciate the game's visuals and concept, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding experience is more of a chore than a rewarding endeavor.
“It can be a bit grindy sometimes, but the rewards make it worth it.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding, but the experience is incredibly rewarding.”
“Grinding can feel a bit excessive at times, yet it adds depth to the gameplay.”
“Compounding this is the fact that levels don't retain progress between play sessions, so the only option left is to drag yourself through levels for long stretches, long after the charm of the presentation gives way to teeth-grinding difficulty.”
“Unpredictable physics and collision make what could be a fun lighthearted adventure about fish trying to reunite into a slow, tedious and unresponsive experience that seems geared towards providing unpredictable situations for streamers and YouTubers to entertain their audiences with rather than it being an actually enjoyable video game.”
“The level design didn't really make it any more fun, and somewhat proved to be quite tedious to complete through with most of the levels actually taking about 30+ minutes to finish.”
- emotional24 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
"I Am Fish" is praised for its emotional depth, combining a heartwarming story of friendship and adventure with whimsical humor. Players find themselves deeply invested in the adorable fish characters and their epic quest, often experiencing a mix of joy and frustration that leads to genuine emotional reactions, including tears of both joy and sadness. The game's charming art style and atmospheric design further enhance its ability to evoke strong feelings, making it a standout in the genre.
“The fish's attempts to reunite are nothing short of an epic, slapstick quest, full of unexpected challenges and heartwarming moments.”
“I am fish had a super heart-wrenching story, adorable art, and fun but frustrating gameplay.”
“The fishies are adorable and ooze with personality, and it is very easy to get emotionally invested in their quest.”
- optimization24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance even on high-end hardware, leading to issues like unstable frame rates, stuttering, and excessive resource consumption. While some users experienced minimal problems, the overall consensus is that the game is not well-optimized, particularly for mid-range and low-end systems, making it frustrating for many players.
“Very very good; however, you do need a good computer to play as it's very demanding in terms of performance.”
“Visually impressive, if not a bit poorly optimized.”
“Fun but seems unoptimized for mid-level machines and has some bugs.”
“However, this could also be a drawback for some, as the game isn’t optimized for low-end hardware—even on the lowest settings, it seems to consume a lot of system resources.”
“Very very good however you do need a good computer to play as it's very demanding in terms of performance.”
“For a game so heavily reliant on its physics engine, the engine is very poorly optimized.”
- stability23 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent glitches, frame rate fluctuations, and inconsistent physics that hinder gameplay. While some players appreciate the creative design and concept, the overwhelming presence of bugs and technical issues has rendered the game frustrating and, at times, unplayable. A few users noted minor issues, but overall, the consensus leans heavily towards a need for substantial improvements in stability.
“This game is very polished, bug-free (as far as I could see) and, most of all, hard to quit.”
“No glitches or errors I've seen.”
“The concept is great, the art is cute, the theme is nice, but at its worst the game is painful, frustrating, annoying, and has glitches.”
“The devs did a very good job creating the levels and the environment, but then everything glitches or gets stuck. The containers you move in have inconsistent movement and a lot of times are simply bugged. Sometimes the path is not very well indicated, or it is not quite clear what you are supposed to do.”
“The game is completely unplayable due to glitches.”
- atmosphere15 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its whimsical and beautifully crafted environments, complemented by a playful soundtrack and unique sound design that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the depth and charm of the atmosphere, although some note that the difficulty can detract from enjoyment. Overall, the art style and ambient elements create a pleasing and immersive setting, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The soundtrack complements the game's whimsical atmosphere with upbeat tunes and playful melodies.”
“All in all, I am enjoying the simplicity of it and am impressed with the depth of atmosphere they have created.”
“It felt a lot harder to play than what feels like a kids' game atmosphere.”
“The use of silence is also notable in this game; some areas have no music at all, and they don't need it - the ambience in these areas serves the atmosphere better than music would.”
“The atmosphere of I Am Fish is pleasing.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game offers decent replayability, primarily through its separate fish stories, hidden challenges, and collectibles that encourage players to explore different routes and complete levels quickly. While the main storyline can be completed in about 6-7 hours, the presence of multiple paths and secrets enhances the replay value, particularly for speedrunners and completionists. However, some players feel that the desire to replay the game may be limited after the initial experience.
“Has decent replayability with separate fish and their stories.”
“Beyond the main storyline, *I Am Fish* offers hidden challenges and secrets to uncover, encouraging replayability.”
“Replayability is also guaranteed, as the game often features multiple paths to take to reach the end of the level.”
“As far as replayability goes, I don't have much of a desire to play through the game more than once.”
“I am fish isn’t very long, with only 13 levels that I was able to beat in 7 hours or so with a fair amount of goofing off, but there’s quite a bit of replayability to it.”
“The main story will probably take you about 6-7 hours to complete while there's also collectibles to find and stars to collect by beating the levels quickly if you're interested in some replayability.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, misleadingly marketed as a children's game while offering a linear experience rather than the open-world adventure promised in advertisements.
“This game only exists as a cash grab and to make references to 'I Am Bread'.”
“From the ads, it looks like an open world adventure, but once you start playing, it is very obvious that you are only meant to follow one path.”
“Shame on the developers for advertising this as a kids' game.”
