No Anglerfish

About

No Anglerfish is a single player puzzle game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Gartek Studios and was released on April 5, 2022. It received very positive reviews from players.

You awaken on a desert island with no knowledge of who you are, or how you arrived there. Explore and unlock surrounding islands by playing the mysteriously powerful arcade machines spread throughout the lands.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews

humor5 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The puzzles are creative and challenging, offering a satisfying experience for puzzle enthusiasts.
The game features a charming art style and humorous dialogue, providing a light-hearted and enjoyable atmosphere.
Exploration is rewarding, with numerous secrets and optional challenges that enhance the gameplay experience.

The game suffers from a lack of polish, with UI and control issues that can frustrate players.
Some puzzles, particularly on Pumpkin Island, can be overly complex and tedious due to the movement mechanics.
The minimalist graphics and presentation may not appeal to everyone, and the music can become repetitive over time.

graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game's graphics feature a minimalist, retro art style reminiscent of 8-bit games, which some players find charming despite its simplicity and occasional bugs. While the visuals may not be visually appealing to everyone, they are consistent and complement the game's light-hearted, stream-of-consciousness narrative. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose in supporting the gameplay, even if they come with some technical drawbacks.
- “The doodle art style and offbeat dialogue give the light story a very stream-of-consciousness feel.”
- “The graphic style is minimalist and nice, although the engine used is a bit weird and uncomfortable, not widescreen, and better suited for windowed mode.”
- “While the graphics style is minimalistic and it has downsides with buggy fullscreen and non-remappable controls (possible with Steam controller settings though), its puzzles are where it shines - and that's what a puzzle game should have, right?”
- “What attracted me to the game were the retro graphics, reminiscent of the 8-bit days when we had to redefine the ASCII characters to create little symbols for the game graphics.”
- “The doodle art style and offbeat dialogue gives the light story a very stream-of-consciousness feel.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay is a competent and charming take on sokoban puzzles, featuring a variety of added mechanics that enhance the experience and cater to different skill levels. While the movement mechanics can be frustrating, the game offers large, secret-filled maps and introduces unique challenges that elevate its complexity. However, players noted a desire for a zone that combines the various mechanics to explore their interactions more fully.
- “It starts out pretty unassuming but opens up a bit mechanically in neat, unexpected ways.”
- “A very competent take on the sokoban gameplay with a charming retro look.”
- “The variety of added puzzle mechanics really elevates this above the usual sokoban style games and the difficulty curve has something for everyone, from the novice to the hardcore puzzle lover.”
- “The movement mechanics of the sokoban puzzles are absolutely insufferable.”
- “The only thing I'd say felt missing was a zone that combined these different mechanics to explore how they interact.”
- “Apart from tokens, though, the game does ramp up its difficulty by introducing a few mechanics unique to each zone.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as top-notch, featuring a mix of hilarious jokes and clever easter eggs that enhance the overall experience. While the comedic elements may be sporadic, they are well-executed and contribute to the enjoyment of exploring puzzles and interacting with NPCs.
- “The exploration includes finding puzzle machines that open up progress or hidden secrets; finding various NPCs to befriend by doing them favors; finding items to complete these quests, unlock gates, and have special interactions; and finding multiple hidden easter eggs with hilarious jokes.”
- “By the way, let me remark on the fact that the humor in this game, though a bit sporadic, is top-notch.”
- “Other things this game includes are: a decipherable language to discover secrets, simple but catchy tunes that won't get out of your head even after hours of solving puzzles, loads of funny easter eggs, and plenty of secrets.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The story features a light, stream-of-consciousness narrative enhanced by doodle art and quirky dialogue, creating a whimsical atmosphere. Players encounter a variety of eccentric characters throughout their journey, providing humor and entertainment, while the progression remains accessible even without engaging in optimization tasks.
- “I thought the optimization was fun, but you can be assured that you do not need to do the optimization in order to progress the story.”
- “The doodle art style and offbeat dialogue give the light story a very stream-of-consciousness feel.”
- “The world is filled with a bunch of zany characters you meet along your quest, and I have had a fair few belly laughs.”
- “I thought the optimization was fun, but in case that is not your thing, you can be assured that you do not need to do the optimization in order to progress the story (though there are some secrets which require tokens).”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game features an optimization challenge for each puzzle, requiring players to solve within a target number of moves to earn tokens. While this aspect adds an enjoyable layer for those interested, it is not mandatory for story progression, although some secrets do depend on collecting tokens.
- “Each puzzle also has an optimization challenge, where you need to solve it in a target number of moves, awarding a token when you do.”
- “I thought the optimization was fun, but in case that is not your thing, you can be assured that you do not need to do the optimization in order to progress the story (though there are some secrets which require tokens).”
- “The optimization challenges feel more like a frustrating chore than an engaging part of the game.”
- “I often find myself stuck on optimization tasks that seem impossible, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
- “The requirement to solve puzzles in a specific number of moves adds unnecessary pressure and takes away from the fun.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits stability issues, particularly with buggy fullscreen and non-remappable controls, although these can be somewhat mitigated through Steam controller settings. Despite these drawbacks, the minimalistic graphics do not detract from the overall experience, as the puzzles remain the game's standout feature.
- “While the graphics style is minimalistic, it has downsides with buggy fullscreen and non-remappable controls (possible with Steam controller settings though).”
- “The game frequently crashes, making it frustrating to progress through levels.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience, leading to unexpected restarts.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the emotional aspect of games that prioritize light-heartedness and humor over heavy narratives, finding joy in the absence of serious themes and tragic storytelling. This refreshing approach allows for a more carefree gaming experience.
- “With so many games trying to create epic cinematic experiences and heart-wrenching tragic stories, it's nice to play a light-hearted game with silly moments and no message.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is noted to become repetitive and irritating after extended play, particularly around the 30-minute mark, which can detract from the overall experience during longer sessions.
- “My only gripe is that there isn't a reset button on the puzzles, and the music starts to get really annoying after 30 minutes (you will probably spend 10-15 hours at least).”