The world stopped spinning, but the clock in Alo’s apartment never quit ticking. Fishbowl is a slice-of-life story set during the height of the COVID era. You play as Alo, a video editor who has just moved to the big city, far away from the safety of family and friends. It is a game about isolation, the weight of a new job, and the crushing process of navigating grief after the loss of a grandma.
In this article we’ll be giving a full review of the game and ranking it from decaf to fully caffeinated.
story:
The narrative in Fishbowl is a wholesome masterpiece that refuses to shy away from the hard parts of life. The story follows your journey through grief as you navigate the challenges of losing your grandma while being isolated in a new city. Most of the storytelling happens through interactive flashback scenes that trigger as you unpack your grandma’s things. These moments are mixed with intense nightmares and digital interactions with your family, friends, and colleagues. I found that these conversations cover a massive range of topics including identity, belonging, and the reality of social distancing. It captures that specific struggle of trying to express yourself through writing when you feel completely alone.
I really loved the overarching narrative because it stays grounded while delivering a constant emotional impact. Even though you are doing many of the same tasks each day, the story keeps you hooked and makes you want to play just one more day to see what happens next. It is truly a masterpiece in taking something that might ordinarily feel mundane or boring and turning it into an emotional rollercoaster. You are constantly balancing your everyday interactions with the world against your journey of self discovery. The game reminds you that taking care of yourself is the priority, even when things feel overwhelming.
Because it handles these deep, relatable themes with so much soul, the story is Fully Caffeinated.
gameplay:
The gameplay has a niche and nostalgic vibe that reminds me of Pixel Chix or Polly Pocket. You play as a character with a ton of different interactable activities and objects in your house that you can choose to engage with at your own pace. Every activity has a different mini game attached to keep the loop interesting. For example, working requires you to play a rhythm matching game, while making the perfect coffee sees you pressing different keys in different ways to get the brew just right. Your mental health is represented like a level progress bar, and it is visually tracked by the plant growing above your head.
Each day you’ve got a list of tasks to do in your journal, but it’s up to you how you manage your day. What I love about the gameplay is that there is absolutely no pressure to tick everything off your journal. If you do not get to the cleaning that day, or if you only manage to eat toast, there are no penalties. However, you will notice that your mental health only improves when you take proper care of yourself. The tasks really reflect everyday life, forcing you to balance chores, hydration, and connecting with friends to make progress. It is a great representation of a gamified way of living that anyone could implement. Every flashback or nightmare is also interactive, allowing you to explore happy memories or negative thoughts as intimately as you like. It takes the mundane tasks of life and makes them meaningful.
For this immersive and thoughtful loop, the gameplay is Fully Caffeinated.
design:
Fishbowl is one of the most lovely and cohesive games I have played in a long time. The graphics use an elevated pixel art style that reminds me of Stardew Valley or Sun Haven, but they are implemented with a very specific and unified color palette. This makes the entire game feel solid and intentional. There is a great deal of diversity throughout the game, and the art style nails how to convey that depth in a magical way. The visuals add so much color to the stories being told, making the apartment and the memories feel vibrant and alive.
The soundscape is just as polished, featuring a relaxing and cozy lo-fi soundtrack that is mixed with intense moments where it fits the narrative tension. The sound effects do a lot of work to create the atmosphere, bringing Alo’s world to life in both positive and negative ways. It just works as a complete package, and the design perfectly fits the emotional weight of the story. It is cozy, but it is also bold enough to convey deep themes in a way that feels accessible to anyone. The balance between the soft lo-fi vibes and the intensity of the nightmares creates a perfect contrast.
For its beautiful execution and atmospheric polish, the design is Fully Caffeinated.
originality:
I do not think I have ever played a game that has brought this level of emotional depth to a life sim style game before. It could be compared to titles like Until Then in terms of the emotional gut punch and the slice of life style, but Fishbowl feels better paced and much more interactive. I would also say it compares to Consume Me because of the way it gamifies everyday life, but Fishbowl feels like a deeper and more emotional look into the human experience. It is a game that has so much soul in it that comparing it to anything else feels almost impossible.
The story is what truly sets this game apart from everything else in the genre. It offers a deep level of emotion that is incredibly relatable to what we all went through during the COVID era. It turns the simple act of living into a profound narrative journey about grief and recovery. The way it blends the mundane tasks of a video editor with the heavy themes of loss and isolation is something I have not seen done this effectively before. It is a unique experience that stands entirely on its own.
It brings a fresh and soulful perspective to the life sim genre, the originality is Fully Caffeinated.
The Final Brew:
Fishbowl is a game that will stick with me for a long time. It is entertaining, wholesome, and packs an emotional gut punch that stays with you. It deals with some heavy themes, so I recommend checking the trigger warnings before picking it up, but this is one that will leave a lasting mark on you and how you see the world.
We’ve ground the beans, we’ve carefully weighed and pressed the grinds, and brewed this game down. Now it’s time for a taste test….
Fishbowl is Fully Caffeinated!
Fishbowl is available on PC via Steam, and PlayStation 5 from April 2nd. Check it out here!