Fishbowl Preview: Happy Fishy, Happy Memories
We all know what it was like to juggle life in isolation. Keeping in contact with family and friends proved difficult, not to mention trying to keep up with work and daily lives. Games like Fishbowl from Developer imissmyfriends.studio gives players a glimpse at what life was like during isolation and, if its current demo is any indication, is set to be an beautifully emotional experience.
Fishbowl is a slice of life, coming of age story. You play as Alo, a young woman who has recently moved to a new city after landing her dream job, but is also grieving the recent death of her grandmother. Players will help Alo make choices each day as she lives and tries to adjust to life in isolation, with her new job, juggling her friendships and her grief.
Fishbowl is eye-catching from the very start. With a gorgeous pixel art style, the amount of detail and color is really impressive. The game’s twenty minute demo gives players just a glimpse of what to expect from the full game but highlights not only what the game looks like when you’re controlling Alo, but what it will look like when you’re video chatting with friends, working at your computer or even what Alo’s dreams look like. Each scene is really unique and different from the last.
The demo introduces players to Alo’s mother, grandmother, friend Zuari and more and boasts even more characters in Alo’s life each with their own branching conversations. The more you interact with the game’s character the more that you’ll discover about Alo’s past and her relationship with the people in her lives. Uncover objects that will reveal even more about her childhood with the objects themselves taking you back through the past.
Working from home in isolation is difficult, but you’ll have to help Alo juggle the stress as she does video editing for a huge social media star. In order to edit through the videos, you’ll play an arcade-style matching game while partnering with different colleagues. Along with her daily work duties, Alo also has to take care of her home and, of course, participate in a little self care. While it can be hard to get everything done, it’s up to you to decide how much you’re capable of as each day passes.
Fishbowl takes place over a month of Alo’s life, the current demo available now on Steam, takes players through just a few hours and it’s already very fun and very emotional. imissmyfriends.studio has really set the tone for what could be a truly incredible and heartwarming game when it releases. Keep an eye on this one and be prepared to shed a few tears as well - I know I did.
By Becca Smith
