Fishbowl Reviews
Fishbowl is a strong debut game with an enjoyable cast and a touching journey through a young woman's grief.
Fishbowl is an extremely well-executed pixel art narrative about a child facing loss and adulthood in the worst conditions possible. You journey along her story, overcoming the grief one memory at a time, all the while handling your daily life, job, and remorse. Unfortunately, the pacing feels too slow for things to open up, and once they do, it proceeds to get even slower to reach the end. But for the quality, writing, and depth the game has to offer at a perfectly priced price tag, this is definitely a must-play for any story enjoyer.
Fishbowl is not an easy game to pick up, and it’s not always one you want to play. The discomfort of the game is seemingly intentional, asking you to sit with Aloo’s grief as she lives through this part of her life. You can’t run, or hide, or distract yourself. As the days pass, Aloo confronts more of the memories she thought she’d forgotten, and, in doing so, she starts to heal.
Fishbowl was a real pleasure to experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. While a low number of people will be eager to think back to the lockdowns and the pandemic, the simple gameplay and personal narrative within the game really opened my eyes to how the human mood works.
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Fishbowl is a heartfelt story about dealing with many different life changes and traumas at once, all while finding a way forward.
Fishbowl has a pretty solid foundation and a great art style, but unfortunately, due to its handling of the subject matter and the repetitive, tedious gameplay, it doesn’t live up to its potential. It’s a sweet game, with great art and some fun music, but Fishbowl struggled to connect with me.
Fishbowl tells a touching, if extremely dour, tale about grief and isolation. While it may be too grim for some to enjoy, the cast of characters and Alo's journey through the pandemic make it worth sticking with.
Fishbowl is a game that you need to accept with open arms and an open mind. A game that attempts, and at often times succeeds, in making you empathetic to Alo’s emotional state and perhaps even make you reflect in yours. They do this through their great usage of simple gameplay mechanics, art direction, sound, and music. It’ll make you happy. It’ll make you sad. It’s a game that you need to be ready for in order to fully appreciate, if you’ll let it.
Fishbowl is more than just a cozy game; it’s an emotional experience about what it truly means to be human. It’s about missing people, starting over, learning how to live with pain, and finding comfort in the small rituals that keep us grounded. It’s a story where family, culture, and love intertwine across generations, reminding us that growth often starts in grief. Beautifully written, artfully designed, and emotionally honest, this game took me apart piece by piece, then handed me back to myself a little more whole than before. It’s introspective, woman-centered, full of life, and completely unafraid to let you feel everything. If you’ve ever needed a gentle nudge to call your family, forgive yourself, or simply take a deep breath and keep going, Fishbowl might just be that reminder.
Developed through the India Hero Project, Fishbowl is Sony’s bet to break into the narrative romance market, delivering an emotional story in a title that could have carried more impact.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Fishbowl is a profoundly affecting narrative experience that transforms the monotony of isolation into a beautiful journey of self-discovery. While the gameplay loop is quite simple, the excellent writing, empathetic portrayal of grief, and wholesome character arcs make this healing journey unforgettable.