the traveler's resource guide to festivals & films
a FestivalTravelNetwork.com site
part of Insider Media llc.
Fish Tank from iFun4All is a new puzzle game released for the PlayStation Minis service and available on the PlayStation Network for download on the PS3 as well. Fish Tank is an arcade-style matching game where you match similar colored fish to gain points and upgrades.
The style is not your typical matching game and features side scrolling fish which require quick reactions to fully control the pieces.
The game plays very much like Puzzle Fighter tilt on its side. The goal is to organize fish by colors as they move from left to the right on the screen. Groups of fish are collected by hitting the designated button which adds to the game's strategic value.
Saving up for multiple matches gains different combo multipliers which can be used later. This gameplay style makes creating combos easier and less satisfying than in other similar games. Also, with only five columns to work with the ability to create different unique combos has been completely removed.
Fish Tank tries makes up for it by adding different action element to it like introducing different fish during play at any given time. However, controlling the fish requires precise controls which the game lacks. Instead of being able to move fish into designated rows, Fish Tank uses a smoother style allowing the fish be moved anywhere on the screen.
The difficulty lies where the fish are placed is between two designated rows, allowing for the fish to not go into the correct position. A simple indicator would fix the issue, but a lack of one proves extremely exhausting. The problem is extenuated by the ability of the fish move at different speeds, and since the rightmost fish is always selected it’s not always clear which fish is being controlled.
For a price of $3.99, Fish Tank is hard to recommend to anyone. The two gameplay modes add little to the value of the game. Overall, the core is bland and frustrating, wrapped in cheap presentation.