Fishbowl is a slow and tender narrative game about dreams, grief, and hope. Rediscover your memories and find your way into the present in this intimate experience where slice-of-life meets surreal.
Developed by: imissmyfriends.studio
Played on: Steam
Length: 9 hours
A review key was provided by imissmyfriends.studio.
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the pandemic happened almost six years ago. Many aspects of that time still feel surreal, and oftentimes painful, to recall. Even the act of putting it into words is difficult for me, but the opening moments of Fishbowl made it feel like no time had passed at all.
The development for Fishbowl began at the height of the pandemic when two friends, Rhea Gupte and Prateek Saxena, decided to pursue their dream of making a video game inspired by their mindset during the pandemic. The result is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about a young adult named Alo, who gets her first job in a new city, where she will have to live in isolation through the lockdown while grieving her grandmother’s death.
The game takes place over the course of a month, where you unpack puzzles to discover childhood memories, video call loved ones, and work from home while balancing professional and personal responsibilities. Unlike your typical life simulator, there are no daily quotas or main quests. You’re welcome to do as much with your day, or as little as you like, with only one outcome hanging in the balance: Alo’s emotional wellbeing.
I still have vivid memories of the pandemic, and most of Fishbowl felt familiar to me. From being isolated at home all day, to resisting the temptation to sink into my couch and doom scroll for hours. Simple tasks like cleaning my room and eating meals on time felt Sisyphean, and the more I had to repeat a task, the more tedious it became.
In Fishbowl, taking care of Alo stirred up similar feelings. To make a cup of coffee, I would need to complete four to five correct sequences of button inputs. To cook a meal, I would need to complete another set of equally complex button inputs. Even completing Alo’s daily video editing work requires you to play the same sorting mini game on repeat. While there are slight variations each time to keep things fresh, after thirty days of doing the same thing over and over again, a sense of tedium begins to settle in.
Fishbowl does a great job of simulating the monotony of the lockdown, without the accompanying helplessness of real life. At least, in-game, you can see the direct impact of your actions on Alo’s mental health. With every completed self-care task, no matter how small, Alo’s mood improves a little. Even if certain tasks may feel monotonous over time, each one contributes to a healthier mental state, and eventually, even gives you the power to change her narrative.
Fishbowl’s narrative tells a universal story about grief and relationships, but it is also fundamentally Asian. Alo’s Indian heritage can be found at the center of everything, from the saris her grandmother wears, to the bits of culture she unpacks in every box. The writing shines light on even the subtlest cultural themes, and it is especially emotionally intense in the poetry segments of the game.
But the most brilliant part of Fishbowl’s narrative design comes in the form of the dialogue choices you get during video calls. Positive-leaning dialogue options can only be unlocked when your mood is good enough, and interestingly, having a good mood also locks you out from choosing any negative-leaning dialogue options.
As you can guess, the game features multiple endings depending on your choices throughout the duration of the game. This doesn’t only apply to the video calls, but all the choices you make; whether it is the way you interact with your childhood memories, or the way you choose to spend your days at home. It’s nice that none of the choices feel overt until you’re faced with the final ending, which allows you to experience the game organically without feeling pressured one way or another.
Fishbowl takes slightly over 9 hours to complete, but it is an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Even though it’s been half a decade since the pandemic was a part of our lives, the game still manages to capture the emotional intensity of this moment in human history, woven together with a raw, personal story about grief and what it means to truly take care of yourself.
Verdict: Call Your Mum Today
Even though it’s been half a decade since the pandemic was a part of our lives, Fishbowl manages to capture the quiet intensity of this moment in human history, wrapped up in an emotionally intense narrative about grief and the relationships surrounding it. Through heartfelt writing and subtle choice-based gameplay, Fishbowl offers the freedom to explore these emotions at any pace you like.
