Fishbowl

i am honestly putting off completing this game bc i love it so much ! very thoughtful story telling, beautiful visually, and pulls on your heart strings in the sweetest way. a game i would recommend to anyone, but especially young women finding their place in the world. would give a 1,000 stars if i could !

To be honest, I'm absolutely amazed that a game with this kind of theme is the first title from such a small development studio. Why? Because much larger and more experienced studios have failed miserably when trying to tackle this kind of topic. Except that… they’ve actually pulled it off. The game tackles some incredibly difficult subjects that are rarely gamified well, and it comes out of this challenge unscathed. The skillfully designed, classic mechanics take on an additional role here; they aren’t merely a way to pass the time, but a key aspect in looking after one’s mental health and striving to improve it. They become part of daily rituals which may seem trivial but have a powerful impact on the protagonist’s well-being and survival. The story also lives up to expectations. It isn’t easy, it isn’t beautiful, but it is true. Complicated family relationships, the fear of taking a step forward, self-reproach over decisions made or dreams lost. It’s all here, and it all needs to be worked through. Sometimes directly as the MC, and sometimes by offering advice or a kind word to others. The graphics and sound design complement and reinforce this message, whilst a host of tiny d…

Really enjoy playing this game. It is a slow and simple gamplay but the plot is very emotionally driven and beautiful.

Gamification is the practice of applying game design elements to real life situations. Fishbowl felt like a lovingly crafted gamification of Healing and Moving Forward After Grief. Making sure Alo's stats and self care meter stayed high was an act of empathy towards her. As she goes through lockdown isolation and the recent loss of her grandmother Jaja, I found myself genuinely caring for her and her situation: I wanted her to eat well, take care of her hygiene, and sleep enough. And eventually....I began having that same compassion towards myself in reality as well. That compassion translated to caring for myself similar to how I cared for Alo. I think the game may be good for re play-ability in that way: if a person is struggling to take care of themselves, they can spend an in-game month taking care of Alo and maybe realize they deserve care too. The mini-games/daily job of video editing was delightfully crafted, and had some nice slight difficulty levels, depending on the teammate of the day. I enjoyed this cast of interesting characters, and the relatable lives they lived. Having other characters discuss their own struggles and triumphs with Alo helped decenter her, widened…

Cute and cozy game!

i bought this what feels like months ago under the recommendation of a aquaintence in the cozy-game sphere. I only started playing it now because my grandpa died recently and I couldn't get up the spark for more sandbox/creative games & hobbies I usually do. But this has turned out to be exactly what I needed - even the hard parts. That's all I'll say for the sake of keeping the review spoiler-free, but if you are able to handle grief in a raw form & are grieving yourself, I'm not sure I could recommend a better game then this as a comfort-game during the grief process.