Review: I Am Fish

I Am Fish is a physics adventure game where you’ll play as four fish on their journeys back to the ocean. Developed by Bossa Studios, this is the sequel to the popular title I Am Bread, so I’m sure you can imagine it’s not going to be plain sailing.

There are 14 levels to this game in which you’ll navigate your way through all sorts of challenging environments from kitchens, the sewer, surgery and even the local nightclub.

Each fish has their unique ability; you can glide as the flying fish, roll around as the Pufferfish and bite as the Piranha. The little Goldfish is the only one not to have an ability, but it’s so adorable it’s the one you’ll love to be. They also have an original score and what’s great about the audio is it adjusts so as you go under the water’s surface, you’ll hear it muffled as you would expect it if you were swimming underwater.

Upon your mission to freedom and back to the ocean, you’ll also need to collect bread along the way; sound familiar? Yes, you guessed it, the team are referencing back to the previous title, making the bread the collectable within this game. Plus, you’ll even find references to another of their previous games Surgeon Simulator.

When looking for the bread, you may need to take a different route than what feels natural, with many of the levels being completable in multiple ways. You’ll need to reply to them to collect all the bread.

This may look playful and adorable from the artwork but be warned that it can get a little frustrating if you don’t take your time and try to rush through as fast as possible. I found myself falling a bunch of times on one of the earlier levels, not because I was rushing but more so not slowing down my character in certain moments before progressing.

In terms of difficulty, more generally, you may find it a little challenging to pick up and instantly get a handle on due to getting used to the movement of the characters. However, it doesn’t take too long before you get a grasp of it. If you want to challenge yourself, even more, there are two different controllers schemes to choose from, but I’d recommend the simpler one for your first playthrough.

One thing to bear in mind as you progress is that if you find yourself unsure how to complete a puzzle or section, you can pause the game and skip to the next checkpoint. That being said, the solutions aren’t designed to drive you crazy and confused, but equally, you aren’t going to be handheld through the whole game. You can also hold (Y), Triangle or R depending on your controller to respawn at any time. These methods to help you out of a tough spot will affect your score at the end of the level.

Final Thoughts

Overall I think this is an enjoyable and lovable title, and it’s got a good balance of challenges. With fun references, location design and cute characters, you’ll find you’re still pretty relaxed even in the odd moment of confusion as you’re trying to understand how to progress.

I Am Fish

Release Date: 16th September 2021 Platforms: Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PC, Steam

Genre: Adventure, Physics, 3D Platformer, Cartoon, 3D

Developer: Bossa Studios

Publisher: Curve Digital

I received 'I Am Fish' for free, to play and review thanks to the team at Curve Digital who kindly gifted a Xbox Series X copy of the game.