Blowy Fish (PC) Review

Blowy Fish starts out so cryptically, it takes a second to realize the game has begun. There's no introduction, and the action has suddenly started. This, of course, is confusing, as the player also seems to have started with 200 star fish to their name. Starfish are this title's version of stars, and they are rewarded for finding them, not so much for doing a good job.

This has one definite strong suit, and that's in the controls. Click on the fish, pull it back, and shoot. Pulling back further raises the strength it will be flung by, and the accuracy is spot on. Aiming and flinging the titular fish is both simple and responsive, and learning how to aim the fish to the environment is where a lot of its depth comes from. Unfortunately, this sure misses a lot of depth elsewhere.

The graphics look cheap, almost remedial, and everything has that certain feel that comes when something is done hastily. This is no more apparent than in the enemies, who often blend into the background. The eels are especially notorious for this, since they get too close to the ground, and are somewhat hard to see. However, over time, the visuals almost become charming, yet not in the way the graphics of something like Crayons Physics would. Over time, everything starts to feel alright, like this was the only way this could have looked.

Since this practices the art of procedural generation, it generates both the environment and enemies based on preconceived algorithms. Sometimes, this is well-executed practice works wonderfully in keeping the player guessing. In here, though, this is the game's most obnoxious facet. Layouts change enough that players rarely have to worry about skill to finish a section. It all really comes down to luck, and the procedural generation should at least give some lessons in how to get better. On the contrary, Blowy Fish asks the player to just die until they get lucky enough to proceed.

This isn't incredibly deep, and while the controls are formidable, they do not make up for the chaotic game play. Some enemies serve to hinder progression, while some serve to kill instantly. While the controls are tight, they still take a moment to line up. In this time, the player could easily be dead several times over, and the encroaching feeling that advancing forward is impossible sets in. This feeling isn't a by-product of the player not being good enough, as it is the result of a procedural generation that is so chaotic that it just has to keep rolling the dice.