Game Review: ‘Fishbowl’ Helps Handling Grief with Grace
Fishbowl is the debut narrative indie title developed by imissmyfriends.studio and is published by my new favorite publisher, Wholesome Games Presents. Throughout this emotional game, you’ll live day to day for a month-long period as you take on the role of Alo. Your character must adjust to the recent loss of a family member as she struggles with grief and childhood memories.
There is a level of trauma here, not because anyone did something wrong to her, but because Alo was so close with her now-deceased grandmother, it has left a hole of sadness in her heart. This sadness has Alo reliving childhood memories through dreams and attempts at rekindling her once passion of writing poetry.
If you want to play Fishbowl today, it can currently be purchased one of two ways. It is available for Playstation 5 and can be played for PC through the Steam store. If you’re not ready to take the plunge of purchasing the game just yet, there is a demo available on Steam. Depending on how you want to pace things, the demo can take around an hour or so to complete. I took my time with the demo and clocked in around one hour and 45 minutes.
The emotional impact of Fishbowl
When I started playing Fishbowl, I felt an immediate connection with Alo. While I do not share the same cultural identity with her, I do share one particular thing that she is going through in Fishbowl. I, too, have recently dealt with the death of a loved one. I could relate to dealing with the loss of a dear loved one, specifically Alo grieving over the passing of her grandmother and myself grieving over my father’s death. While I did not have the same bond with my father as Alo had with her grandmother, the message of feeling lost without that family member is universal.
Although loss is a major storytelling point in Fishbowl, it is worsened by the fact that this game also takes place during the beginning of global lockdown that we all experienced in the early parts of 2020. There are moments when Alo must unpack her feelings as she tries her best to get through her daily life. You will literally unpack boxes containing items from both Alo’s childhood and items that her grandmother possessed. Unpacking plays such a significant role in Fishbowl that she comes face to face with a literal toy fishbowl that is pivotal to the story.
This may all sound dire and depressing, which it is. But the messaging behind Fishbowl is that despite feeling like the world is ending, the game shows us that there are still moments of hope and clarity to look forward to. As I made my way throughout the span of a month in the game, I was able to better understand how Alo and her loved ones supported each other and how to move forward during trying times.
Dealing with a death in the family, especially with someone who was incredibly close to you, can be difficult. Fishbowl shows us that death is not the end. Even though there are happy memories you might have had with the deceased, those memories can sometimes lead to sadness. But processing these feelings is important to go through to help with our own personal growth.
Impactful storytelling through gameplay
The gameplay in Fishbowl is a bit different than I initially expected. I originally thought it would have more gameplay mechanics. The game’s main focus is the story, with some visual novel elements and simple mini-games thrown in to break up the emotional conversations here. Each time you start a new day, you’ll have a checklist of chores and activities that can be done in any order that have zero time pressure, so you can do things at your leisure. These optional tasks include consuming meals, making coffee, water flowers, just to name a few.
While all of those are not needed to progress through the game, doing Alo’s remote job is something you absolutely should do. These tasks for Alo’s work involve editing video timelines and taking notes from co-workers and her bosses alike.
My absolute favorite aspect about this game are the conversations you have with a diverse cast of characters that will video call each other. Friends, family, and even some will be co-workers, along with some of the bosses you work with. These video chats will mostly be interacting with the changing world during lockdown in 2020. Alo not only has to go through possessions owned by and memories of her grandmother, but she now lives alone in a big city, making things a bit more difficult. If it wasn’t for her frequent video calls with the remaining important members of her support network, it would be much harder to deal with.
There are some moments that I cherish in this game, such as characters calling and checking in on each other, usually chatting about the lockdown and how their lives have drastically changed. Playing with the toy fishbowl and the toy fish that lives within helps with processing memories, conversations, and how the days are going. Processing takes a long time. Sometimes in life when you try to process a happy memory, it will feel like you’ll never have happy memories again, but it is essential to realize that reflection is an important step in recovery.
Final thoughts on Fishbowl from Wholesome Games Presents
I quite enjoyed my time with Fishbowl, even if there were emotional moments that made it difficult to get through without tearing up. This is notable to me because the last time I cried because of a video game was all the way back in 2010. Just everything that Alo and her family have been going through since the loss of Alo’s grandmother. It’s difficult. The bond they had was paramount, and navigating through the intense emotions would make anyone else struggle just as much as Alo has to.
By the end of things, you will realize that while loss at times feels impossible to get over, it is okay that things may never go back to the way they once were. What matters most with dealing with a deceased loved one is that those moments you had with them are wonderful and they don’t necessarily need to be replaced.
I really loved my time with Fishbowl, and the length of the game is perfect for the messaging that is presented here. It supports the thoughts that things will eventually be okay over time, no matter the type of grief you are going through. Memories are important to hold on to, even if they are now associated with sadness. We should always look for the silver lining. Even though things can never be the same as they once were, they still define us and it’s okay to be sad, as long as you do not let hopelessness consume you. Reach out to family, reach out to friends, because you do not have to go through it alone.
My rating for this game is: 5/5
Fishbowl is an emotional journey dealing with grief, showing that while losing a loved one is difficult, it is important to realize that life must go on. If you’ve dealt with the loss of someone close to you, this game will have an intense impact on you.
Even if you haven’t experienced that yet, this game still has a lot to it. The storytelling through conversations and daily activities give you something to look forward to, even if some of those activities feel more like tasks. While this game will have a greater emotional impact on those who have gone through similar emotional journeys like Alo’s, I recommend to everyone to at least give the demo a shot. I have a feeling more people will fall in love with it than those who don’t.
Fishbowl is available to purchase on Playstation 5 and through Steam for PC.
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