One of my favourite puzzle games in Virtual Reality A Fisherman’s Tale has been given the PlayStation VR 2 upgrade treatment. After not playing it for so long, now was the perfect time to play it again.
STORY
In the game you are placed into the strings of a puppet called Bob, who lives inside a model inside of a lighthouse and likes to make little models of everything around him. However, this is all I really want to disclose as A Fisherman’s Tale tells a really charming story, but this is one of the games main attractions, meaning I really don’t want to go into much detail about the story at all – you want to experience this for yourself.
GAMEPLAY
As with the story I really do not want say much about the puzzles, as these are fun to try and figure out yourself, as I would hate to ruin it for those who have yet to play it.
The game will start out normal giving your some daily tasks like brushing your teeth, dusting around your model home and opening the window. However, this is where you get the surprise, you will open the window to see you, turn around look in the little model and you see you and both are mimicking your movements. Look directly up and you will see an infinite repeat of you model lighthouse – and this is why the game will only work in VR.
Taking this into account this is where the puzzles come in, and this system works great. The puzzles will all resolve around finding items, getting the smaller item or making items larger in your world. Where there really is only these three types of puzzles the team have made sure they are all done in different ways to keep it engaging for the player.
PRESENTATION
The team at Innerspace VR, made sure they carried on all the charm of the story and gameplay into the presentation. Having everything match this, really does keep you immersed in the world and setting of the game. With the PSVR2 version seeing an improvement in the visuals with the OLED + HDR really making it look better than it ever has. They have filled the presentation with nice little touches that really keep immersed, like everything looking like you are in a model home, and the strings coming off your hands reminding you that you are puppet. It’s these little touches that keep A Fisherman’s Tale so unique and quirky.
When it comes to the audio design, you will get the some light background music, some fantastic voice acting for all the characters in the game, all with accents that suiting the setting. Again a little touch that allows the titles charm to shine through.
COMFORT/CONTROLS
It can be played seated or standing, but to be honest I just found myself playing it seated. For locomotion options you do only get teleport and snap-turning, which means the game is accessible for everyone. Where I usually do like a game to at least offer full locomotion and smooth turning, given you are a puppet not having these options does not take away from the feeling offered by the game.
TRACKED CONTROLLERS
GAMEPAD
LONGEVITY
This is where a lot of people might find an issue with the game, as it does not take long to complete. On my original playthrough the game took me just over an hour to complete. Even with all the charm of the puzzles and the story, once you have played it you might find no reason to return to play it again. However, this charming little puzzle game is perfect for showing people what VR can offer and do something very special.
REVIEWED USING PLAYSTATION VR 2
For the purposes of transparency, this review was created using a review code provided by the company or their respective PR company. The use of a press code does not affect my judgement of the product.
REVIEW OVERVIEW
A Fisherman’s Tale has been one of my favourite VR puzzle games since it originally released, and going back into it on PSVR2 reminded me of how good it is – even to this day. The unique approach to the puzzles, the charming story and looking in inside and outside of the model, and seeing yourself mimicking your movements, was just as special as seeing it the first time. If you want a VR puzzle game, which is just as special in design as it is charming, and shows off what VR can do – you shouldn’t look any further than A Fisherman’s Tale.
GAME DETAILS
Release Date: August 31 2023
Developer: Innerspace VR
Publisher: Vertigo Games
Price: US $14.99 / CA $19.99 / €14,99 / £11.99
* Upgrade path available if owned on PSVR
