Evofish (Wii U eShop) Review

It’s a dog eat dog world apparently, I don’t think anyone has actually seen this event in person but that is essentially the idea of this game only with fish. ‘Fish eats fish’ of which we have all seen thanks to various BBC nature documentary’s is perfectly replicated on this game that is a great simulation of the harsh reality of the business world – shame it’s aimed more at a younger audience rather than a gritty nonstop train of despair about the harsh world of the high end of the capitalist system. Ok I may have gone off track there as that might be a bit too heavy for this game but beyond that, considering the huge explosion of eShop games finally getting release it is great to see a wide range of titles that cater to all kinds of audiences appear. There is nothing dark about this title, it is all in good fun and definitely focused on a simpler game experience.

The idea of Evofish is to venture around various arena’s controlling a fish of a certain species, you move around eating all the smaller sea life with the goal of growing into a big variety of fish. As you get bigger you can take on additional species but also open yourself to newer bigger prey. I like to call if Finding Nemo – revenge in the reef. As you evolve (THUS THE TITLE!) you also gain additional abilities that can be used for a single round such as additional health, extra speed or freezing enemies briefly.

If you have more people around then multiple people can play at once using Wiimotes with nun chucks. This is a nice addition as it could have simply stayed a single player game and still be a reasonable product. Multiplayer modes are fairly generic in basic death match scenarios but when it comes to ‘God of swarm’ mode there is a glimpse of originality. You get to see the gamepads only real major unique addition to the gameplay. The gamepad player must defeat their friends by controlling the enemies while the others have to last as long as possible, it’s a simple idea that will pass a little time. Truth be told, none of this is very dense but that is somewhat expected, this title is much more a time killer than a heavy multi chapter story odyssey worthy of Tolstoy – and this is not entirely a bad thing.

The gameplay is all very simple in execution but handled fairly competently, it is fairly easy with health drops being far too generous at times however that’s just to keep this playable for people of all ages. There is something to be said about developers who set their goals realistically rather than focus on a grand vision that in unattainable. In that respect this is a title that delivers, it basic in concept, easy to control and actually a fair amount of fun. It does tend to have the feeling of something that could be on the Apple i-devices but it is paired perfectly with the control setup of the Wii U.

Presentation is handled fairly well too with a bright and vibrant visual style to give it the extreme aqua blue feel of the tropics coupled with the bright sea life. While it is all very simple in terms of execution and technology, it all melds together very smoothly. The same can be said about audio, the sound effects are all very competent and have lots of crunch, because realistically, eating a fish whole cannot be smooth like gravy, just ask Bear Grills – it’s never distracting but not to subtle. To back up this is a surprising catchy and well produced soundtrack that only goes to make it even more charming. Essentially brace yourself of Hawaiian steel guitar.

For all the charm this title has it isn’t a game that you will remember far past completion, it is short and it is simple but that only makes it feel more like a disposable treat than a full-fledged game. It could have had a little more depth (year thar be an ocean pun!), but at the some time that could have ruined what is presented. For everything on show, the folks at Moving player should be proud of what they have released.

I would have rated this title a bit lower if it was not for the price. I don’t like bringing the money value in to reviews unless it is a big addition to how the overall game is affected by it. At $4.99AU on the eShop, this is one of the cheapest titles on the store and certainly sets the tone for the product, if it can’t compete on extravagance then compete on price.

It’s a cheap toy, that may sound like an insult but it is not. This is simple fun for players young and old. It doesn’t attempt to do something incredibly bold only to fail like Icarus, and I’m sure everyone could find something good in this title even if only for a little while.

Rating: 3/5