FishMoto Review

By , on June 29, 2011


FishMoto
Download on the AppStore
3 out of 5

PROS

  • Vibrant visuals; cartoonish aesthetic offsets the challenge contained within.
  • Unique mechanics; terrain passes through the vehicle, leading to some impressive stunts.
  • Trial and error provides 'credits' that can be spent on skips; adds an eventual 'out' for difficult levels.

CONS

  • Smoother difficulty curve needed; new concepts learned through trial and error instead of incremental implementation.
  • Repetitive texturing doesn't allow for the environment to inform players on where to go; arrows help, but aren't as intuitive.

VERDICT

FishMoto doesn't hold back when it comes to challenging players to mastering complex sequences in order to complete its levels; for some this might provide the solid distraction they're after, but for others it represents a wall too high to climb.


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Call me crazy, but I get this overwhelming nostalgic urge for playing Earthworm Jim when playing FishMoto by Overpowered Games. I put it down to the main character feeling like it belongs in world designed by David Perry - seriously look at it... it's a 'cat faced' fish in a sealed fishbowl, atop a vehicle with springs for legs. 

But I digress. FishMoto falls in to the same category of skill based racers as iStunt, challenging you to collect all the available 'fish' in a level before making your way to the exit. However, unlike similar titles FishMoto goes beyond bending physics by introducing a rather complex set of tool designed to give you a lot of control over your vehicle. This fidelity is imperative to conquering later levels as your vehicle is forced to perform elaborate sequences of flipping, grinding, defying gravity and making leaps of faith in order to complete a level.

FishMoto hinges on whether the joy of success outweighs the frustration experienced before it. Later levels can be especially frustrating as the difference between success and failure can be something as small as pressing a button a fraction too long or too late, but the novelty of pulling off a crazy stunt never really seems to fade.

While the interface has lot left to be desired, the world of FishMoto is vibrant and contrasted enough to make even the thinnest of platforms easy to see. A 3D mode is also available, though this is more of a gimmick than something useful as it only adds depth to the platforms without really adding to the overall cartoonish aesthetic.

Although not as polished as similar titles, FishMoto differentiates itself from the rest of the pack by making the vehicle a complex tool that requires a minimum of external forces for performing crazy stunts. If you don't mind a steep learning curve FishMoto will make a decent addition to your skill-based collection of games.

Screenshots

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