Another Fisherman’s Tale [PlayStation VR 2] | REVIEW

A Fisherman’s Tale proved to be a puzzling-hit with gamers when it launched across VR platforms a few years back, so it’s no surprise to see that developer Innerspace VR have given us… uh-hum… Another Fisherman’s Tale.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Yep, Bob the Fisherman is back once again with another puzzling trek for gamers to indulge in, though this time he ventures a bit further from the lighthouse of the original as he travels across the sea. You’ll also get the chance to play as his daughter in some sequences, giving a bit of a twist to the formula established in the original game whilst also shining a more touching light on the family dynamic. It can be surprisingly emotional at times with its storytelling, with a lot more flesh to the bones this time around when it comes to the narrative. It’s nice and makes your whole adventure feel more meaningful.

The whole of Another Fisherman’s Tale feels substantially different to what you would have enjoyed the first time around. Rather than being confined to the lighthouse, you’ll instead head to a bunch of different locales as you solve the clever conundrums that are scattered around to progress. Furthermore, the core puzzling mechanics revolve around being able to detach different parts of Bob’s body and use them individually to interact with objects around the environment, which is a heck of a lot different to what players would have been used to last time around.

It might sound a little weird, but it’s executed effectively to feel befitting of the game’s whimsical vibe. Furthermore, the mechanic itself is actually really cool, whether that’s when placing your head somewhere in the environment to keep a perfect view of the action taking place (giving the game a fixed-camera perspective as you still control Bob’s body) or when setting your hand loose and carefully guiding it through the obstacles in your path using the Sense controller. It’s hard to describe in words how well it works and it’s one of those things that’s better to be experienced than read about, but it really lends itself well to the gameplay and makes for some creative puzzling opportunities that keep the experience fresh.

“It feels completely different to the first game, and whilst I’d be lying if I said I preferred it over its predecessor, it certainly offers more variety and creativity across its larger adventure.”

Not only are your detachable hands able to grab items or interact with the environment in various ways, but you can also equip different types of hands that you find scattered around. Things like a crab claw and the pirate hook each bring with them plenty of creative uses that make them effective for solving Another Fisherman’s Tale’s enigmas – plus, they keep things varied, ensuring players are always doing something a little different. The coolest part? You’ll typically need to position your head in a specific place to ensure you can see exactly what your detached hands are doing, meaning you’ve got to keep all of the separated parts of your body co-ordinated in order to use them efficiently.

It shows just how creative Another Fisherman’s Tale can be, though it’s rare that I found it particularly challenging to play. You’ll often find the hand types you need are right next to each puzzle so it’ll usually give you an immediate idea of what you might need to do to solve it, whilst the puzzles themselves weren’t actually all that perplexing anyway. It doesn’t mean that they’re not fun to complete, but it would have been nice if there were a few more moments in the game where I found myself scratching my head, especially since the first game definitely had me stumped on a few occasions.

The controls could be a little fiddly to get to grips with early on too, especially since you’re managing so many moving parts at once. I lost track of the number of times that I sent my hands wayward when simply trying to move them around the environment – not only do you have to press buttons on the controller, but you have to physically move your hand around too, which could just feel a bit awkward. You get used to it the more you play, but for the first hour? It can be clumsy.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Thankfully, it won’t take long before you’re moving around a lot more effectively, which is handy (see what we did there?) since Another Fisherman’s Tale is longer than its predecessor. It took me just over four hours to beat, though you could perhaps trim a bit off that given than I spent a lot of time simply playing around with the mechanics and seeing what I could do in the game. The different ideas the game has ensure players won’t tire of the puzzle-solving in that time, whilst the greater variety of environments (that’ll see you exploring the likes of a deserted beach and even send you underwater) give players a lot more to see. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily the prettiest game you’ll play in virtual reality, but Another Fisherman’s Tale’s kooky environmental design ensure its world is one that’s really pleasant to be a part of.

There’s just one thing I have to admit: I preferred the first game. Another Fisherman’s Tale is a really fun experience, but there was something more original and comforting about its predecessor that made it more enjoyable to me. You’re getting something different this time around, and whilst innovation is great, I would have been happy to do more of the same from the first time around. I’ll never knock a developer for doing something completely different in a sequel and the ideas introduced here are great, but I feel that they never match the ingenuity of the first game.

Developer: Innerspace VR
Publisher: Vertigo Games
Platform(s): PlayStation VR 2 (Reviewed), Meta Quest 2, PC VR
Website: https://anotherfishermanstale-vr.com/