Robot Fish Review

Robot Fish starts with a simple enough idea. All the player has to do is trace a path from the start of a level to the goal at the end in the quickest possible time. What starts as a fairly sedate game soon turns into an almost obsessive need to shave seconds off the timer in order to gain an acceptable level rank.

The game’s main mode is titled Stage Attack, and sees the player tackling over 40 levels that have an ever increasing difficulty scale. At the very start all the player is faced with is a very simple slalom, with the exit at the end. As soon as the player’s finger touches the screen the timer starts, and they then have to trace a path for a robot fish to follow.

If the player traces slowly then the fish will move slowly. Speed it up and the fish will follow suit. The idea is to experiment and find the fastest possible way through. What makes this so compelling is that at the end of every level the player is given a grade based on how long they took to complete the level. Getting a ‘C’ or ‘B’ is normally fairly achievable, but the speed involved with some of the ‘A’ grades is off the chart, with 0.5 seconds sometimes being classed as too slow.

To up the difficulty the game introduces a number of elements. Mines must be avoided, as they will stop the fish in its tracks. Apples are essential, and all must be collected before the player can head for the exit. Other fruit also make an appearance, such as a banana that acts as a turbo boost, and a plasma shooting pineapple!

Once the Stage Attack mode is finished, there is Survival Mode to attempt. This gives the player a measly ten seconds to complete as many levels as possible. It’s very addictive, and extremely difficult.

The only real negative I have is that sometimes the player’s need to trace their fingers across the screen so fast that the input doesn’t register, or only a half complete line will be drawn. This can be frustrating when what looks to be a perfect run stops an inch short of the exit.

Robot Fish is an enjoyable game that is easy to pick up, play, and finish reasonably quickly with a B or C rank. It’s those A ranks that will keep the player coming back time and time again, and that’s where the longevity can be found.

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