Another Fisherman’s Tale review

A Fisherman’s Tale was released in 2019, a VR title that gained impressions, mainly because, despite its short length, it managed to make up for it with very good puzzle mechanics. This recognition allowed the creator of InnerspaceVR to continue with a sequel, Another Fisherman’s Tale for PSVR2. With a longer duration and completely different mechanics, let’s see if it’s worth it.

Another fisherman’s tale stars Nina, daughter of Bob the fisherman. When he was a child she told him terrible and terrible stories of her adventures at sea. For each of her stories, Bob had made dioramas with Nina, which she Nina now remembers, since she is now an adult in the basement of her parents’ house and collects them. Every time Nina remembers one of the dioramas, she assumes the role of Bob and experiences the corresponding story. In his stories, Bob’s goal is to locate Libertalia, the mythical island of freedom believed by pirates. To achieve this he goes through many waves (metaphorically and literally), he faces pirates and monsters and of course he has to solve many puzzles.

I wouldn’t like to go into too much detail about the story of the game, as there are no big surprises, I think you’d better find out for yourself. What I will say is that it is a simple and very moving story that concerns us all and that it is told in a very beautiful way and with the right emotional charge. I must point out that there are five dioramas arranged by Nina, that is, as many as there are chapters in the game, each chapter being an adventure for Bob. The total length is longer than the first game, but still doesn’t exceed five hours. However, I think it’s ideal, as if it were a bit bigger, the toy would probably make a “tummy”.

In the adventures that you live as Bob, you can see the puzzle character of the game. This time there is something new. First of all, the game is not limited to Bob’s lighthouse, but includes a variety of locations, from ships and container ships to the seabed. Also, new to the gameplay is that Bob is like a puppet whose head and arms you can remove and use however you want. The arms can be ejected from Bob’s body to grab distant objects, or once ejected you can manipulate them (i.e. make them “walk” or “swim”) to reach for objects, levers, locks, or other things located far from the body. Bob’s body. At the same time, Bob’s hands are interchangeable: he can replace them with grappling hooks, crab claws, other hands, etc. With grappling hooks, he can grab onto high places and reach high places. With the pliers you can cut ropes, chains or others. A nice touch is when he attaches miniature forklift tongs in place of Bob’s hands, which then control the full-size tongs. So, as he moves his hands at the same time, the calipers of the machine follow his movements.

At the same time, Bob’s head can also be ejected. He can place it in special places, which open mechanisms, but the main way he will use it is to have line of sight in places that are out of reach. So, he can throw his head on a platform that is high or low to check what is there and then drop his hands there as well. This way you can manipulate Bob’s hands even in places his body can’t reach.

This handling is very original and the truth is that when it comes to puzzles, the mechanics work perfectly. Sometimes it is necessary to “squeeze” the little head a little, but the solution of each puzzle rewards you. The problem is more about handling. The arms are launched with the triggers and then move forward, while to give the arms direction you flick your wrist while holding the Sense Controller. However, this direction of each hand is something very difficult to achieve. As a result, there are plenty of harrowing moments as your target is right in front of each hand, but you can’t direct your hand towards it. Otherwise, the handling is simple. You can move with the stick or teleport – the game has all the familiar comfort settings.

In terms of graphics, Another Fisherman’s Tale follows on from its predecessor. It’s quite easy on the eye, with lots of bright colors, but in several places it looks somewhat amateurish and poor. The basic models, textures and special effects keep the title one step behind. I think a little more detail and less clunky models would really help the visuals in the game. On the other hand, the game fully compensates for the sound. The performances of the actors who play the various characters are amazing, while all your adventures are accompanied by musical pieces and songs that are full of pirate-sea-fishing life and impress the listeners. Where I have doubts is in the area of ​​immersion. While the first game was based on an immersive concept and gameplay, here you rarely feel like you’re inside a virtual world. On the one hand the graphics, on the other the handling with the hands, are things that reduce the feeling of VR. Rather, I think the game itself would benefit from being released outside of VR, as it’s particularly chill and relaxing.

Another Fisherman’s Tale is a beautiful and moving experience. It does not claim top quality laurels, nor is it a AAA title. But it has clever puzzles to solve, a relatable story, and fun gameplay. It is worth your attention if you want to spend a beautiful Sunday with your PSVR2.