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Fishdom
Video game

Fishdom is a puzzle game developed by Playrix for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS. The game was originally launched on 19 June 2008.

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Gameplay

ReceptionReview scores
PublicationScore
Gamezebo1
Nintendo Life6/102

The object of the game is to solve puzzles and earn coins to set up and decorate a virtual aquarium. Using in-game currency the player is able to purchase different species of fish, decorations, and "comfort" items to make the environment more pleasant for pet fishes. Filling all of the three meter gauges measuring the progress will unlock one of the trophies: bronze, silver, or gold. Adorned and themed tanks can be used as a smartphone screensaver.345

Levels are based on a standard for "match three" mechanics: the player swaps two adjacent gems to make matches of three or more. Each of the rounds takes place on a different grid and poses a challenge to earn golden tiles by matching gems at least once over each one. Some of the tiles are locked and have a different color; to unlock them the player must match gems consecutively over multiple turns. When three or more objects are matched simultaneously, one of the bonuses appears: firecrackers, depth bombs, dynamite charges, or lightning. The puzzle board must be cleared before the player runs out of moves, otherwise the level must be repeated in order to progress further.67 The platform also provides mini-games, holiday-themed upgrades, pearl tournament challenges, and a 3D-simulation of a scuba mask which allows the user to dive into the deep sea.8910 By 2019, Playrix changed the gaming model to "freemium", in which various currencies such as diamonds can also be purchased in the app.11

Reception

The original game was released in 2008 for PC and was adapted for smartphones by 2015. In addition, several sequels have been launched.1213

Fishdom ranks among the most popular games from developer Playrix and received generally positive reviews. iParenting Media named Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey one of the Greatest Video Games of 2009.14 According to the analytics of Sensor Tower, Fishdom was a top game in the category Puzzle&Decorate with around 15.6 million downloads in 2020.15 The game was ranked 16th on the annual App Store list of the best free games (8th for iPad, 19th for iPhone).161718 According to Statista, the game was one of the ten most downloaded puzzle gaming apps as of 2021.1920

Controversy

Despite seemingly good reception at first, some believe the game to be pay-to-win, as it appears to them that the game has nearly impossible levels, which usually need the game's boosters to easily beat. Others also call out the game for false advertising, since the pin-pulling puzzles in the advertisements are rarely seen in-game. This portion of negative reception can also be applied to Playrix's other games, such as Homescapes and Gardenscapes: New Acres, some also applying it to the company itself.

References

  1. Haasbroek, Lisa (June 19, 2008). "Fishdom Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2020. https://www.gamezebo.com/2008/06/19/fishdom-review/ ↩

  2. McMahon, Conor (December 6, 2014). "Fishdom Review (DSiWare)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2020. https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/dsiware/fishdom ↩

  3. "The BEST mobile games by Russian developers that have conquered the world". Russia Beyond. 2021-03-21. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.rbth.com/science-and-tech/333575-best-mobile-games-by-russians ↩

  4. Haasbroek, Lisa (June 19, 2008). "Fishdom Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2020. https://www.gamezebo.com/2008/06/19/fishdom-review/ ↩

  5. "Fishdom (iOS) review". AdWeek. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/fishdom-ios-review/ ↩

  6. Haasbroek, Lisa (June 19, 2008). "Fishdom Review". Gamezebo. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2020. https://www.gamezebo.com/2008/06/19/fishdom-review/ ↩

  7. "Fishdom (iOS) review". AdWeek. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/fishdom-ios-review/ ↩

  8. "5 Best New Android Games For Kids". IWMBuzz. 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.iwmbuzz.com/gaming/5-best-new-android-games-kids/2021/03/02 ↩

  9. "Apps We Love - March 2021: Games". Endeavor Business Media. 2021-03-21. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/firm-management/article/21212423/apps-we-love-march-2021-games ↩

  10. "Puzzle Games Report on Puzzle Players, Monetization Methods, and Advertising". Medium. 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://medium.com/udonis/puzzle-games-report-on-puzzle-players-monetization-methods-and-advertising-1686e31247eb ↩

  11. "Fishdom: Wie schlägt sich das beworbene Match3-Game samt Freemium-Modell?" (in German). Appgefahren. 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.appgefahren.de/fishdom-wie-schlaegt-sich-das-beworbene-match3-game-samt-freemium-modell-256948.html ↩

  12. "Playrix Launches Fishdom 2 - IGN". IGN. 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2021-11-28. https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/05/25/playrix-launches-fishdom-2 ↩

  13. "Fishdom 3 Review: It's pretty, it's familiar... but it's pretty familiar". AOL. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2021-11-28. https://www.aol.com/2013/03/18/fishdom-3-review/ ↩

  14. "Fishdom From Playrix Announced as The Greatest Video Game 2009". IGN. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2021-01-05. https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/11/24/fishdom-from-playrix-announced-as-the-greatest-video-game-2009 ↩

  15. "U.S. Mobile Puzzle Game Spending Rockets 30% Year-Over-Year to $4.6 Billion". SensorTower Inc. 2012-03-17. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://sensortower.com/blog/us-mobile-puzzle-4-point-6-billion-revenue ↩

  16. "The most popular games in the App Store are named" (in Russian). Iguides. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.iguides.ru/main/other/nazvany_samye_populyarnye_igry_v_app_store/ ↩

  17. "Apple releases its best of podcasts, apps, books, and games of 2020". Daily Hive. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/apple-best-list-canada-2020 ↩

  18. "Apple has revealed its apps and games of the year". Independent. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/apple-app-games-year-store-download-best-most-popular-b1764981.html ↩

  19. "Most popular puzzle gaming apps worldwide in February 2021, by downloads". Statista. 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-05. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222711/most-downloaded-puzzle-games-worldwide/ ↩

  20. "Fishdom sales Ranking". 2021-06-30. Archived from the original on 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-06-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20210712090710/https://70okugame.com/seruran/fishdom ↩