VR developers Vertigo Games and Innerspace have woven a tale of Fisherman puppets and lighthouses that provides the perfect fit for Quest’s library.
A Fisherman’s Tale is, at heart, a point and click adventure, but one that has been carefully designed to make best use of a VR environment. Taking the part of a puppet fisherman that lives inside a lighthouse, performing the same tasks day in and day out, building a perfect replica of your own lighthouse, complete with another fisherman puppet, the rug is pulled from under you one day when you witness the bigger picture, that it’s not just you pulling the strings.
To say any more of the story would be to spoil the game but the main upshot is that the developers have create a fantastic mechanic based around the idea of smaller worlds that copy you current, larger one. Need a small key but only have a massive one in your house? Look inside the smaller version and you’ll notice a smaller key in there. Need to make something bigger? Place it inside the small house and see what happens.
The system works so well in the VR environment, it’s a credit to the team that created it and the excellent port by Innerspace that this works so well on the quest. Movement is dealt with by the standard form of teleporting to a new spot and it works well for comfort, though you can also play the game sitting down if even this gives you motion sickness (it shouldn’t for most people based on my own tests).
Being a single player adventure, the only issue here is that the game doesn’t last all that long and once you’ve solved all the puzzles there’s little point going back beyond a replay to take in the atmosphere and replay the wonderful story. That said, the experience alone is worth the asking price.
Graphically, the Quest version keeps the same clean, almost story book look with some fantastic lighting and weather effects that really help this title stand out. The audio atmosphere and narration are also fantastic and really help you become immersed even further into the game. The extra immersion from the wire-free 360 degree movement also helps to make this the version to go for if you have a choice.
If you want to try a well thought out single player adventure that makes the most of your Oculus Quest, A Fisherman’s Tale is an easy recommendation.
A Fisherman's Tale
Pros
- A beautiful looking adventure
- Interesting puzzles
- Good use of the bigger/smaller mechanic
Cons
- A little short
