Fish!

Magnetic Scrolls

Industry	Video game development
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Fish!

Fish! is a text-based adventure game released in 1988 by Magnetic Scrolls, created through the collaboration of John Molloy, Phil South, and Peter Kemp, with additional input from Rob Steggles.

Plot

Players assume the role of Agent 10, an Inter-Dimensional Espionage operative who spends his leave inhabiting the body of a goldfish. The mission involves retrieving a stolen focus wheel taken by the terrorist faction known as Seven Deadly Fins. To achieve this, the player explores three distinct realms: a woodland area featuring a blacksmith’s forge, a hippie van situated near an abbey, and a music recording studio. After reassembling the focus wheel, the player must thwart the Fins’ scheme to evaporate Hydropolis’s ocean by taking control of Dr. Roach, who leads a water-transfer initiative, thereby averting an environmental catastrophe.

Gameplay

Fish! follows the conventions of classic text adventure games and includes static imagery in certain versions. A later reissue within the Magnetic Scrolls Collection introduced an improved graphical user interface, which provided features such as an automatic mapping tool, an inventory management system, and drop-down menus to enhance user interaction.

Reception

The title was met with widespread praise from critics, achieving scores like 9 out of 10 from Computer and Video Games and 93% from Zzap!64. It earned the Golden Joystick Award for Best 16-bit Adventure Game of the Year. Reviewers commended its witty humor, advanced parser technology, and unique concept. Keith Campbell described it as "the most pun packed adventure ever," while Kati Hamza highlighted its "slick, subtle subaquatic humor" alongside a sophisticated parser. In 1992, Charles Ardai referred to it as one of Magnetic Scrolls’ most original games, featuring "the most clever gags," although he noted it was "just a shade too crazy."