‘One other Fisherman’s Story’ Evaluation – A Charming Sequel with Extra of All the things

We’re again for one more dose of mind-bending puzzles à la Bob the Fisherman. The sequel provides up an extended, extra emotionally advanced story whereas packing in a ton of recent puzzle mechanics that makes One other Fisherman’s Story really feel leagues forward of the unique in nearly each sense.

One other Fisherman’s Story Particulars:

Obtainable On: SteamVR, Quest 2, PSVR 2
Launch Date: Might eleventh, 2023
Worth: $30
Developer: Innerspace VR
Writer: Vertigo Video games
Reviewed On: Quest 2

Gameplay

Bob’s tall tales are taller than ever this time round, as the journey swells to scale as much as new emotional depths which reveal extra about the true Bob and his household. I received’t spoil the story behind One other Fisherman’s Story, as a result of it’s actually one thing you need to unfold your self. It talks about love, loss, accountability, freedom—it’s manner heavier than the primary, and sometimes strays outdoors of authentic’s secure storybook narration. The place you might need ignored among the angsty Dad drama of the unique Fisherman’s Story, and simply acquired on with the sport’s smorgasbord of mind-bending puzzles, this time across the narrative takes extra of a middle stage, all whereas presenting new and progressive mechanics to maintain you guessing.

Essentially the most distinguished mechanic on show is the brand new potential to detach, exchange and management your palms—like bodily pop off your palms, commerce them for extra helpful ones, and shoot them out to resolve quite a lot of puzzles that solely a bit crawling (or swimming) distant managed hand-beast would possibly. Though you actually solely have two different hand kinds repeatedly at your disposal in addition to your picket digits, a hook for climbing and a claw for snipping, the puzzle variations are impressively extensive.

Whereas there are a ton of one-off puzzles to go with, a continuing all through the sport is the necessity remotely management your palms, which is finished by twisting your movement controller within the appropriate relative path and urgent the set off to maneuver them ahead. You’ll be pulling levers, crawling your digits via circuitous routes, and grabbing key objects earlier than snapping them again to your arms the place they belong. This took some getting used to, as oftentimes you’ll want to manage your palms from afar whereas truly transferring your physique to completely different places to get a greater viewpoint, which will be complicated at occasions since your physique’s relative place adjustments and your palms form of wig out.

And with separable palms, you would possibly as effectively be capable of pop your head off too. Merely press two buttons (‘B’ and ‘Y’ on Quest) and also you’ll launch your head ahead to succeed in faraway areas for a greater perspective. It’s mainly performs out like a touch teleportation that follows a predictable arch versus bodily selecting up your head and tossing it round, which wouldn’t be terribly snug. Extra on consolation beneath although.

Whereas I wouldn’t name any of the puzzles notably onerous, they’re at all times inventive and rewarding. I had hints enabled, though you possibly can flip them off within the settings, which mutes a couple of of Bob’s well timed and useful traces. Nonetheless, Bob isn’t overbearing in how or when he delivers hints, making him really feel far more like a dad who needs you to determine one thing out by yourself than a ‘useful robotic’ that simply needs you to get on with the puzzle already.

My private playtime was slightly below 4 hours, which places it practically 4 occasions longer than the unique recreation. I didn’t really feel like several of it was filler both, which is a testomony to the sport’s deeper story and puzzle variations that require the participant to develop expertise which can be helpful all through—basically every little thing I needed from the unique however didn’t get when it initially launched in early 2019.

Immersion

The star of the present is undoubtedly Bob, who is delivered to life by the whisky-soaked tones of the most likely never-not-smoking French comic Augustin Jacob. In my evaluation of the primary recreation, I known as Jacob’s interpretation extra akin to a kitschy quick that you simply usually see earlier than a correct Pixar film—charming, however not sufficient.

Right here we get a full-fat dose of Bob in addition to a brand new forged of characters which can be equally participating, making it really feel extra like that Pixar journey I needed it may have been within the first place. One factor that hasn’t modified although is the inclusion of a sweeping rating, which completely frames the sport’s linear, generally storybook model journey.

Whereas the story goes off the rails at factors, snapping you again to actuality, it isn’t a big, open world with a ton of freedom of motion, and even puzzle creativity. One other Fisherman’s Story is compartmentalized into chapters, every of which have various linear areas to unlock. The bodily number of the areas although makes it really feel much less like an extended sequence of closed escape rooms, which could in any other case really feel a bit too repetitive. That’s merely not the case right here, as you’re at all times left guessing at what your subsequent journey will likely be, and the place you’ll go subsequent.

Set items are thoughtfully designed, and the cartoony nature of the sport seems typically superb, even on the sport’s most humble goal platform, Quest 2. Object interplay could be very fundamental, though that doesn’t detract an excessive amount of because it’s largely levers and a smaller momentary puzzle bits we’re coping with right here. In consequence, there’s no stock to talk of since all instruments will likely be offered to you as wanted, and thoughtfully poofed again into existence in case you lose them.

Consolation

One other Fisherman’s Story has what we’d now take into account the usual swath of consolation settings, which can let most anybody play with relative ease. There are moments although that personally make me really feel a bit iffy—not ‘hold my head in the bathroom dangerous, however I’ve performed VR lengthy sufficient to know my triggers.

In lieu of cutscenes, the sport likes to do sweep your POV round slowly, which is generally positive, though a lot of the time you’re being shrunk down so scenes can seem larger. I typically dislike this lack of management, even when it solely occurs possibly as soon as per chapter. There are additionally moments when your POV will likely be upside-down, nonetheless this too is a fairly uncommon prevalence. All issues thought of, it’s a fairly snug recreation that mainly anybody can play with out feeling something however few momentary bits of weirdness.