Do you know the feeling of moving to a new city alone to find a new job?
In Fishbowl, our main character Alo is doing just that. You experience a part of Alo’s normal life at home. Set in urban India at the start of the pandemic, Fishbowl serves as an illustration of those times through our eyes. The new PS5 demo available today lets you experience the life of Alo.
The game follows Alo over a month, during which she spends her time indoors, isolated, her phone and computer her only connection to others. Taking care of housework, trying her best to take care of herself, and staying on top of work at home are things she’s still getting used to.
Until unusual dreams and bittersweet childhood memories begin to surface, all thanks to a package sent from home, containing a mysterious toy fish. Immerse yourself in a story filled with nostalgia, melancholy and self-discovery, where the choices you make determine the path Alo takes, leading to multiple endings, just the way you play.
Learn about life one day at a time
As Alo gradually gets used to his new home, perform care tasks like watering the plants, snacking in the fridge (samosas or idlis anyone?), making sure he’s hydrated, and spending seconds minutes of relaxation between work and housework.
The mood at home reflects Alo’s emotional state, and sometimes, ordinary objects can give you an idea of the larger meaning behind them – that writing desk seems terribly shabby. We hope everyone can tinker and discover the little hints and secrets we’ve sprinkled in throughout the game.
Fishbowl prioritizes the everyday—simple things and mundane actions, and living through them mindfully is a way to understand our emotions and check in with ourselves.
Get through the pain at your own pace
Alo recently lost his grandmother and doesn’t know how to cope with this loss and grief. The fishbowl represents grief as an ongoing feeling rather than something to be “overcome” within a time limit.
Players unpack Alo’s late grandmother’s belongings and discover memories from her childhood, helping them connect the dots to her past—whether it’s time spent with friends later class, your first sleepover, or the day you’re alone in the park.
Each object in Fishbowl is a storyteller, celebrating the idea of how things in our lives can be little time capsules, reminders of days gone by—from that old sweater to Your grandmother knits a storybook that you can hardly remember. Some of these objects also unlock new things to do at home, like an old recorder that still lets you play a familiar tune from when you were a kid.
Learn about Fishbowl’s “players first” mechanics
In Fishbowl, we value allowing players to experience the game the way they want, with no time limits and no fail states. Don’t feel like doing the laundry, let it pile up, enjoy the warm shower, just do it! Like life, we let players do as much or as little as they’re capable of and progress their story accordingly.
It’s our way of demonstrating what it looks like to put people first in the face of productivity pressure. Don’t focus on giving value to players for their actions but simply appreciating them for who they are.
Just like when you work from home as a video editor, your coworkers encourage you to do your best if you fall behind and cheer you on if you complete your work on time. And you root for them too, whether it’s a struggling intern or an old person who doesn’t see their value.
Meet our characters and experience an urban part of India
As the game progresses, you’ll meet characters, each with their own rich, unique story. You get to know them through video calls that have branching conversations where choices matter. Through these you understand how others are managing during quarantine, you can delve deeper into Alo life, build new friendships and stay in touch with your loved ones .
We give players an insight into Indian craftsmanship and culture. As fans of pixel art, we aim to depict everyday Indian objects and diverse characters in this style. Little details in the background will tell you a little more about their personalities, like Zuari’s credentials for being one of the youngest public school teachers or Iris’ love for DIY that made her How to sew and knit your own clothes.
Through Fishbowl, we want to take you on a journey to feel every emotion because there is no right ending. Fishbowl’s demo is now available on PS5, and we hope you’ll enjoy playing it someday in our month-long story by a two-person team from Goa, India.
