FISH: A Dense and Uncommon Visual Novel About Philosophy, Metaphysics, Life, and Death

FISH is a visual novel and first-person simulation "indie game" (to tell the truth, it's more like an audiovisual experience than a game itself) created by lama14kulan and released on the "itch.io" website on December 25 of 2020. The game is a rather peculiar experience: apparently, you are a hacker, who is visited by someone known as "Plumber", who says that you should receive the "Award" on a certain planet. After that, you embark on a journey, meeting some people who talk to you about philosophical issues involving life, death, transcendence, the universe, and everything else.

At first, for an indie game, I confess that I have never seen graphics as impressive as I did in this game. The characters and scenarios present an impressive level of realism (highlight the girl you meet in the last stages of the game: it's amazing). In terms of gameplay, you just move around and observe your surroundings with the mouse, in addition to interacting with other characters using the "E" key.

In terms of soundtrack, the game features an interesting repertoire of songs by various bands and singers, such as Twisted Sister, Sixpence None the Richer, and EuroRhythms.

To be honest, the game is impressive in terms of graphics and soundtrack, but I think the dense narrative can be a dividing point among some players, being directed to those who want a narrative-driven game, story-rich, with deep characters and dialogues. I say this because its plot is, according to the game creator, based on the works of the Russian painter, writer, poet and philosopher, Nicholas Roerich, that is, be prepared to play a dense game where the characters ask questions involving philosophy, science, and even metaphysics.

You can check the gameplay by clicking here and, if you are interested, you can download the game from one of the links below:

https://secretdoctrine.me/

https://lama14kulan.itch.io/fish