Fishdom Guide
In the aquarium, players are able to purchase three types of item using in-game currency: fish, “beauty” items to make the tank look more attractive, and “comfort” items to make the tank more pleasant for the fish. The more items they purchase, the higher their three fish, beauty and comfort meters rise, and filling all the meters awards them with one of three trophies bronze, silver or gold. If the player runs out of money, they do not have the option to acquire more via in-app purchase, however — instead they must take to the game’s puzzle mode to earn more. Each puzzle mode level takes place on a different grid, and requires the player to destroy all the specially-colored tiles by making matches over them by swapping objects around. Depending on the color of the tile, it may require more than one match to be made atop it to destroy it. As usual for the genre, various powerups make an appearance when the player matches more than three objects at the same time, and these can be used to make destroying the tiles easier. Each level has an extremely generous time limit, and play returns to the aquarium rather than progressing to the next level when it is completed. Upon completing a level, the player receives money according to how many tiles they destroyed plus a bonus for the score they attained and how much time they had remaining. As the player progresses through the levels, new game features such as locked pieces come into play, requiring some strategic adjustments. The free version of the game limits players’ progress, but the full game may be unlocked for a one-off in-app purchase that costs $2.99. Unlocking the full game provides access to three different fish tanks to decorate, a hefty number of replayable levels (which marketing blurb for the game variously describes as “130 levels” and, a little more inaccurately, as “an unlimited number of levels”) and a wider selection of fish and decorative items to purchase.
Fishdom is a good game, but it’s missing a few features to make it great. For starters, it’s lacking in true social play. There’s nothing to stop players from taking a screenshot of their aquarium and posting it to their favorite social networks, of course, and the game also features the facility to Like the game on Facebook, follow the developer on Twitter and send a link via email to friends, but there’s no facility to view friends’ aquariums, for example, and no means of comparing high scores. The game doesn’t even support Game Center, unlike many of Playrix’s other iOS titles, and thus ends up feeling like a somewhat solitary experience. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for players who are happy to play alone, but it seems like a curious omission given the type of game and Playrix’s previous experience. Perhaps it is something that will be added in a future update.
It comes out the gate masquerading as a cute little aquarium sim. The graphics underscore this, with gorgeous animations and friendly-faced, self-aware sea animals. It looks great, sounds well and almost works in and of itself for folks who are solely into virtual environments.But Fishdom has a trick up it’s sleeve, and it’s a gimmick that should appeal to folks who may not be satisfied with barebones aquariums: one can garner game coin to acquire more fish and better equipment, but it takes the conquering of the games match-3 gameplay to make one’s personal sea world rock. It’s about bragging rights, and matching prowess is the in-game currency.The looks on the main play side are just as glossy as the pet maintenance side, with several pieces laid out on a grid, just as one would expect. The pieces themselves reflect an aquatic environment, showing up as pearls, shells, starfish and the like. The core idea is to dissolve pieces by creating sets of three or more, and this is accomplished by swapping adjacent pieces.
Matches can be bade up and down, but not diagonally, and once made and dissolved, they are replaced by random pieces that drop from the top of the grid, in a fairly “logical” manner. The game is leveled, and one is expected to finish the tasks required within a set number of moves; the key is that the tasks start to get more complex, including things like dissolving materials, or picking up embedded gold, working around columns, or dealing with chained pieces and more. There are achievements to be garnered too. In the end, success yields gold coins. Which brings us back to the aquarium. As noted earlier, one can use these gains to make the sea house spiffier. Real money can be used, but is not mandatorily needed. Dive into the all-new game in the legendary Fishdom series! Submerge into the unique deep-sea world with your amusing aquatic buddies that will never let you feel bored! Take care of them; watch them play with each other, as you travel in time through different epochs. Decorate your fish tanks with over 150 exclusive ornaments and 8 immersive backgrounds. Enjoy 250 new Match 3 levels with perfected mechanics.
The game is timed, as shown by the bar on your right, so you must clear the board before the clock runs out. If you want to pause your game, click on the eye in the top left, and you can watch the underwater scene without losing any clock time. You can earn a variety of explosive power ups when five or more tiles are matched simultaneously. Ignite an explosive by double clicking on it or swapping it with any other tile. Firecrackers destroy everything within a 1 tile radius, and appear as a result of 6 or more matching, falling tiles. Depth bombs are earned by matching six tiles, and knock out everything in a two tile radius, while dynamite charges can clear out everything in a three tile radius.
The most powerful power up is the lightening bonus, which is earned by using 7 explosives on a game level. Swap it with any other tile, and it will clear all instances of that tile on the board! After each level, you’ll be granted a cash reward. Aside from earning cash for collecting tiles, you’ll also get a time bonus based on how quickly you completed the level, and a score bonus based on the number of matches were made. Once you’ve earned some cash, it’s time to shop! Here’s where you can get creative and design your own personal aquariums, starting with your first tank in a “Pirate’s Treasure” theme. The fish tab lets you select from an assortment of aquatic creatures, including exotic fish and seahorses, while the beauty tab displays a list of decorative items like plants, seashells, and sculptures. The comfort tab has items to get your fish cosy, like water filters, heaters, and lights. There’s nearly 100 different items to choose from as you advance. Not impressed by what you bought? Don’t worry, you can sell it again by dragging it to the recycle bin. You won’t get a full refund, but you will get a nice portion of your money back to spend on other items. You can also click and drag things around on the screen to rearrange them, though this has little impact on your progress. In the top right corner, you’ll see three meter gauges measuring the progress of your tank. Filling up all three gauges for fish, beauty, and comfort will earn you a bronze trophy. You’ll need the bronze trophy to unlock a new tank, but you can continue to add to your original tank until you’ve earned silver and gold trophies. All together, there are three uniquely themed tanks to complete, including “Coral Reef” and “Lost Atlantis.” Aside from being a fun addition, you also receive a cash bonus at the end of each level for every cup you’ve earned in the aquariums. If you want, you have the option of using any of your tanks as a screen saver, just for fun.
