Hey, That’s My Fish Game Review – Family Friendly and Fishtactic Fun

A game that I bought for (at the time) my 8-year-old son. 6 years later this game has shown that it can be an entertaining and challenging game for adults, teens, and younger kids. Often showing up in lists for games you should consider for young kids – I’m always amazed at the first-level and second-level thinking that seems to take place when adults play this game.

Hey, that’s my Fish is a good game for younger kids. It is a great game for kids because it is easy to teach, easy to learn, and plays quickly. Everyone will like the breezy theme and surprisingly strategic gameplay. For the price point, it is tough to go wrong having this on your game shelf.

How The Game Feels

The first time I played Hey, That’s My Fish, it felt like a “kids” game. I played with my 8-year-old son. We each had a handful of cute little penguins and we were moving them along a hexagonal tiled board collecting fish. On each hex tile, there is a small icon representing either 1, 2, or 3 fish. Whatever tile you depart from, you claim that tile for your scoring. the initial impression felt like a mad dash to the high-value tiles. It didn’t seem to matter how or where I set my penguins – so long as I was getting the high scoring tiles. As the game progresses, the board starts to “evaporate.” Each turn players are removing their claimed fish tiles. Doing this creates areas where other penguins are cut off from the rest of the iceberg. Other areas where penguins will be blocked by opposing penguins. It is all rather haphazard and I didn’t put much thought into what was going on.

Then I played my wife…. That’s when I realized the game isn’t as cute as it first seems.

You see, the game board is a bit small. There are only 60 tiles to chose from on a roughly 8 x 8 grid. (the math isn’t quite right because some rows only have 7). What happens is all of a sudden this cute kid’s game becomes a competitive area control game. What was once a mad dash for high-value tiles now becomes a carefully planned out series of moves consisting of figuring out just where can you move and will there be a worthwhile tile to claim. At the same time being careful not to box yourself in, and perhaps even cut off your opponent’s access to the rest of the iceberg.

You place your initial penguins with a best guess of what your next move might be – but depending on how many players are playing this game – you may find yourself quickly needing to adjust. In no time at all, the target fish you wanted maybe now under another penguin – or you may find yourself in an area you need to move away from, lest you get trapped.

What a Turn is Like

I think the game is much better suited for 2 players as opposed to 4. With 4 players, the real estate is just too scarce. I think you give up some of the fun by adding more players. Adding more players doesn’t make it more fun – It just seems to make it more frustrating. It is very hard to play too far ahead with 4 players because when it gets back to your movement, the iceberg will look totally different than from when you ended your turn. 3 players is ok, but I think it shines as a two-player game.

Learning the Game –

There is a reason this is marketed as a kid’s game. The movement and collection of tiles is very easy to understand. See the diagram above. It is a very teachable game all the way down to Kindergarten age.

Frankly, the biggest thing to “learn” is how to remove a tile without causing an “earthquake” that shakes all the other tiles. The hex board can be a bit tricky when you are trying to remove a tile that is surrounded by other hexes.

Replay Value

This is a short filler game. Each game will probably only last 15 minutes with experienced players. A bit longer if you are playing with a younger person, or the for the first time. The board is going to be different every time you lay out the tiles for each game. That will provide some variation on starting points. Outside of that, there isn’t much change in play. That said, I never felt the game to feel repetitive.

I think the replay value from this game comes from the evolution of how a player views the game. Like I said earlier – my first play was really just a mad dash for the high valued fish tiles. Little thought went into my next moves. Now that I’ve played it, the replay value comes from a want to plot and plan a bit more. I find it more satisfying to execute that cutoff attempt, than simply catching a high point fish tile. That is to say, I approach it a bit more strategically.

Truth be told – I enjoy the game more with an older crowd. It’s much more a cat and mouse game and can get a bit cutthroat. Probably not the approach you want to use on a young child. That said, I get a tingle of pride in my youngest son now as he plays it. I can see him thinking about, not just the current move he is on now, but also thinking about how that will affect him down the line.

The Upside/Downside