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How Fish Is Made similar games & best alternatives

How Fish Is Made

PC (Microsoft Windows) • 2022

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Quick resume

Are sardines trustworthy? Are you? Do you want to be? How Fish is Made is a janky little jaunt through the world of surrealist storytelling. Now featuring a Katamari-like DLC!

Global score

95/100

Genres

Indie

Similar games

    Pros

    • Unique and thought-provoking narrative
    • Strong atmospheric audio-visual design
    • Short and accessible experience
    • Free to play
    • Multiple endings encouraging replay

    Cons

    • Minimal gameplay mechanics
    • Some players find visuals unsettling
    • Lack of player progression or customization
    • No multiplayer or social features
    • Technical issues reported by some users

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players make meaningful choices that impact the story and outcomes, reflecting high personal control over decisions."

      Capsule for Life is Strange Remastered Life is Strange Remastered

      "Players make a significant choice (go UP or DOWN) that affects the narrative and their experience, emphasizing personal decision-making and control."

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      -3

      "Gameplay is simple and predictable, mostly walking and selecting dialogue; minimal skill or challenge."

      Capsule for welcome to heaven welcome to heaven

      "Gameplay is very simple, mostly walking/flopping forward and dialogue choices, with minimal skill or challenge."

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -5

      "No competitive elements or comparison to others; experience is personal and introspective."

      Capsule for Paratopic Paratopic

      "No competitive elements or comparison to others; experience is personal and introspective."

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      1

      "Short game with some replay value due to multiple endings and philosophical depth, but overall brief sessions."

      Capsule for Sisyphus Reborn Sisyphus Reborn

      "Short game with some replay value due to multiple endings, but overall brief sessions and no habitual long play."

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -4

      "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and interaction; no multiplayer or teamwork."

      Capsule for Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island

      "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and choices; no multiplayer or teamwork."

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      4

      "Highly creative surreal art style, narrative, and music; players explore unique visuals and story elements."

      Capsule for q.u.q. q.u.q.

      "Highly creative narrative, art style, and atmosphere with surreal and grotesque elements; players interpret meaning personally."

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are individual and equal."

      Capsule for Zup! S Zup! S

      "No elements of exerting control or superiority over others; interactions are equal and contemplative."

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      3

      "Players use the game as a way to reflect on real-world media influence, providing a form of mental escape and contemplation."

      Capsule for We Become What We Behold [Fan-Made Port] We Become What We Behold [Fan-Made Port]

      "Players use the game to reflect and escape into a surreal, unsettling world, providing distraction and thought-provoking content."

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of personal interest and curiosity, with no obligation or external pressure."

      Capsule for Refind Self: The Personality Test Game Refind Self: The Personality Test Game

      "Players engage voluntarily out of curiosity and personal interest, with no obligation or external pressure."

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      2

      "Players explore different story paths and endings through varied choices and deductions, encouraging replay and experimentation."

      Capsule for Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure Lacuna – A Sci-Fi Noir Adventure

      "Players explore different endings and interpret ambiguous narrative elements, encouraging experimentation with choices."

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      2

      "Players explore different narrative branches and some interactive elements, though within a limited environment."

      Capsule for missed messages. missed messages.

      "Players navigate a strange, evolving environment and discover narrative elements and characters, though limited in scope."

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -4

      "No character customization or cosmetic expression; presentation is fixed and standardized."

      Capsule for BUTCHER BUTCHER

      "No character customization or cosmetic modification; presentation is fixed and standardized."

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      4

      "The game features imaginative, whimsical scenarios with anthropomorphic fish and absurd situations."

      Capsule for I Am Fish I Am Fish

      "Surreal, imaginative setting with anthropomorphic fish and bizarre scenarios far from realistic experience."

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -3

      "Social connection is minimal and indirect, limited to NPC interactions without multiplayer community."

      Capsule for Easy Delivery Co. Easy Delivery Co.

      "Minimal social connection; interactions are with NPC fish but no community or multiplayer socializing."

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      1

      "Players gain insight into emotional themes and story, though gameplay skill development is minimal."

      Capsule for Bubble People Bubble People

      "Players gain insight and personal reflection from the narrative, though gameplay skill development is minimal."

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

      Capsule for THE ENIGMA MACHINE THE ENIGMA MACHINE

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires focused attention during short play sessions; no background or idle gameplay."

      Capsule for Sprout Sprout

      "Requires focused attention during short play sessions; no background or idle gameplay."

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -4

      "No close relationships or emotional sharing; interactions are limited to brief NPC dialogues."

      Capsule for NecroVisioN: Lost Company NecroVisioN: Lost Company

      "Interactions are limited to brief dialogue with NPCs; no close relationships or emotional sharing."

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management; player acts independently without directing others."

      Capsule for The Spirit and the Mouse The Spirit and the Mouse

      "No leadership or group management; player acts alone without directing others."

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      -4

      "No item collection or upgrades; the experience is static and narrative-focused."

      Capsule for The Leisure of Grisaia The Leisure of Grisaia

      "No item collection or upgrades; static experience focused on narrative rather than accumulation."

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      2

      "Atmosphere is immersive and sometimes tense but generally balanced; some players find it relaxing."

      Capsule for REVEIL REVEIL

      "Atmosphere can be unsettling but also meditative; some players find it calming or thought-provoking."

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      3

      "Strong visual and audio design create intense sensory experience with grotesque and eerie elements."

      Capsule for Vomitoreum Vomitoreum

      "Distinctive audio-visual style with grotesque and surreal sensory elements that evoke strong emotional reactions."

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or ranking; the experience is private and personal."

      Capsule for Whispers from the Star Whispers from the Star

      "No social recognition or ranking; experience is private and personal."

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      5

      "Strong narrative focus with philosophical dialogue, multiple endings, and character interactions."

      Capsule for This Strange Realm Of Mine This Strange Realm Of Mine

      "Strong narrative focus with philosophical themes, character dialogue, and multiple endings."

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      -4

      "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay is straightforward and linear."

      Capsule for Little Misfortune Little Misfortune

      "Minimal strategic or problem-solving elements; gameplay is straightforward and linear."

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      1

      "Some mild suspense in the narrative but overall low risk and tension."

      Capsule for VR Flush VR Flush

      "Some tension from unsettling atmosphere and narrative ambiguity, but no high suspense or risk."

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      5

      "Free, short, and highly praised for emotional and artistic value; excellent return on time investment."

      Capsule for Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl Google Spotlight Stories: Pearl

      "Free, short, and highly regarded for its artistic and narrative value; excellent return on time investment."

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      2

      "Contains some violent and disturbing imagery consistent with horror themes, but no combat gameplay."

      Capsule for Observer: System Redux Observer: System Redux

      "Contains some graphic and grotesque imagery including fish being killed, but not focused on combat gameplay."

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      -3

      "No survival mechanics; environment is stable aside from player-caused chaos."

      Capsule for Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa's Rampage Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa's Rampage

      "No survival mechanics; environment is hostile in theme but gameplay is safe and scripted."

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Strategy, Survival, Competence, Violence. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Progression, Idle.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Where to buy

    Come talk about it on Discord!

    Last update: 30/04/2026