100 hidden Cthulhu fish 2

A sequel to a game released not long ago. It has the exact same approach that 100 hidden Cthulhu fish had. You have levels where you need to find 100 fish each, all this with hand-drawn artworks in mind that took inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft. Although there is no hint feature, it isn't difficult to find all animals.

The only downside in this game is that it has only 2 levels (but it explains half the price). Recommended if you liked the previous episode or in case you like HOG in general.

TL;DR

I'd love to like it, but I can't.

Full review

This game was submitted pre-release to our curator page, Linux Hidden Gems. I couldn't review it there because it's not what we do. It was, however, an interesting submission. Not only because I just finished the Looking For Aliens.

The 1st thing that comes to mind when looking at the game is the effort it without a doubt took to draw the pictures. A nice doodle-style, something you'd find in a notebook of an artsy friend or in one of those online "calming" videos. Nice clean lines, intriguing concepts.

The issues start to reveal when you zoom in and discover the objects you're supposed to find - stand out. It looks like those elements were added as an afterthought and scaling left them with thinner, sharper lines that just make the challenge too easy. Don't get me wrong, I certainly appreciate such features like zooming on a 4K screen, but the implementation is quirky at best.

Probably even before that, you'll notice the game downloads over 800 MB. For 2 black&white drawings, 3 screens, 1 background music file, some sounds, and mouse input support. What are the dependencies it has to download to amount to 800 MB is beyond me. A 100 MB build would be suspiciously much. But the 800 is just inexplicable for the little content it brings.

And finally, I finished the game (whole 2 levels) in 9 minutes. And that was going slow while appreciating the art and ignoring the annoying achievement popups almost every click. For the asking price of €2... Well, there are richer experiences out there. The above-mentioned Looking for Aliens, while infinitely more interactive, covers 25 levels, each with intro dialogue and some (short) story with attempt at humour. And it sells for less when discounted. The 100 Hidden Cthulhu Fish 2 obviously required some talent for the drawings, but other than that, it's a project anyone can do with the basic Unity tutorial in a month. I want to like it, but I just can't. Maybe on mobile, but then, it's a 9 minutes game with no replayability value whatsoever. So, nope. IMHO, skip it unless you find it for free.

System Info

[table]
[tr]
[td]OS[/td]
[td]Linux Manjaro.i3 64bit 24.0.5, kernel 6.9.12-1[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]CPU[/td]
[td]AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]RAM[/td]
[td]IRDM DDR5 32GB (2x16 kit) 6400MHz[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]GPU[/td]
[td]AMD RX 7900 XTX, mesa 24.1.5-2[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Notes[/td]
[td]No technical issues on Linux.[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

Can you find all of the 200 whimsical Cthulhu fish? Go ahead and have some fun with the hilarious sights and sounds. You deserve it and it will put a smile on your face!

100 Hidden Cthulhu Fish 2 by Developer Sons of Welder, FM Simple Games Studio

Hand-drawn humorous graphics that are loosely inspired by an H. P. Lovecraft theme. There are 100 absurd looking fish hidden on each map, with a total of two maps to hunt 200 funny smelly creatures! The scenes are done in grayscale (black and white sketches). The fish turn a light green color when you find them, adding a nice pop of color. These bizarre looking fish come in various shapes and sizes. Lots of interesting and quirky sound effects each time you select these strange looking Cthulhu fish. The zany splish splashy sounds are sure to make you smile. So go ahead, and enjoy yourself for a few minutes! There isn't a hint button on this one. But it's not really needed as I'm certain you will find all those silly creepy creatures!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3334452528

Controls :
Left Mouse Button-Click on Fish
Mouse Scroll Wheel-Zoom In/Out
Hold Right Mouse Button-Map Navigation

Pros:
* 200 Fish
* Family Sharing
* Uplifting Music
* 100 Achievements
* No Issues using Windows 11

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3334455094

Cons:
* No Trading Cards
* Profile Features Limited

Rating: 9/10

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3334456800

Final Thoughts:
Fun and relaxing game of finding amusing looking Cthulhu fish. It's a short but sweet game that can be completed in 5-10 minutes with 100 achievements for your time and effort. Price is inexpensive and has various comical sound effects. Great way to enjoy your time with a cozy and humorous game, fun for all ages!

[table]
[tr]
[th]
This review was submitted for Elite Giveaways, where every game deserves a review.
Follow our Curator page for lots more honest reviews.