Guns & Fishes

Guns & Fishes is a fast-paced first-person action platformer set in an underwater world, where players control a diver fighting against evil shark yakuza intent on stealing magical corals for their powers. Using fish as ammunition alongside various weapons, navigate levels, battle enemies, and advance through the ocean depths in this quirky shooter developed by Cavalry.

Guns & Fishes: Review

Introduction

Imagine plunging into an underwater underworld where fish aren’t just pets—they’re ammunition in a blistering battle against a shark mafia hell-bent on hoarding magical corals. Guns & Fishes, a 2023 indie darling from solo developer Cavalry, bursts onto the scene with this delightfully deranged premise, blending first-person shooting, platforming, and absurd humor in a compact 3-4 hour package. Released in Early Access on Steam on February 1, 2023, it promised community-driven evolution but has lingered in limbo, its last update over two years ago. As a game historian chronicling the indie explosion of the early 2020s, I see Guns & Fishes as a microcosm of solo-dev ambition: a fishy fever dream that hooks with its novelty but flounders under unfulfilled potential. My thesis? This is a quirky cult-curiosity that shines in short bursts of chaotic joy, yet underscores the risks of Early Access abandonment in an oversaturated market.

Development History & Context

Cavalry, operating under aliases like Next in Game on itch.io, represents the archetype of the lone-wolf indie creator thriving in Unity’s accessible ecosystem. As a solo effort, Guns & Fishes embodies the post-pandemic indie surge, where tools like Unity democratized development amid Steam’s floodgates opening to thousands of micro-titles yearly. Launched in Early Access to gather “precious feedback,” the dev envisioned a six-month sprint to full release, promising expanded maps, modes, abilities, new playable “Entities,” and community-sourced ideas via Steam forums and Discord.

Technological constraints were minimal—targeting ancient hardware like Intel i7 870 processors and GeForce 7600 GT GPUs with just 1GB RAM—making it a Steam Deck-friendly relic in an era of AAA bloat. The 2023 landscape was brutal: giants like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom dominated headlines, while indies vied for visibility in Steam’s “Publish The Game Jam” vein (its franchise tag). Cavalry’s vision—a “fish-paced” shooter riffing on Doom-like fluidity with platforming flair—tapped into casual shooter nostalgia (Hot Guns, Greedy Guns) but arrived amid review-bombed Early Access fatigue. Bug reports and achievement glitches in Steam discussions highlight stalled polish, with the project seemingly adrift post-2023, a cautionary tale of solo sustainability.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

At its core, Guns & Fishes spins a pulp-noir tale submerged in absurdity: you embody “The Diver,” a harpoon-wielding hero on a quest to reclaim corals—endowed with “magical powers”—stolen by the “evil shark yakuza/gang.” These finned felons, anthropomorphized as tattooed thugs, echo Yakuza series mobsters but with Finding Nemo vibes, their coral heist threatening an oceanic ecosystem. Dialogue is sparse, punchy, and meme-infused, delivered via on-screen quips during firefights, emphasizing Diver’s quips like enduring “multiple gunshots” as a “pro diver.”

Plot Breakdown
The story unfolds linearly across “various maps like roofs, tricky corridors, and even more roofs,” a surreal blend of urban sprawl and aquatic lairs suggesting a flooded cityscape. Missions escalate from skirmishes with low-tier shark goons to boss rushes against yakuza lieutenants, culminating in a coral-rescue finale. Speedrun timers add replay urgency, framing Diver’s odyssey as a heist-reversal.

Character Analysis
Diver is a silent protagonist archetype—tough, acrobatic, fish-flinging everyman—contrasting the shark gang’s caricatured hierarchy: grunts with tommy guns, elites with sumo girth. Fish “allies” as ammo humanize the absurdity, turning schools into sentient projectiles. No deep arcs, but themes probe environmental satire (coral theft as greed metaphor), anti-crime pulp (diver vs. mob), and existential whimsy (gliding walls amid gunfire). It’s thematic cotton candy: light, sticky fun critiquing ocean exploitation via gonzo humor, akin to Shark Tale meets Max Payne.

Dialogue & Themes in Depth
Quips like “Use your fish allies as ammo!” inject meta-humor, while yakuza honor codes parody mob tropes (“steal all the corals for their magical powers”). Underlying motifs—rescuing “precious corals for his fishes”—evoke stewardship vs. exploitation, but brevity keeps it surface-level, prioritizing action over exposition.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Guns & Fishes deconstructs the shooter-platformer hybrid into a frenetic core loop: traverse levels, harpoon-hook to vantage points, wall-glide/double-jump past hazards, and unload fish-ammo barrages on shark foes. Combat emphasizes “fast-paced” bullet hell with direct control, where fish reload as living grenades—innovative, grotesque, and ammo-scarce, forcing mobility.

Core Loops & Combat
– Traversal: Wall-gliding and harpoon (hidden in levels) enable Doom Eternal-esque flow, turning “roofs and tricky corridors” into vertical playgrounds. Speedrun timer gamifies mastery.
– Shooting: Multiple guns (pistols to heavies) plus fish ammo create variety; endure hits via health sponge mechanics, rewarding aggression.
– Progression: Minimal—unlock weapons/abilities via corals? Achievements (9 total, e.g., “5000 bullet,” “100%”) encourage completionism, but no deep trees.
– Innovation/Flaws: Fish-as-ammo is genius (tactile splats, ally betrayal humor), QTEs/tags like Bullet Time/Gun Customization add flair. UI is clean but barebones (Unity default), with bugs (achievements not tracking, resolution issues on Deck) marring fluidity. 3-4 hours suffice for one playthrough, replay via speedruns.

Systems Breakdown

Mechanic	Strengths	Weaknesses
Platforming	Fluid wall-glide/hook shines in corridors	Repetitive “more roofs” lacks variety
Combat	Fish ammo chaos, multi-weapon swaps	Enemy AI basic, balance off post-EA
Progression	Speedrun timer addictive	Stalled updates = no new modes/abilities
UI/Controls	Responsive direct control	Buggy achievements, sparse feedback

Flawed yet addictive, it falters on unpatched jank.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The setting fuses flooded urbanity—aquatic yakuza lairs with rooftop chases evoking post-apocalyptic seas—immersing via surreal cohesion. Atmosphere thrives on claustrophobic corridors exploding into open roofs, corals glowing ethereally amid gunfire.

Visual Direction
Unity-powered 3D art is low-fi charming: cartoonish sharks with yakuza tats, Diver’s bulky suit, fish ammo trails. Lighting pops in coral hubs, but textures repeat, models low-poly—befitting solo scope. No screenshots abound, but tags (3D Platformer, Arcade) suggest vibrant, meme-y palettes.

Sound Design
Audio elevates: “Fish-paced” gunfire splashes with bubbly ricochets, shark grunts in gravelly Japanese accents, upbeat chiptune-electronica pulsing tension. Wall-glides whoosh satisfyingly, speedrun ticks heighten pulse. It contributes kinetic joy, masking visual simplicity—sound sells the frenzy.

Collectively, they craft a cohesive, absurd bubble: playful menace amplifying themes.

Reception & Legacy

Launch reception split hairs: Steam’s 26 reviews beam 100% positive (“Actually not terrible. Fish! 5/10”), praising casual charm, but MobyGames’ lone 1/5 rating and zero critic reviews signal obscurity. Curators (7 noted) and itch.io’s 1.0/5 (1 rating) underscore niche appeal. Commercially, $0.99-$1.99 sales suit impulse buys, collected by 10-11 players across databases.

Evolution & Influence
Post-EA stagnation (bugs linger in 2024 discussions) tarnishes rep, yet it endures as meme fodder (tags: Memes, Relaxing). No major influence—related titles (Greedy Guns, Wild Guns) predate—but embodies 2023’s micro-indie wave, inspiring fishy shooters? Legacy: footnote in solo-dev risks, potential cult hit if revived, akin abandoned jams.

Conclusion

Guns & Fishes is a gonzo gem—chaotic, creative, captivating in bursts—yet marooned by dev dormancy, its shark-slaying highs undercut by unkept promises. In video game history, it slots as a quirky Early Access artifact: proof indies innovate boldly, but sustainability bites. Verdict: 7/10—buy on sale for fish-flinging larks, a historical curio of 2023’s wild undercurrents. Dive in, but don’t hold your breath for sequels.