Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 72 | 7 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 94% | 88 | 767 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0.2 up / 0 down · computed 8h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (17)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 65
“A Fisherman's Tale arrives on PSVR2 with a good porting that enhances Sony's hardware. The incipit and the basic idea are really good, but the game fails to take off making the gameplay repetitive for more than half the experience, with puzzles that are easy to solve.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A Fisherman's Tale is a typical puzzle-solving first-person VR experience that stands a cut above with a good-quality gimmick that doesn't overstay its welcome. It barely stays long enough to finish saying hello, but it has the wit, charm, and novelty to make it worth the single sitting it's asking for.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“A Fisherman's Tale succeeds in being one of the most interesting games on VR. It is charming, magical, and awe-inspiring. It manages to do all of this with you playing as a puppet, and feeling a huge amount of warmth towards that little puppet. It is just a shame that the playtime is so short, even just an extra couple of hours would have made this impossible to miss. As it stands, it is a wonderful game that deserves playing, but the play time is such a drawback to an otherwise impeccable game.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“It’s clear that more could’ve been done with this incredible premise, but what’s here is nevertheless a brilliantly paced and impeccably designed puzzler that’s easily one of the most inventive and memorable PSVR titles to date.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“A fascinating premise that is used not only to create a set of mind-bending puzzles but to ruminate on the nature of reality. It's just a shame about the controls and the short running time.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Looking at the big picture, A Fisherman's Tale has an original and absorbing gameplay, as well as an interesting story, brilliantly narrated. However, the collisions bugs and the shortness of the main story spoils a little bit the experience.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“High-concept, bite-sized, and a bit janky, A Fisherman's Tale's on PS VR offers up a mesmerizing puzzle adventure that reworks the brain.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A Fisherman’s Tale is one of the most imaginative and surreal narrative experiences on PlayStation VR. From the moment you put on your headset, you’ll be ‘hooked’ as you become fully ‘submerged’ within this fantastical and dream-like experience. The ‘as above, so below’ mechanic works seamlessly and turns a simple puzzle game into one which stands out above the crowd with its unique and interesting concept. The game itself isn’t very long, clocking in at around an hour from beginning to end, but if you wish to get the platinum then expect that time to be a bit longer as you backtrack for collectables and random trophies. If you like imaginative and thought-provoking puzzles, coupled with an interesting story and bizarre characters, then A Fisherman’s Tale is pulling on your line waiting to be reeled in today!”
read full review ↗ - 65
“A Fisherman's Tale is still great four years later, but if you've played it before there's not much reason to pick up this barebones port to the PS VR2. It would've been cool to see InnerspaceVR take the opportunity to flesh out its recursive puzzle concept even more, but hopefully there's more still to come from this franchise.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“While A Fisherman's Tale is shorter than many people's daily commute to work, its abundance of charm and clever use of the core puzzling mechanic make it a VR title worth cozying up with on weekend afternoon.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“All great VR experiences start with an idea. “Wouldn't it be cool if…?” As much as I enjoyed my time with A Fisherman's Tale, the unique concepts it bears and the surprisingly deep narrative carried on its roiling waves, it's hard to recommend something so brief. Not to mention, the game feels more like a proof of concept for something far bigger, rather than a proper VR title in its own right. This lighthouse will always carry a forlorn sense that infinity isn't quite as infinite as it is meant to feel.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“A Fisherman's Tale doesn't last long, but what it does have is a winning blend of puzzles, animation, and story that's worth the price of admission.”
read full review ↗
SpaceNerd.it
Push Square
TheSixthAxis
Flickering Myth
Metro GameCentral
Gameblog
Screen Rant
GamePitt
Press Start
WellPlayed
PlayStation LifeStyle
Windows Central…and 5 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- The Match! UpdateDec 4, 2024
- Spanish Language & UI update!Oct 15, 2020
- Reel in the Headsets & Controller update!Nov 28, 2019
- Chinese UpdateJul 4, 2019