Review: THOU the amazing fish planets

TOHU a world of strange and amazing fish planets in a brand new adventure game. It is a simple puzzle game set in a unique world of fish planets that was released on January 28, 2021, by Fireart Games. Each fish planet in TOHU is brought to life through bewitchingly beautiful artwork and is rich with detail, allowing you to explore stunning surroundings and solve complicated puzzles like a small girl. Meet a strange array of characters and gather adorable creatures.

Take on the role of The Girl, who is accompanied by her alter-ego, Cubus. The two are attempting to repair the Sacred Engine, a task that no one else on any of the fish planets is capable of completing due to their weight. You can turn into Cubus, The Girl’s mechanical companion, at any time. Do you require assistance with some hefty lifting? Do you need big, muscular arms to grab passing lightbulb flies? Do you need to win an unplanned arm wrestling with an arcane and somehow tangible doppelgänger? Cubus has your back.

A charming game that is a little short but provides a wonderful feel-good experience. We’d recommend it to people who enjoy a good visual show, but we’d skip it if you’re seeking a puzzle challenge. Tohu is similar to Botanicula, but more puzzle-oriented, like Machinarium. It’s also comparable to Puzzle Agent in that the puzzles don’t have any thematic connections and appear to be thrown together at random. We didn’t mind because we expected it before buying the game; nevertheless, keep in mind that the game is a random collection of small puzzles. The game is structured into a succession of hubs, each of which is self-contained and is typically 1-3 screens wide. It’s a fully linear experience, unlike similar point-and-click games. We didn’t hate the game’s linearity because it meant we never got lost; we always knew where to go next and what the game expected us to do. The puzzles are mostly straightforward, especially for younger gamers, however, a couple of the logical puzzles are really difficult. We’d even recommend it for young children if it weren’t for a handful of them. They’re maybe a little too easy on overall, as the solution was instantly evident on most screens. A lot of the time, the answer interacted with the only thing that could be clicked. Thankfully, these puzzles don’t need any logical leaps; don’t expect to find keys by combining rubber ducks and clotheslines. Although the visual spectacle created by solving a puzzle was usually odd, it was always amusing and delightful. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the game was seeing the solutions unfold. The story and characters are all forgettable, despite the beautiful animation and ‘voices.’ We’d be content to spend dozens of hours exploring this universe. It’s also worth noting that we bought this game because the composer is the same as in Hollow Knight. While the music in Tohu is decent, with musical composition by Christopher Larkin, the award-winning composer of the Hollow Knight soundtrack, we don’t think it compares to that of Hollow Knight.

On your mission to restore the Sacred Engine, you’ll visit vivid and dramatic places, meet intriguing personalities, and solve intricate riddles. You can reach areas of the world that others can’t because you’re The Girl, who is light and nimble. To answer TOHU’s unique and hilarious conundrums, you’ll need all of your wits. From finding critters to learning how to operate a mustache-inducing mole cannon, there’s a lot to learn. TOHU is ideal for a light-hearted adventure with riddles, with many positive reviews on the game’s Steam page and a solid Metacritic score for the PC version.