Puffins: Let's Fish! Review (DSiWare)

After a dreary first outing on DSiWare in the form of Puffins: Let's Roll!, Other Ocean has brought back the birds for more fish-chomping.

Like Roll, Fish is pulled from the 2009 retail minigame compilation Puffins: Island Adventure. Let's Fish! is a maze game where you have to steer your little birdie around the depths of the ocean to gobble capelin while avoiding hazardous sea life, like jellyfish and sharks, and collecting power-ups. Steering is accomplished either with the D-Pad or touchscreen, and in this case the latter is preferred as it feels much more fluid than the stiff buttons. Unlike Roll's repetitive, imprecise and potentially screen-damaging control method of constantly swiping the screen, here you just touch the stylus in the direction you'd like to go.

The game's 18 stages unlock as you go and can be played in two modes: Dive Fishing and Quick Catch. Dive Fishing has you munching up a set number of green fish icons, whereas Quick Catch is time-based and sends you on the hunt for swimming schools of fish, and successfully gobbling one will add to your time. Neither mode is particularly difficult for more experienced players, but the trophy criteria should be challenging enough for the game's intended younger crowd.

On the presentation side, Let's Fish! does a nice job with its appealing underwater visuals and charming (if a bit repetitive) soundtrack and effects. It won't exactly win any Best In Show awards, but everything feels well-executed and fittingly pleasant.