Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	7
Sound:	6
FunFactor:	8
PlasmaFactor:	8
Overall:	7.6

Finlay's Fathom Review
February 15, 2006 by Scott Parrino

by Scott Parrino - February 15, 2006

Finlay's Fathom is an action/adventure title that puts you in the flippers of Finlay, a friendly dolphin that must discover what is happening to his friends. Crates of toxic waste are causing them to become angry and attack him and his friend, Leon the Lobster. The simple yet fun gameplay is sure to lure you under the sea.

Finlay's Adventure

Finlay’s Fathom is a rather simple action/adventure game with a splash of RPG to it. You play as Finlay, a dolphin who is slowly discovering that all not peachy under the sea. With your sidekick Leon the Lobster, you must guide Finlay through areas to discover the source of what is causing the peaceful animals of the sea to become evil.

Playing Finlay’s Fathom is very easy since it is aimed for a younger and more peaceful group. The majority of the game is played through the mouse, much like an RPG with point and click or hold and move. The other mouse button is used for an attack, which isn’t very violent. Your job is to spray the infected animals with your bubbles until their hit points reach zero and at that point they are rescued from the effects. The challenge however comes from destroying the crates that are leaking the toxic chemicals, as if their blobs touch an animal, they’ll be re-infected. The simple yet effective strategy of destroying the crates helps in making the game easier.

As you rescue your friends, they’ll drop objects. Some can be used as collectibles for your grotto, other can be equipped and used to boost speed, how fast you warm back up (using your attack causes you to get colder) and distance of your attack. As like any other RPG as well, you level up as you rescue more friends, which you can use to boost your skills.

Simple yet Effective

The graphics in Finlay’s Fathom aren’t complex yet aren’t poorly done. The view is a top-down perspective and the overall view of the action is mediocre. Since the graphics are simple, it won’t take a monster of a rig to run it. The characters are drawn almost to a cartoon-like quality with the map area drawn to look somewhat realistically. Younger players will enjoy the layout and simple quality of the graphics while parents will appreciate the non-violent setting and situations.

My only gripe of the graphics is that sometimes off-screen projectiles will attack you and sometimes the crates that are releasing toxic goop are hidden under some graphics in the game, making it difficult to find them.

More Sound Please

The sound isn’t great but it gets the job done well. The music can get somewhat annoying and if you’re not a fan, you can turn it down. Action sounds are also very mediocre and repetitive. You can play through the game without any sound and not lose much of the immersion or excitement of the gameplay.

 

 

 

Great for Kids and Dolphin Fans

Finlay's Fathom is a great game for younger players and fans of dolphins and undersea life. It's perfect for kids because it is almost like a stepping stool into the world of action/adventure RPG's without being incredibly violent that would make the parents concerned. Fans of undersea life would enjoy this game for the novelty and the overall fun of it all.