Fish Feud

Fish Feud - I'm not crazy about the launchers.

 

Fish Feud is a fishy target game with small squishy fish and launchers. I like underwater themed games and I like games with launchers. This seemed like a great match, until we tried it. I think it's the launcher.

The big fish with the hole in it is heavy cardboard (see image below). There are two plastic feet with grooves and you push the fish into the grooves to make it stand. The launchers are also plastic. All other launchers I own have the area where you place the item to be launched on the same piece that is pulled down. This way the distance the item travels is in direct proportion to how much pressure you put on the piece when you pull it down and how you pull your finger off at the end. The launchers in this game are made so that those two areas of the launcher are separate pieces and they aren't sensitive enough to press lightly and get the fish to lift off. Therefore, when pressing harder so the fish would fly off, the fish tends to fly too high to go through the hole.  Of course if you play with it long enough you will figure out the "just right" pressure, but it takes some practice. The big fish does not tip over when the squishy fish hit it, which surprised me.

The squishy fish that are launched are fun. They're made of that squishy plastic material with a little air inside the body so that you can squeeze them and get a bubble. You've probably seen similar things in the dollar store, sometimes kids use them as fidgets. There are three orange fish and three pink fish. Here is something you should know about the fish: Unlike real fish, these fish turn into one sticky blob if they get wet. I work at a home that has a dog that runs for anything that hits the floor. The parent assured me he would not go for one of these, so against my better judgement we played. He easily snatched one out of the air as it flew by and I was scared to death that he might swallow it and choke. Instead he just mouthed it, I don't think he knew what to make of the texture. Eventually he was convinced to trade it for a piece of hot dog. The parent grabbed the fish and took it to the sink to wash off the saliva. It turned into one big sticky blob and remains that way to this day.

Object:

Be the first person to have no squishy fish on your side of the big fish.

Set up:

Slip the cardboard fish into the two plastic legs and place it between players so that both players are facing the hole. Give each player a launcher and three of the same color of the squishy fish.

Play:
Both players play simultaneously, no turn taking. Launch the fish from your side as fast as you can, through the hole and onto your opponent's side of the big fish. If your opponent's fish flies through the hole and lands on your side, you have to launch it back to them. Keep playing until all the fish are on one side of the big fish.

Try this:

• Practice with the launcher before playing.
• Use a launcher from another game.
• Take the squishy fish out of the game and use them as fidgets.
• Throw the fish through the hole.
• Set up a different target that is not as precise as the hole in the big fish, like maybe a salad bowl or onto a blue piece of paper on the table that you are calling the ocean. Play alone and see how long it takes you to get them all in/on your target.
• Change the distance that the target is away from the launcher if you want to change the pressure needed to launch it.

In the box: Large cardboard Big Fish, 2 plastic legs, 2 plastic launchers, 6 squishy fish

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below.