Mobile game advertising can be odd, to the say the least. While many games try to show off their best features while hiding the rest, others advertise themselves as totally different games. Fishdom is one of several apps that utilizes a playable ad to entice players, but the game itself is actually quite different from what's seen in the ad. As such, taking a look at how the game really works is always a good idea before you decide to download the app.

Features

If you've seen the ads, you'd assume that Fishdom was a game about guiding a fish past a number of different traps. In reality, the game actually centers around building up a fish tank and a collection of fish. Doing so requires you to get through various Match-3 puzzles, which start out fairly simple but get harder as the day goes on. There's no real revolutionary features here, just a collection of different activities that all feed into one another in a fairly satisfying game play loop.

Benefits

So, what's beneficial about a game like Fishdom? For most, it's the ability to get a little bit of mental exercise without having to do too much. The Match-3 tactics used on this game are the same as in games like Bejweled or Candy Crush, so anyone who has played those games will feel right at home. The game also allows you to spend a little bit of time exercising your creative muscles as you figure out what you want to add to your tank, making it a great way to get some mental stimulation when you have a few spare minutes.

Pros and Cons

There's actually quite a bit more to do in this game than one would think. You might not get to do the activities that are in the game's advertisements, but you will get a chance to play around with some fish and decorate a lovely fish tank after you've beaten some of the Match-3 levels. It's very easy to decide that one aspect of the game or another is your main focus, so players really do get a chance to decide exactly what kind of game Fishdom will end up being for them regardless of their skill levels.

It's really hard to give this game a fair shake, though, if you were drawn there from the advertisements. The truth is that there's virtually nothing in this game that even resembles the playable ads, and that's honestly a bit disconcerting. What you will get is a very typical Match-3 game that has the same kind of dependence on random chance and timers that you'll see in virtually every other free-to-play title, but with some extra purchasable items that can make the game feel like it's making a bit more of a play for your wallet than it might otherwise deserve.

Conclusion

While Fishdom may not be the game that you thought it was from the ads, that doesn't make it a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. If you like Match-3 games and you wish that there was something more to those games than just moving on to the next puzzle, this might be a good choice for you. It may take a bit to get past the fact that this game isn't exactly what you were expecting, but once you get there you might see that it is still worth playing.