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Hello friendos!

As of last week we’re at that sweet-spot called the “vertical slice.” And guess what? -we’re still heads-down, hard at work, adding nuance and polish to gameplay and behaviors. Get ready for even more cool stuff!

Also we’ve officially opened our “Friendos & Family” fundraising round and are inviting you—yes, YOU!—to join our growing circle of amazing Papafishu supporters through S.A.F.E. equity participation.

Contact us for more info.

October 28, 2025

This site is a living design doc, dev blog, and pitch doc for an indie game that is being lovingly crafted by a handful of out-of-work video game folks, fending off the boredom of unemployment by making something fun, pretty, …and a little bit weird.

...was the original idea but now it's way more, and totally different... and I'm not supposed to use this anymore because it doesn't vibe well.

A cozy 3D action-adventure with Kirby-style gameplay plus the dreamy, exhilarating underwater vibes of classic Ecco the Dolphin.

You are the adorable badass PAPAFISHU rescuing your bebis from all kinds of dangers - jumping from one tide pool to the next, each packed with allies, enemies, power-ups, pitfalls — and an out-of-this-world secret!

9/14/2025

I accidentally moved the old video from september behind the frosted text box and now I quite like the way it looks.

LOOK HERE

Old
(still
good)

Action-adventure + cozy sandbox

Papafishu has a hybrid gameplay style that stars the fish from the viral meme “so beautiful, so powerful,” the lumpsucker fish- the embodiment of chibi and kawaii.

While not a traditional platformer, the game involves navigating through levels with precise movements, especially when dealing with currents, limited visibility, sharp and sticky things, other fish, and you get the idea.

As Papafishu you casually explore every corner of the lush sandbox playspace while you search for as many babies as you can …and… unraveling the secret of some of the weirdest creatures in the ocean and how they will all save us, the entire world, for us. Safe. Aliens.

It’s a cozy game that’s a bit quirky, a little psychedelic, and filled with a whole lot of love. Top all that off with a dash of extra-terrestrial mystery. Aliens!

It’s not a traditional platformer, we mentioned that right?

...but you already knew that

Details…

Players control Papafishu, the greatest of the lumpsucker fish. You swoosh your way through the most beautiful, exotic, and mysterious tide pools and coral reefs in the ocean. You explore nooks and crannies to find and rescue the babies, progressing through a truly bizarre story.

You’ll use Papafishu’s wacky abilities, like inhaling and spitting, body-blasting, , camouflaging, echolocating, and other skills to get the job done for as long as you want to take. Progress is measured by the number of babies saved without dying. Just kidding you don’t die. It’s the babies, the babies die. Just kidding again. You’re silly.

After each delightful round, you jump into a faster-paced side-scrolling waterslidey transition leading to the neighboring tide pool, and another search for the babies can begin. Tide pools get progressively more challenging as the enemies and hazards become more dangerous. Chill but dangerous. Did I mention the pollution and the rising temperatures? The oily stuff, microplastics… yeah it’s not really that kind of game though, it’s a fantasy. Not reality.

Probably.

…unlike any other ichthyoid in this known universe.

Eat all the things (inhhale)

Lumpsuckers will eat anything, so you might as well eat stuff that makes you better at what you do. Sea anemones, Urchins, Starfish, and Sea Slugs. Sometimes stuff will land in the tidepool from above, and sometimes- just sometimes that stuff is edible
Stretch Goal: Remote Control

Lets you control whichever creature you’ve attached yourself to, and lets you drive them around to do your bidding for a short amount of time. Imagine the things you could do with a wobbegong shark.
Pinging the Orb

It’s alien tech and we can’t explain how it works but you use it to help you find and protect the bebis. Also, it communicates with other fish telepathically.
Also, it can fly.
Spit Attack

Similar to Kirby’s inhale and spit, sucking up various found objects (Sea Urchins, Anemones, etc.) and launching them back at enemies. Some objects are more effective than others depending on the color, target, and tide pool.
Super-Swim Torpedo

You can swim really fast with this one. It hurts when you run into stuff though. It’s especially helpful when you need a little boost when jumping above the waterline but we didn’t tell you that.
Calling for Help

By ramping up and jumping up out of the water, stretching back and performing a body blast you will summon help from nearby ocean friends. Well, you’ll make a lot of noise and your friends will hear. But everyone else will too. Should you make that much noise?
Sonic Boom & Body Blast

Activate the heart-shaped suction cup to charge up and emit a series of powerful blasts, repelling and dispatching most enemies.
Go talk to the guy

Guy is the God of the Drys. He’s watched over us forever. He often makes disastrous mistakes, but he truly means well. Besides, help is help, right?
Stretch Goal: Copycat

This lets you copy enemy abilities. Like Kirby, Papafishu can copy the abilities of enemies he inhales, allowing him to transform and gain new powers. This ability sounds exactly like the remote control one but it’s not even close.
Ninja mode

You know what this is. Should I call it the Predator Armor Mode? Active camo? Dude disappears in a field because he’s got a suit made of grass. Ghillie Mode. That’s a thing right? No one’s used that before right?
Stretch Goal: Hitchhiker

This lets Papafishu use his tiny arm fins and suction cup when things get too choppy. Latching onto a passersby to get around quickly is where the real fun is!
Stretch Goal: Online Helper

Remember in the video game Journey when someone - a total stranger online somewhere - volunteered to accompany you for a brief time during a challenging bit of game? They couldn’t talk, except for little noises- well that’s what this is.
Stretch Goal: Babysitter

Why not spend some time playing with your kids? Life is short. Let’s call the neighbors too why not?!
Controller Mapping

This is a WIP configuration for now, and it seems to be ok but as I watch more people play it will be adjusted.
Keyboard and Mouse Controls

This is a WIP configuration for now, and it seems to be ok but as I watch more people play it will be adjusted.

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you want details..?

Specs

Technical Information

We’re using Unreal 5.5 to achieve AAA-level graphics with all the cool Epic tech like this thing called Nanite for high-poly geo, Lumen for GI, Niagara for FX, etc. And a bit of this ray tracing stuff.

PC Minimum System Requirements

Windows 10/11 with updates (64-bit)

Intel Core i7-6800K or
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X

Memory 16 GB RAM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 or

AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT

DirectX: Version 12

Target Platforms

PC, consoles, & Switch 2 maybe?

Additional platforms pending publisher support. Obviously.

Target Audience

We’re looking at an all-ages, mostly cozy, semi-educational experience with no war, no blood, and no loot drops. No other people, just fish. And aliens. In fact it’s perfect for families to experience Papafishu together.

Anticipated ESRB: E. Yes, E. That’s how silly this game is. But really it’s for tired adults who want to leave the world behind and stare at a fish’s butt wiggling on a screen while he’s rescuing missing babies before the ocean dies and takes everything else with it.

See, it’s silly. Even the drys would die.

Douglas Adams would be proud of us. I hope. That’s what we’re uh… dealing with? Coping> I don’t know how to explain it..

Thanks for reading this far. Now stop looking at your screens and go back to sleep. Shhhh! The robots will fix everrryyy thing.