Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds explained

Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds
Developer:Humongous Entertainment
Publisher:Humongous Entertainment
Producer:Ron Gilbert
Engine:SCUMM
Composer:George Sanger
Released:Released:
  • November 7, 1994 (Mac, Win)
  • 2005 (digiBlast)[1]
  • August 29, 2008 (Wii)
  • October 10, 2010 (iOS)
  • April 3, 2014 (Android)[2]
  • April 17, 2014 (Linux)[3]
  • February 29, 2024 (Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4)[4]
Genre:Adventure
Modes:Single-player
Platforms:Macintosh, Windows, digiBlast, LCD game, Wii, iOS, Android, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4

Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds is a video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment and the first game released for the Freddi Fish franchise. It was released on November 7, 1994.[5] In 2008, it was released on the Wii under the title Freddi Fish in Kelp Seed Mystery[6] as well as Windows and Macintosh,[7] and on Android with a shortened title Freddi Fish and the Missing Kelp Seeds. The Wii version's availability was limited by legal problems concerning its development.[8] A spin-off handheld LCD game titled Freddi Fish: Jellyfish Jamboree was also released in 1999 that was based on a minigame from Kelp Seeds.[9] Ports for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 were released in February 2024.[10] [11]

Plot

Freddi Fish visits the house of Grandma Grouper, where she learns that someone stole Grandma's treasure chest of kelp seeds, which provides the food for the whole ocean. Freddi cheers Grandma Grouper up by promising to find the treasure for her. After leaving Grandma's house, Freddi and her friend, Luther, discover a bottle with a note lodged inside that gives a clue to the treasure's location and they set out to look for more clues.

Unbeknownst to the two, it was two sharks named Boss and Spongehead who stole the treasure as part of their plan to help their boss, the Squidfather, grow kelp; Spongehead had hidden four bottles in random locations to lead his way back to the treasure. Eventually, Freddi and Luther find the fourth and final bottle, revealing that the treasure is hidden in a sunken ship.

At the sunken ship, Freddi and Luther spot the treasure and attempt to grab it, but they are stopped by Boss and Spongehead, who order the two to hand it over. Freddi courageously refuses and states that everyone can grow kelp if they share it, which the sharks agree on. Freddi and Luther then take the treasure chest home and plant the kelp in Grandma Grouper's garden. Grandma then invites the two into her home so they can tell her about their adventure.

Gameplay

The game makes use of a simplified adventure system where a single click on a certain spot allows the player to pick up items, go to another location, talk to characters, and play fun animations. Clicking on an item in the right place allows Freddi to make use of it.

There are also a few minigames, such as "Jellyfish Jamboree", where Freddi must feed hungry sea creatures by throwing food at them before they get too close, with Luther keeping score. This minigame forms the basis of the LCD handheld game.

Development

Development of Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds started sometime in 1993; it was initially intended to feature pixelated graphics and be released on the MS-DOS, similar to the style of previous games developed by Humongous.[12] Halfway through production of the game, Humongous Entertainment co-founder Ron Gilbert went to a conference and saw examples of hand-drawn animation; this prompted Humongous Entertainment to scrap the pixelated animation and start over with hand-drawn graphics.[13]

Reception

Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds received generally positive reviews from critics. Allgame gave a 4-star rating,[14] GameZone rated 7 out of 10, Adventure Gamers gave a 3-star rating, and Unikgamer gave a 7 out 10 score.[15] It also received over 20 awards.[16]

The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds won Electronic Entertainments 1994 "Best Edutainment Title" award. The editors wrote that the game features well-made original characters, a strong storyline, appropriately challenging puzzles, and beautiful animation.[17]

The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds was a commercial success, with sales of 250,000 units by 1999.[18] During 2001 alone, Freddi Fish sold 54,447 retail units in North America, according to PC Data.[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Freddi Fish. IGN. Ziff Davis. July 3, 2019.
  2. Web site: Freddi Fish and the Missing Kelp Seeds - Android Apps on Google Play . . April 8, 2015.
  3. Web site: Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds on Steam . . March 23, 2015.
  4. Web site: Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds . 2024-02-24 . HE . en.
  5. Web site: Freddi Fish . https://web.archive.org/web/19980210025548fw_/http://www.humongous.com/about/pr/more/news/FNLFRED.html . 1998-02-10 . 2022-11-09.
  6. Web site: Freddi Fish: Kelp Seed Mystery. GameFAQs. CBS Interactive. July 3, 2019.
  7. Web site: Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds – Box Scan. GameFAQs. CBS Interactive. July 3, 2019.
  8. Web site: Maniac Tentacle Mindbenders: How ScummVM's unpaid coders kept adventure gaming alive . Richard . Moss . January 16, 2012 . November 16, 2020 . Ars Technica.
  9. Web site: FREDDI FISH JELLYFISH JAMBOREE - 1999 HUMONGOUS - ELECTRONIC HAND HELD (12/14/2012). Worthpoint. 9 September 2016.
  10. Web site: Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds . 2024-02-24 . HE . en.
  11. Web site: Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds . 2024-02-29 . HE . en.
  12. Web site: Fuwfuwa . 2021-05-06 . That's Edutainment: Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds . 2024-04-05 . The Avocado . en-US.
  13. Storytime with Ron Gilbert - PAX Australia 2013 Keynote . en . 2024-04-05 . www.youtube.com.
  14. Web site: Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds - Review - allgame . Brad Cook . . August 19, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141211020344/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16000 . December 11, 2014.
  15. Web site: Freddi Fish series on Unikgamer . Unikgamer . May 25, 2015 . June 15, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150615123237/http://www.unikgamer.com/series/freddi-fish-765.html . dead.
  16. Web site: Microsoft and Humongous Entertainment Pair EasyBall and Freddi Fish to Deliver Unbeatable Value for Families in Time for the Holidays . Microsoft . October 15, 1996. April 5, 2015.
  17. March 1995 . The Second Annual Electronic Entertainment Editors' Choice Awards . 45–51 . Electronic Entertainment . Staff . 15.
  18. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/19991106042637/http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ct280.htm . The story of a Humongous project . Haring, Bruce . February 28, 1999 . . November 6, 1999 . July 3, 2019 . dead.
  19. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20020619111456/http://www.justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/Mar-02/sales2001.shtm . State of Adventure Gaming - March 2002 - 2001 Sales Table . March 2002 . Sluganski, Randy . June 19, 2002 . . dead . December 21, 2019.