Fish Tales is an absolute blast with features that reward both the beginner and experienced players. Despite the game's cartoony fishing theme, high scoring on this game demands accurate shooting, good ball control and nudging.
The play field is dominated by a classic Mark Ritchie crisscross boat-ramp that felt a bit too large at first, but after many games I feel its well integrated with the overall layout. The game has a good mix of shots with both easy (ramps) and difficult ones (extra ball!). Fish Tales rules are not as deep as current mode-based games, but all the major shots tend to progress to a mini-mode or jackpot style shot sequence that works great (school of fish leads to monster fish etc.). Although simple, the game has one of the most satisfying video modes ever where you have to torpedo jet-skis and speed boats.
The game's art package helps separate it from most games with bold colors and great characters (and a giant flopping Walleye topper). A great sound/music package really helps tie everything together and makes this game the total package. It feels like the team behind this game really enjoyed themselves based on the attention to detail apparent throughout the game.