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WHOOAAAOHH Its on the Winnitron for GDC.

I shall be releasing a build with the winnitron updates soon!

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Okay I changed some stuff including the controls, but they're not customizable SORRY.  I did what I could before GDC madness.

Updates:
v1.0.0 - feb 23rd 2011
upped bullet velocity
changed controls
added highlights to dead fish
dead fish flash before they disappear
changed win conditions: player with most money always wins
causing an extinction costs a player $100 per kill
extinction detection: player who most recently killed the extinct species gets the penalty
money hidden until the end of the round
stunned text when players are stunned
smoother end transition back to title
modified hud to hide extra info
modified ending stats screen
dead fish now attract to a near by player
fish now trickle in at the start instead of being dumped in all at once

[tzachs]

We took it for a spin.. it looks like it could be fun (and the music is awesome), but there were so many things going on at the same time, and it was hard to make distinctions between all the game element, so it was very confusing, didn't understand at all what was going on...

[___]

We took it for a spin.. it looks like it could be fun (and the music is awesome), but there were so many things going on at the same time, and it was hard to make distinctions between all the game element, so it was very confusing, didn't understand at all what was going on...

Sounds about right!

[Fluff]

We tried this the other day and thought it had a lot of charm. Lines like KYLE PULVER PRESENTS KYLE PULVER'S and MASH BUTTON TO SKIP THIS do a great job of setting the silly, fun tone. I think an earlier version of the instructions had SPACE inserted before all the nouns? I remember liking that. Removing it probably does make the instructions easier to read, though.

When the game starts, it's like walking into one of those crazy, frantic Japanese game shows where something ridiculous and chaotic is going on that you can't figure out but can't really look away. It's almost kind of a sensory overload. There's just so much going on and so many elements on screen that they all become kind of meaningless and all you can really focus on is your person (at least who you think is your person) and trying, you think, to move or do something by mashing buttons frantically because are you hearing this music and feel like whatever you do you have to do it quickly and frantically because look at all these fish and numbers everywhere and lines and pulsing circles and dots and smoke and numbers and lines and arrows and flashing things and spinning things and hurry up because are you hearing this music and the price of fish just went up and someone just got a level but I don't who and is the crowd cheering or am I crazy and did I mention the music?

After about 3 rounds I finally realized that you shoot fish and then they follow you around in this leash sort of red circle and then eventually die and then you pick them up. But I still don't understand any information on the HUD and I still can't really distinguish between fish. It's a testament to the overall experience, though, that we played that many times without really knowing what was going on!

It really feels like you're playing the very last level of a very long and difficult game (the epic music really contributes to this feeling too). Like this is the last test, when they throw everything at you at once and say (if games could talk) something like, "well this is everything I've got, if you can beat this you've mastered the game!"

It doesn't really have a learning curve, it's more of a learning cliff.

To make it more accessible you could try introducing different elements one at a time. Maybe you have different game modes like simple, normal, chaotic. Or, maybe players compete on a series of escalating levels. Each level adds another element to the mix. So you start with one type of fish and a fixed price. Then each level you add another element like maybe in level 2 you can get experience. Then slowly add back in fluctuating fish price, finite fish populations, multiple types of fish, etc.

Although, I almost suspect that all these game mechanics and rules and elements on the screen are intended to be a kind of deliberately crazy aesthetic whose purpose is just to create a kind of confusing and overwhelming atmosphere. Could it be? I don't know!

This game was fun to play and review! Thanks!

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That's a pretty awesome write up!

I think the only thing you didn't get was the whole "red leash" thing.  That actually means that fish are aggressive toward you and will attack you when close, it doesn't really have anything to do with them dying.  They end up dying because they're chasing you instead of eating other fish!