WALKSCAPE
Crosswave EditionHey, That’s My Fish! — Cute Penguins and a Ruthless Ice Floe
2026-02-03
Most people let their guard down the first time they see this game. The penguins are tiny and cute. The ice tiles have fish on them. The goal is easy to grasp: get your penguins to collect as many fish as they can. The explanation takes a few minutes, which gives you the impression that you are in for something light. A quick game, and that will be that.
A few turns later, the mood changes. People talk less. You start watching the other players’ next moves, even though nobody is attacking anyone directly. Hey, That’s My Fish! can quietly leave a penguin with nowhere to go.
Simple Pieces, Hard Choices from the Start
The components are just penguins and ice tiles. Each tile shows one, two or three fish. Shuffle the tiles and lay them out to form a field of ice. The number of penguins each player places depends on how many people are playing.
The game is already under way by the time you put down those pieces. A tile with three fish looks tempting, but you need to think about what the surrounding ice will look like a few turns from now. Chase the best-looking tiles and you can run out of places to go. Leave yourself a route and you may quietly take control of a whole section. From the start, the question is how far you will be able to move.
One Straight Move Can Cut Off an Opponent
A penguin follows one rule: Move in a straight line. You can’t turn or jump. A gap in the ice cuts the move short, and another penguin can block that direction entirely. After you move, take the tile you started on. Once that piece of ice is gone, nobody can cross it again.
That is what gives the game its edge. You never capture a penguin. One move can still cut off its route, leaving it alone on a piece of ice. It can happen without anyone raising their voice.
Staying Mobile Matters More Than Taking the Most Fish
The most common mistake is to chase only the tiles with the most fish. Fish matter, of course. By the middle of the game, however, a route you can still use can be more valuable than a tile with three fish. A single penguin with a few moves left can change the course of the game.
There is more to it than collecting fish. You divide up space and cut off paths. Some players get points early, while others leave themselves options for the end. As the game winds down, each early choice comes back to you. The quiet makes it tenser.
Replaying the Moves Afterward
When a penguin can no longer move, it is taken off the board and its tile counts towards its owner’s score. The game ends when all the penguins have been removed. Count the fish. If the score is tied, the number of tiles breaks the tie.
Afterward, there is a strange feeling. You did not shout or gang up on anyone, yet you are still thinking about the board. Should I have gone the other way?
Should I have cut off that penguin first?
You begin to replay it, and the next thing you hear is usually, “One more?”
A Little Game with Staying Power
You can play Hey, That’s My Fish! with children and still find a sharp contest among adults. It takes little time to explain, and each move has consequences. That combination is one reason it works as a first strategy game and still holds up after repeated plays.
The penguins and fish make an inviting first impression. A few moves later, the board is an exercise in counting space and keeping escape routes open. It remains a good choice for a table that likes to think quietly.
Game Information
Hey, That’s My Fish!
- Players
- 2–4
- Playing time
- About 20–30 minutes
- Genre
- Family / Abstract strategy / Area control
- What to expect
- Simple rules, sharp choices about space and indirect ways to cut off an opponent
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