Scale The Depths Preview: Catch Of The Day

Coming soon to PC is the official version of Scale The Depths, developed and published by Glass Gecko Games. In this quick-fire indie fishing game, you play a small robot who must catch and descale fish for a range of hungry customers from your small fishing ship, the SS Ligma. Upgrade your hook, rod, bucket, and knife as you aim to serve only the best fish-based food to a range of well-designed aquatic life.

Some of you might well have heard of this game on mobile platforms. However, that was allegedly not produced by the game’s original developer. This version is the real deal in that regard. I don’t want to give away the entire preview this early into it, but Scale The Depths is a pleasant little game. But as far as short games to tide you over whilst you kill time between projects, it is a ton of fun. Of all the “Quick” games I’ve reviewed or previewed, this one offers a little more replay value. With that said let’s get to it.

Scale The Depths is available on Itch.io now. And can be wishlisted on Steam, where it is set to release first quarter of 2026.

Story – Pike Dreams

In something that might not be the biggest of surprises, Scale The Depths isn’t a narrative-heavy game. Honestly, there isn’t a narrative here at all. Yeah, that isn’t an issue for me. As the game has enough charm and a strong enough core loop to keep you entertained for however long or short you need it in your life. In situations like this, it means it is time to focus our attention on in-game text in a more utilitarian sense of the word. And from a mechanical point of view, the text is easy to read. Even if I feel that the Tutorial text that is in the game is just generally lacking.

Scale The Depths does contain hidden historical collectables.

Oh sure, this isn’t a hard game to get a grasp of. And the gameplay isn’t so complex that I found myself banging my head against the desk trying to figure out how to do certain things. But even still, it wasn’t really clear in the early game what the exact loop for this was supposed to be. However, it was easy enough to pick up from there. Beyond that, I have to say that I do appreciate the effort to include creatures from Scottish folklore. Which is apt given that the game is set in Loch Ness.

Gameplay – No Cod’s Wallop!

Scale The Depths is a hard game to really narrow down to a genre, which honestly makes trying to preview it a little tough. The best way that I can describe it is that it is a fishing game with pseudo-arcade sensibilities, and a hit if the Nintendo DS/3DS touchscreen gimmick within it too. Your job is to guide your fishing hook to catch fish that you’ll then descale (or remove parasites) to sell to hungry customers. All the while, you’ll spend your time upgrading your gear and trying to reach deeper depths and bigger prizes. Once you catch a fish, you get a mini-game where you need to gradually guide your mouse across the fish to remove the scales. Being sure not to hack off too much and ruining your catch.

You can find hidden treasure in Scale The Depths.

The loop itself is fun enough for what it is; this isn’t a game that you’re going to sink hours into in one go, but something you’ll periodically come back to. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about what I might find next. The cast of characters you can sell to is fun and well-designed. And it was always interesting to see what strange sights awaited me in the lower depths of the game’s level. I will admit that controls for the hook are fiddly. The “Classic” option lacks precision to make quick movements. The mouse option is far more precise but turning feels a little slower. But you can get used to them. And if nothing else, it adds an extra layer of challenge to the experience.

Chop To It

Whilst Scale The Depths is a game where you essentially run a restaurant, there isn’t much else to it. Whilst there is an upgrade mechanic for your equipment and there is a level of skill to what you need to do. There isn’t much else to do. Not at this stage. But this might change with time. Unlike the Game Jam version of this title, you can select what fish you sell to which customers. But you can’t get rid of any fish you might have caught by mistake until they are on the chopping board. Which is a slight annoyance.

Each customer has a hidden favourite which will net you a bonus.

But only a slight one, I will admit. Scale The Depths is a fine game, and whilst the preview build is understandably short still offers a nice idea of what to expect. As I said earlier, this isn’t a game you are going to dedicate long gaming sessions to. This is something that you are more likely to pick up and play during a lunch break, or as a relaxing distraction after work. Though I will admit that I’m interested to see what the developer can do to expand upon this one as the release date draws closer.

Graphics & Audio – This Must Be The Plaice

I found the overall presentation of Scale The Depths to be charming through my playthrough for this review. Like I said earlier, the character design makes encounters with the customers interesting. Even if their job is just to sit there and bob about. It is fun to see who or what you might end up serving fish to next. And the little robot you play as is cute enough. And your growing arsenal of hooks is fun to see. But overall all I do wish there was more to see. But it is very early days, and this has expanded greatly from its Game Jam version.

Scale The Depths’s soundtrack is, well, honestly, it is pretty much what you’d hope it would be for a game like this. It is a very nautical and jaunty piece of work. The longer your hook stays underwater, the longer the music plays, with it developing and growing more complex. Oh sure, it sounds like I should expect to see a band of pirates dancing a merry jig. But for a title like this, I feel it works rather well. And beyond that, the music that plays is charming and relaxing in a way that underlines the chill experience at hand.

Scale The Depths was reviewed on PC.

(This article features a video by The Video Game Channel)