Game: Scale the Depths
Genre: Casual, Indie, Simulation.
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: glass gecko games | Pretty Soon Games, Phoenix Games
Controller Support: Yes
Steam Deck: Playable
Price: US $TBC | UK £TBC | EU € TBC
Release Date: May 28th, 2026
Review code provided with many thanks to Pretty Soon Games.
Scale the Depths – Gone Fishing
Scale the Depths is the kind of game that looks incredibly simple on the surface, but before you realise it, you’ve somehow spent hours fishing, chopping fish, feeding strange little customers, upgrading your equipment, and diving deeper into increasingly bizarre waters.
It’s what I’d call a proper busybody game. There’s always something to do, but none of it feels overwhelming. The gameplay loop itself is extremely straightforward: catch fish, prepare fish, serve fish, earn money, upgrade gear, repeat. Yet somehow it becomes weirdly addictive. This originally started life as a game jam project, and it’s impressive seeing how much it’s grown into a fully fleshed-out experience. It still keeps that smaller indie charm, but there’s a surprising amount packed into it.
Importantly, though, Scale the Depths never asks too much from the player. It’s very easy to pick up, easy to understand, and ideal for those evenings where you just want something relaxing to sink into without needing to concentrate too hard.
Fishing With a Tiny Robot
You play as a little robot tasked with fishing for artefacts and valuable catches from lakes and oceans around the world, starting off at the legendary Loch Ness. At first, you barely have anything. Your boat is basic, your gear isn’t great, and your fishing abilities are fairly limited. So naturally, the solution is to start catching fish and feeding hungry customers in exchange for cash. Simple enough.
Fishing itself is surprisingly satisfying. Your lure constantly sinks through the water while you guide it around obstacles and schools of fish. Smaller fish are automatically caught when touched, while larger fish require repeated hits to wear down their health before you can reel them in properly. It’s easy to learn but remains engaging because the underwater sections aren’t just empty spaces full of fish. There are treasure chests hidden away, switches to activate, little secret pathways, puzzles, and even legendary fish lurking in the depths.
I really liked that extra sense of exploration. It stops the fishing from feeling too repetitive. One feature I genuinely appreciated was the educational side of the game too. Every fish you catch comes with a little fact sheet explaining real-world information about the species and the locations they come from. It’s a small detail, but it gives the game extra personality and helps the different fishing spots feel more grounded in real wildlife and folklore.
Fish Prep Is Weirdly Relaxing
Once your bucket is full, the game shifts into its second major gameplay loop: preparing the fish. This was more enjoyable than I expected. You scrape scales off, remove barnacles and parasites, chop the fish into portions, and prepare everything for customers waiting. You can rush through the process if you want, but sloppy preparation lowers the quality of the food. There’s actually a nice rhythm to it all. The game rewards being careful and gentle. If you’re too rough while preparing the fish, you can damage them and lose value, so there’s this oddly therapeutic balance between speed and precision. It reminded me a little of those cozy task-management games where repetitive actions somehow become relaxing rather than tedious.
Mythical Customers and Constant Upgrades
The customers themselves are great fun. Rather than just ordinary humans, you’ll end up serving all sorts of odd creatures inspired by mythology and wildlife. Otters, axolotls, birds, mythical beings, the game has a very playful tone throughout, and I appreciated how it tied local folklore into the areas you visit.
Then comes the addictive part: upgrades. This is where Scale the Depths really sinks its hooks into you. You can improve your lure damage, increase your fishing time underwater, expand your bucket capacity, unlock better scaling tools, purchase fish repellents, and gradually focus on catching larger and more profitable fish. One of my favourite moments was unlocking a ridiculously over-the-top knife that basically looked like fantasy Excalibur. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously, and those little rewards help keep things entertaining. Every upgrade pushes you slightly deeper into the game’s strange little world, and it constantly feels like there’s another improvement just around the corner.
Some Small Frustrations Beneath the Surface
As much as I enjoyed the game, there are a few rough edges worth mentioning. The biggest issue I had involved the controls and input methods. You can play using either controller or mouse and keyboard, but interestingly, they both felt stronger in different areas.
Personally, I preferred using a controller for most of the gameplay. Steering the lure felt smoother, and fish preparation generally caused less accidental damage compared to using a mouse. However, early on, weaker knives made removing barnacles noticeably easier with mouse controls. It almost felt like the game wanted me to swap between controller and mouse depending on the activity, which wasn’t always ideal. Thankfully, once better tools were unlocked, controller play became much more comfortable overall.
I also ran into some slightly awkward upgrade issues when moving between fishing areas. Certain progression elements reset when entering new locations, whilst others don’t. I spent so much time in Loch Ness I unlocked a fish repellent which scares away smaller fish, so you can focus on bigger catches. The game does allow you to change or remove upgrades, but in practice, this didn’t seem to work, and the repellent persisted, making catching small fish with inferior tools in a new area tough and fiddly. Hopefully, this will be patched.
Cozy Pixel Art and Chill Atmosphere
Visually, Scale the Depths keeps things simple with charming pixel art graphics that fit the laid-back gameplay perfectly. The robot protagonist is cute, the fish designs are varied, and the different fishing locations all have their own atmosphere and identity. I especially liked how each area tied into regional folklore and wildlife themes. The soundtrack stays fairly understated throughout, but that actually works in the game’s favour. The calm music and gentle ambience help create that ideal“play for half an hour before bed” feeling. There are also plenty of little extras to enjoy, including boat customisation, collectable artefacts, hidden lore, and cosmetic upgrades for your tiny robot fisherman.
Conclusion: Quite The Catch
Scale the Depths is one of those deceptively simple indie games that quietly becomes incredibly hard to put down. The gameplay loop is satisfying, the fishing feels rewarding, fish preparation is strangely relaxing, and the constant stream of upgrades gives you plenty of reasons to keep diving back in for “just one more run.”
It’s not some ultra-hardcore fishing simulator or deep strategy game, and I think it’s better because of that. This is a cozy, low-pressure experience designed to help players unwind and enjoy themselves. Yes, there are a few control quirks and some slightly fiddly upgrade issues that could use smoothing out, but none of them was enough to stop me from having a genuinely good time with it.
If you enjoy cozy management games, casual fishing games, or simply want something relaxing to chip away at in the evenings, then Scale the Depths is absolutely worth checking out.
A free demo is also available on Steam.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
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