Revisiting Freddi Fish and the Case of the Stolen Jewel

I’m not saying I’m the number one fan of the library on the Phenixx Gaming team, but I’ve gotta be in the running. Between reading over 100 books a year and grabbing games to try that I’m not interested in owning, I’m always on the hunt for a new adventure. To my surprise, my local library had a Nintendo Switch copy of the Humongous Classic Collection, which I completely forgot Limited Run Games published, so I grabbed it. I’m planning to do a little write-up of all the classics on this nostalgic lineup, so we’re starting with the only underwater adventure. Here’s a retro review of Freddi Fish and the Case of the Stolen Jewel.

We meet Freddi Fish in two adventures before this third entry in his series, although this is the only one on the Humongous Classic Collection. There’s not a whole lot to catch you up on; he’s literally a fish. Great, lore recap complete. We find Freddi Fish and his pal Luther arrive to visit the latter’s Uncle Blenny for Founder’s Day, a celebration that brings the whole town together. The game then immediately reminds us that the prison-industrial complex is alive and well under the sea, and Uncle Blenny is behind bars. As “Keeper of the Conch,” I guess he’s suspect number one when the thing goes missing right before the Founder’s Day celebration.

There’s no way to start the celebration without the blowing of the Conch, because what are we if not our traditions we hold dear? Therefore, Freddi and Luther need to figure out who stole the conch. Three missing golden pipes can help identify the scent of the thief, so it’s time to get cracking. All over the town, there are fun areas to explore, including a dark-and-scary cave system, a carnival, and a monkey that hangs out on the beach all day eating its favorite food. My dream life, if you were wondering.

The game, clearly targeted for children, was about a 35-minute experience. It was fun to reimmerse myself in this series, which I loved as a child. Who knows how long these took me when I was little. There was a lot of backtracking, and one area in particular was so confusing to navigate due to its limited signage for what area was what that I literally just started clicking aggressively to look for areas that looked new. Nevertheless, a children’s game was no match for me, and I found myself face-to-face with a role I never thought Freddi Fish would be thrust into: accusing a townsperson of stealing the beloved conch.

In what can only be described as another ‘L’ for the carnival industry, the fish who owns the carnival, Gill Barker, stole the conch because everyone goes to the celebration on Founder’s Day, and he can’t make any money. Capitalism strikes again, but thankfully, Freddi and Luther explain to him that money isn’t everything. In real life, the slimy, money-hungry scam artist would be on to his next scheme right after this one wraps up, but thankfully, justice prevails, and he is forced to pay for his crime.

Unfortunately, also like the real world, these money fiends are never out of the game for long. Gill Barker returns in Freddi Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch, where he’s also a main suspect for another scheme. We don’t get that game in this collection, however, so we can suspend our disbelief for now and assume Gill is going to reflect on his actions and try to be a better person. Of course, we know better than to trust someone willing to do anything to make a quick buck.

There are a lot of great little details in these Humongous games, and this is no exception. If you have any nostalgia for these whatsoever, I highly recommend returning to them. Humongous Classic Collection is available for Nintendo Switch in a physical Limited Run Games edition as well as on the Nintendo eShop.