View source for Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2014}}
{{Short description|1994 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds
| image = Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds coverart.png
| caption = 1998 cover art featuring Freddi Fish (foreground) along with Luther, Grandma Grouper, Boss the shark, and the Squidfather (all background)
| developer = [[Humongous Entertainment]]{{efn|Ported to digiBlast by Transposia and the [[Wii]] by [[ScummVM#Mistic.27s GPL violations|Mistic Software]] (Wii).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.misticsoftware.com/games.html |title=Mistic Software Inc. |author= |date=2013 |publisher=Mistic Software Inc. |access-date=April 1, 2015}}</ref>}}
| publisher = Humongous Entertainment{{efn|The digiBlast and 2010 [[iOS]] ports were published by [[Atari, Inc. (1993–present)|Atari]]. The Wii version was published by [[Majesco Entertainment]] in the United States<ref name="FF1onWii">{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/Vp9nQ2wMMCl0746jurtCF-bAzbHxq-RT |title=Freddi Fish:Kelp Seed Mystery on Wii |author= |date= |publisher=Nintendo of America Inc. |access-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416114158/http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/Vp9nQ2wMMCl0746jurtCF-bAzbHxq-RT |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Atari Europe]] in Europe. The iOS re-release and Android version were published by [[Tommo]]. The [[Steam (service)|Steam]] release was co-published by Tommo and [[Night Dive Studios]].}}
| producer = [[Ron Gilbert]]
| designer = {{Unbulleted list|Ron Gilbert|Larry Kay|Tami Caryl Borowick}}
| writer = Larry Kay
| engine = [[SCUMM]]
| composer = [[George Sanger (musician)|George Sanger]]
| released = '''Released:'''
* November 7, 1994 (Mac, Win)
* 2005 (digiBlast)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/games/freddi-fish/digiblast-788450|title=Freddi Fish|website=[[IGN]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref>
* August 29, 2008 (Wii)<ref name="FF1onWii"/>
* October 10, 2010 (iOS)
* April 3, 2014 (Android)<ref name="FF1GoogleAndroid">{{cite web |url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tommo.nggpeff1 |title=Freddi Fish and the Missing Kelp Seeds - Android Apps on Google Play |author= |date= |publisher=[[Google Play]] |access-date=April 8, 2015}}</ref>
* April 17, 2014 (Linux)<ref name="FF1Steam">{{cite web |url=http://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Humongous%20Entertainment |title=Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds on Steam |author= |date= |publisher=[[Steam (service)|Steam]] |access-date=March 23, 2015}}</ref>
* February 29, 2024 (Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds |url=https://www.humongous.com/games-switch/freddi-fish-and-the-case-of-the-missing-kelp-seeds |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=HE |language=en}}</ref>
| genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
| platforms = [[Mac OS|Macintosh]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], digiBlast, [[LCD game]], [[Wii]], [[iOS]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], [[Linux]], [[Nintendo Switch]], [[PlayStation 4]]
}}
'''''Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds''''' is a video game developed and published by [[Humongous Entertainment]] and the first game released for the ''[[Freddi Fish]]'' franchise. It was released on November 7, 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freddi Fish |url=http://www.humongous.com/about/pr/more/news/FNLFRED.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980210025548fw_/http://www.humongous.com/about/pr/more/news/FNLFRED.html |archive-date=1998-02-10 |access-date=2022-11-09}}</ref> In 2008, it was released on the [[Wii]] under the title ''Freddi Fish in Kelp Seed Mystery''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/945610-freddi-fish-kelp-seed-mystery|title=Freddi Fish: Kelp Seed Mystery|website=[[GameFAQs]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> as well as [[Windows]] and [[Macintosh]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/582922-freddi-fish-and-the-case-of-the-missing-kelp-seeds/images/1100516|title=Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds – Box Scan|website=[[GameFAQs]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> and on [[Android (operating system)|Android]] with a shortened title ''Freddi Fish and the Missing Kelp Seeds''. The Wii version's availability was limited by [[ScummVM#Mistic's GPL violations|legal problems concerning its development]].<ref name="Ars Technica">{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/01/maniac-tentacle-mindbenders-of-atlantis-how-scummvm-kept-adventure-gaming-alive/4/ | title = Maniac Tentacle Mindbenders: How ScummVM's unpaid coders kept adventure gaming alive | first = Richard | last = Moss | date = January 16, 2012 | access-date = November 16, 2020 | work = [[Ars Technica]]}}</ref> A spin-off handheld [[LCD game]] titled '''''Freddi Fish: Jellyfish Jamboree''''' was also released in 1999 that was based on a [[minigame]] from ''Kelp Seeds''.<ref>{{cite web|title=FREDDI FISH JELLYFISH JAMBOREE - 1999 HUMONGOUS - ELECTRONIC HAND HELD (12/14/2012)|url=http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/freddi-fish-jellyfish-jamboree-1999-52323882|website=Worthpoint|access-date=9 September 2016}}</ref> Ports for the [[Nintendo Switch]] and [[PlayStation 4]] were released in February 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds |url=https://www.humongous.com/games-switch/freddi-fish-and-the-case-of-the-missing-kelp-seeds |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=HE |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Freddi Fish and The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds |url=https://www.humongous.com/playstation-4/freddi-fish-and-the-case-of-the-missing-kelp-seeds |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=HE |language=en}}</ref>

==Plot==
Freddi Fish visits the house of Grandma Grouper, where she learns that Grandma's treasure chest of kelp seeds which provides the food for the whole ocean has been stolen, putting the entire population in danger of starvation if the treasure is not found soon. Freddi courageously offers to find the treasure chest for Grandma Grouper. After leaving Grandma Grouper's house, Freddi meets her friend, Luther, who accidentally knocks down a bottle while trying to perform a trick. When Freddi and Luther investigate, they discover a note lodged inside, which gives clues towards more bottles that lead to Grandma Grouper's treasure chest. Upon learning from Freddi about the missing kelp seeds, Luther agrees to help her look for the treasure.

Unbeknownst to Freddi and Luther, it was two sharks named Boss and Spongehead, who were the ones that stole the treasure as part of their plan to help their boss, the Squidfather, grow kelp for themselves; Spongehead had hidden four bottles with notes in them in random locations so he could find his way back to the treasure chest. As Freddi and Luther find more of Spongehead's clues to the treasure's location, Boss becomes increasingly furious at Spongehead for not remembering where he hid the chest, so he takes him to the Squidfather as punishment. Upon finding out that Spongehead lost the treasure, the enraged Squidfather spews out ink, causing a frightened Spongehead to remember where he left the treasure chest, so he and Boss go to retrieve it. At the same time, Freddi and Luther find the last bottle, which reveals that the treasure is hidden at a sunken ship.

Upon their arrival at the sunken ship, Freddi and Luther spot the treasure inside one of the ship's rooms and, after gaining access by using a crank handle to open a window, attempt to take it, but they are stopped by Boss and Spongehead, who order them to hand it over. Freddi boldly refuses and explains that everyone can grow kelp if they share it, which the sharks agree on. While the sharks go to tell the Squidfather about their deal, Freddi and Luther take the treasure chest back to Grandma Grouper's home and spread the kelp all throughout the ocean, thus allowing everyone to enjoy the kelp. After Freddi and Luther return the treasure chest to Grandma Grouper, she invites them into her house so they can tell her about their adventure.

==Gameplay==
The game makes use of a simplified adventure system where a single click on a certain spot allows the player to pick up items, go to another location, talk to characters, and play fun animations, although the player needs to think carefully about what certain actions or items are needed to access certain areas or obtain certain items and progress through the story. Clicking on an item from the inventory bar and then choosing the right place to put it in a certain scene allows Freddi to make use of it to take every step closer to recovering the lost kelp seeds.

There are also a few minigames, such as "Jellyfish Jamboree", where Freddi must feed hungry sea creatures by throwing food at them before they get too close, with Luther keeping score. This minigame forms the basis of the LCD handheld game.

== Development ==
Development of ''Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds'' started sometime in 1993; it was initially intended to feature pixelated graphics and be released on the [[MS-DOS]], similar to the style of previous games developed by [[Humongous Entertainment|Humongous]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fuwfuwa |date=2021-05-06 |title=That's Edutainment: Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds |url=https://the-avocado.org/2021/05/06/thats-edutainment-freddi-fish-and-the-case-of-the-missing-kelp-seeds/ |access-date=2024-04-05 |website=The Avocado |language=en-US}}</ref> Halfway through production of the game, Humongous Entertainment co-founder Ron Gilbert went to a conference and saw examples of hand-drawn animation; this prompted the studio to scrap the pixelated animation and start over with hand-drawn graphics.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6IYgWh-qnY |title=Storytime with Ron Gilbert - PAX Australia 2013 Keynote |language=en |access-date=2024-04-05 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>

Another significant change that occurred during development was the decision to change Freddi from a boy to a girl. Game designer Tami Borowick justified it because she sought to challenge the common trend at the time that [[Gender representation in video games#Portrayal of women|girls would play male characters, but not the other way around]], thus making Freddi the only playable female ''Junior Adventure'' heroine. As the dialogue script already had male pronouns written down for the character by that time, the script writer was forced to change them to female for the final product. When the writer also added a few more lines seeming to imply weakness whenever she came across an obstacle that wasn't easily overcome, Borowick pushed back and cut such lines out, believing that it would not reflect her character. Due to the common practice of adult women voicing children of both genders, Borowick added a line for Freddi in the [[Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse|sequel]] that clarifies and ascertains that she is a girl.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Nicole |title=From 'Putt Putt' to 'Freddi Fish'—How Humongous Entertainment Made Edutainment Fun |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/from-putt-putt-to-freddi-fishhow-humongous-entertainment-made-edutainment-fun/ |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |access-date=15 October 2024 |date=9 May 2019}}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
<!-- Aggregators -->
<!-- Reviewers -->
| AdvGamers = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="AdventGamer">{{cite web |url=http://www.adventuregamers.com/games/view/16831 |title=Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds Information, Screenshots & Media |author=Joe Keeley |date=June 11, 2010 |publisher=[[Adventure Gamers]] |access-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref>
| GameZone = 7/10<ref name="GameZ">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/freddi_fish_in_kelp_seed_mystery_wii_review |title=Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds - Wii - Review |author=jkdmedia |date= May 4, 2012|publisher=GameZone |access-date=March 11, 2015}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''Unikgamer''
| rev1Score = 7/10<ref name="UGFreddi1"/>
<!-- Awards -->
| award1Pub = ''[[Newsweek]]''
| award1 = Editor's Choice Award 1996<ref name="FF1Awards">{{cite web | title=Humongous Entertainment Handcrafts Another Junior Adventure(tm) | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Humongous+Entertainment+Handcrafts+Another+Junior+Adventure(tm),...-a018240812 | publisher=Farlex, Inc. | date= | access-date=April 1, 2015 | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305003353/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Humongous+Entertainment+Handcrafts+Another+Junior+Adventure(tm),...-a018240812 | url-status=dead}}</ref>
| award2Pub = ''[[Parenting Magazine]]''
| award2 = Software Magic Award 1995<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
| award3Pub = ''National Parenting''
| award3 = Seal of Approval 1995<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
| award4Pub = ''[[Computer Gaming World]]''
| award4 = No. 1 Family Software Title of 1995<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
| award5Pub = ''HomePC''
| award5 = Kids' Lab No. 1 Rated<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
| award6Pub = ''[[Family PC]]''
| award6 = Family Tested/Recommended<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
| award7Pub = ''[[PC Magazine]]''
| award7 = Top 100 CD-ROMs of 1995<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
| award8Pub = ''Parent's Choice''
| award8 = Honor Award 1995<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
| award9Pub = ''Gaming Magazine''
| award9 = Best Children's Game<ref name="FF1Awards"/>
}}
''Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds'' received generally positive reviews from critics. ''[[Allgame]]'' gave a 4-star rating,<ref name="Allgame">{{cite web|url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16000 |title=''Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds'' - Review - allgame |author=Brad Cook |publisher=[[Allgame]] |access-date=August 19, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211020344/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16000 |archive-date=December 11, 2014}}</ref> ''GameZone'' rated 7 out of 10,<ref name="GameZ"/> ''[[Adventure Gamers]]'' gave a 3-star rating,<ref name="AdventGamer"/> and ''Unikgamer'' gave a 7 out 10 score.<ref name="UGFreddi1">{{cite web |title=Freddi Fish series on Unikgamer |url=http://www.unikgamer.com/series/freddi-fish-765.html |publisher=Unikgamer |date= |access-date=May 25, 2015 |archive-date=June 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615123237/http://www.unikgamer.com/series/freddi-fish-765.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> It also received over 20 awards.<ref name="20Awards">{{cite web |title=Microsoft and Humongous Entertainment Pair EasyBall and Freddi Fish to Deliver Unbeatable Value for Families in Time for the Holidays |url=http://news.microsoft.com/1996/10/15/microsoft-and-humongous-entertainment-pair-easyball-and-freddi-fish-to-deliver-unbeatable-value-for-families-in-time-for-the-holidays/ |publisher=Microsoft |date= October 15, 1996|access-date=April 5, 2015}}</ref>

''The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds'' won ''Electronic Entertainment''{{'}}s 1994 "Best Edutainment Title" award. The editors wrote that the game features well-made original characters, a strong storyline, appropriately challenging puzzles, and beautiful animation.<ref name=e2awards>{{cite journal | date=March 1995 | title=The Second Annual ''Electronic Entertainment'' Editors' Choice Awards | pages=45–51 | journal=Electronic Entertainment | author=Staff | issue=15}}</ref>

''The Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds'' was a commercial success, with sales of 250,000 units by 1999.<ref name=250k>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991106042637/http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ct280.htm | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/ct280.htm | title=The story of a Humongous project | author=Haring, Bruce | date=February 28, 1999 | work=[[USA Today]] | archive-date=November 6, 1999 | access-date=July 3, 2019 | url-status=dead}}</ref> During 2001 alone, ''Freddi Fish'' sold 54,447 retail units in North America, according to [[PC Data]].<ref name=randysales3>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020619111456/http://www.justadventure.com/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/Mar-02/sales2001.shtm | url=http://www.justadventure.com:80/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/Mar-02/sales2001.shtm | title=State of Adventure Gaming - March 2002 - 2001 Sales Table | date=March 2002 | author=Sluganski, Randy | archive-date=June 19, 2002 | work=[[Just Adventure]] | url-status=dead | access-date=December 21, 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{notelist}}

==External links==
* {{moby game|id=/freddi-fish-and-the-case-of-the-missing-kelp-seeds}}
* [http://humongous.com/games/freddi-fish-and-the-missing-kelp-seeds/ ''Freddi Fish and the Missing Kelp Seeds'' at Humongous Entertainment]

{{Humongous}}
{{Portal bar|1990s|Video games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freddi Fish 1}}
[[Category:1994 video games]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Android (operating system) games]]
[[Category:Atari games]]
[[Category:Children's educational video games]]
[[Category:Classic Mac OS games]]
[[Category:Detective video games]]
[[Category:Humongous Entertainment games]]
[[Category:IOS games]]
[[Category:Linux games]]
[[Category:Majesco Entertainment games]]
[[Category:Mistic Software games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Switch games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 4 games]]
[[Category:Point-and-click adventure games]]
[[Category:SCUMM games]]
[[Category:ScummVM-supported games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Tommo games]]
[[Category:Video games about fish]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Video games featuring female protagonists]]
[[Category:Video games scored by George Sanger]]
[[Category:Video games set underwater]]
[[Category:Wii games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]