Take an exclusive look at MonstaFish, coming to Xbox Live on Windows Phone for May 30

Where do mobile gamers go for first looks and details of upcoming Xbox Live titles? Why, Windows Phone Central of course! Today we’re pleased to bring you the first screens and trailer for MonstaFish, the final Xbox Live release of the month. It comes from UK developer IronSun Studios, makers of IonBallEX and Battlewagon.

In MonstaFish, too much toxic waste has been dumped into the water, resulting in gnarly mutations known as MonstaFish. As you can imagine, these toxic fish aren’t good to eat and must be removed from the environment for the good of all. That’s where the player comes in…

Head past the break for pictures and details of each game mode!

Like Battlewagon before it, MonstaFish combines a variety of play styles into a single game. This time, each style has its own distinct game mode:

  • MonstaFish: In the main game type, a friendly super-Octopus (which seems to be a mutant too) spits out a constant stream of bubbles which players can use to damage the unfriendly MonstaFish. Bubbles can be combined into Mega and Hyper Bubbles to deal more damage. Each level’s pollution meter constantly rises, so you’ll need to work quickly in order to avoid a Game Over.
  • Fish Hook: Not all of the fish in the ocean have turned into Monstas. In this mode, you’ll  drop a hook into the water to rescue the untainted goldfish. Dodge the MonstaFish, toxic barrels, and other obstacles as you reel in the number of fish needed to move on to the next level.
  • Fish Hunt: Fishing and hunting go hand in hand, right? In this mode, the player’s submarine is equipped with a couple of wobbly scopes. Wait until one or more MonstaFish swim through and blast them! Earn multipliers to boost your score. Each miss adds to the pollution meter – once it fills up, the game ends.
  • Time Attack: In this mode, simply tap MonstaFish to defeat them. The aquatic menaces come from both sides at once in larger and larger numbers. Defeat as many of them as possible as you chase high scores in the allotted three minutes.
  • Fish Tank: Take a break from frantic fish fighting in this relaxing mode. Your tank starts with a single fish to tend. Keep the tank clean and fish well fed and you’ll attract new fish to keep.

All five game modes have their own Xbox Live Achievements (adding up to 14 in total), so you’ll need to play them all if you want the full 200 GamerScore.

MonstaFish boasts some distinctive ‘comic book-style’ graphics and a fully-commissioned soundtrack. IronSun Studios is particularly proud of the theme song, which is also available as a free ringtone in the full version of the game.

IronSun’s IonBallEX was among the first batch of Xbox Live titles to drop to the 99 cent price point last month; Battlewagon quickly followed suit. That pattern might lead one to wonder whether the developer's next game would cost the same amount. Well, good news! MonstaFish will cost 99 cents as well when it debuts on May 30.

IronSun Studios is quickly becoming a prolific developer of Windows Phone-exclusive Xbox Live games. We’ll discuss their past and future projects in an upcoming Xbox Live developer interview.

Paul Acevedo

Paul Acevedo is the Games Editor at Windows Central. A lifelong gamer, he has written about videogames for over 15 years and reviewed over 350 games for our site. Follow him on Twitter @PaulRAcevedo. Don’t hate. Appreciate!