A young woman misses her grandmother, two siblings revisit their dead father through nightmares, and a man living with psychosis searches for his missing partner. In Fishbowl, Appa and Abashed, Indian indie creators put loss and mental health at the center of very different kinds of play—not as clinical treatment, but as stories shaped by daily routines, cards and puzzles.
Three games, three different kinds of loss
The games share difficult subject matter, but they are not interchangeable accounts of grief or mental illness. Their protagonists, emotional registers and mechanics differ: one turns ordinary home life into a process of remembering, another makes family memories part of a card game, and the third uses changing environments in a psychological adventure.
| Game | Story at its center | How the player engages | Availability reported as of October 3, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishbowl | Alo, 21, is grieving her grandmother while living alone in a new city and starting a work-from-home job. | Domestic tasks, unpacking puzzles and memory objects, within a month-long story. | Released on Steam April 2, 2026. The developer press kit also lists PlayStation 5. |
| Appa | Siblings Varun and Arundhati process their father’s death. | A simultaneous card game with deck-building mechanics, drawing on memory flashes from nightmares. | Current release date, platform details and purchase status were not established by the official studio page reviewed. Hindustan Times reported an anticipated launch the following year. |
| Abashed | Issac, a man living with psychosis, searches for his missing partner. | A 2.5D narrative side-scroller with puzzles; a fictional medication mechanic changes the environment to expose paths and clues. | The developer announced a planned November 2026 PC release via Steam and GOG; its September 25, 2026 post said the exact day was still to be announced. |
What is Fishbowl about?
Created by Rhea Gupte and Prateek Saxena, Fishbowl follows Alo through a month of living alone after her grandmother’s death. She is also settling into a new city and beginning a work-from-home job, so grief sits alongside the practical work of building a routine. The official press kit describes video calls, work, unpacking puzzles, household tasks and self-care as parts of the story.
Rather than make loss a single dramatic event, the game puts the player among small activities and reminders. Memory objects and puzzles connect the present to Alo’s past; pixel art with a nostalgic feel and lo-fi music shape its gentle slice-of-life tone. Hindustan Times reports that the game includes a trigger warning and a mood meter. Those features frame a fictional portrayal; they do not establish a mental-health intervention.
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Fishbowl was released on Steam on April 2, 2026, by imissmyfriends.studio, with Wholesome Games Presents also listed as publisher. The developer press kit identifies the studio as based in Goa, India, and lists Steam and PlayStation 5 platforms. Steam showed 137 user reviews and 94% positive reviews when checked October 3, 2026; both figures can change. View Fishbowl on Steam. [C2][C6]
How does Appa turn grief into a card game?
In Mridul Pancholi’s Appa, made at Heat Death Studio, siblings Varun and Arundhati grapple with their father’s death. The game takes a surreal route: the siblings reconstruct flashes of memory from nightmares and make a card game within the story. Its simultaneous card play and deck-building mechanics give the player a strategic activity rooted in the siblings’ shared family history.
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The studio describes the visuals as hand-painted and culturally inflected. That approach places the game’s family drama in a particular visual language rather than presenting bereavement as a generic theme.
Hindustan Times reported in October 2026 that Appa had 10,000 Steam wishlists and was expected to cost approximately ₹1,400–₹2,000 when it launched the following year. Those are reported wishlist and price expectations, not confirmed current store details. The official studio page reviewed supports the premise and mechanics but does not settle the release date, platform details or whether the game can currently be purchased. [C1][C3]
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What does Abashed portray about psychosis?
Supantha Paul’s Abashed, from LavaPoint Games, follows Issac, who lives with psychosis and is searching for his missing partner. The story also draws attention to the toll of caring for someone. Its format is a 2.5D narrative side-scroller: players follow clues and solve puzzles as they move through the search.
LavaPoint describes a mechanic in which medication temporarily changes the environment, revealing paths and clues. This is a fictional device for navigating the game world, not a representation of medication guidance or a claim about how psychosis works. Paul told Hindustan Times, “I wanted to create a game that explores self-discovery,” and described its emotional direction as, “There’s hope, and positive progress.”
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In a Steam Community post dated September 25, 2026, the developer announced a planned November 2026 PC release through Steam and GOG, with the exact day still to be announced. That is a release plan, not confirmation that the game is already available. Read the developer’s Steam announcement. [C1][C4][C5]
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these games say—and do not say—about games and mental health
These projects use interactive form to make players handle, arrange or move through pieces of difficult stories. In Fishbowl, memory and domestic routine accompany a young woman’s bereavement. Appa makes family recollection part of card play. Abashed turns a search and a fictional shifting landscape into a psychological adventure. That variety matters: grief after a death, family trauma and a fictional portrayal of psychosis are related subjects, but not the same experience.
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Nothing in the available descriptions establishes that any of the games treats grief, psychosis or another mental-health condition, or that playing them has therapeutic efficacy. Their value here is as narrative entertainment that engages with subjects often absent from more combat-centered games. Stan co-founder and CEO Parth Chadha told Hindustan Times that story-led games are finding a place alongside action and combat titles; that is his observation, not a measured account of the whole Indian games market. [C1]
Quick Recap
Where to check availability
- Fishbowl: Its Steam listing records an April 2, 2026 release. The developer press kit also lists PlayStation 5; check the relevant storefront for current regional availability. Steam listing. [C2][C6]
- Appa: The sources reviewed do not confirm a current release or purchase listing. The reported launch timing and price are expectations from Hindustan Times, not verified store information. [C1][C3]
- Abashed: The developer’s September 25 announcement gives a November 2026 PC window for Steam and GOG, but no exact day. Check the developer’s announcement for any update. Steam Community post. [C4]
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