Breather Level: J.D.. For anyone who's exhausted with Edie's hard and frustrating levels, Dory's own levels feel rather tame in comparison. It doesn't help that you return to the faster Fragile Speedster gameplay Dory has to offer. That said, you are already at the point where the game already shows its true colors. Mines are more frequent, predators are faster than usual, the Orca practically replaces the Barracuda and it's even stronger, and apparently, Dory himself has a hitbox equal to Edie's, so be careful out there.
The entire premise of the game; Early on, you are nothing more but a small fish seeking minuscule prey while constantly avoiding dangerous predators, grow stronger, and eventually eat them. As the player progresses and get themselves a larger, new fish, fish that usually on the top of the food chain are now degraded into smaller preys where you can eat it much earlier than how long you take earlier on.
You finally got to chomp one of those pesky Barracuda once J.D. is unlocked in the first game.
Finally got yourself to finish off the Invader in the second game also counts. Even more satisfying since you're eating him as Boris, the starting (and the weakest) fish of the game.
The Shark King from the first game; overlaps with Anticlimax Boss. The final stage is basically just an upsized shark with a bigger hitbox, barracuda mechanic, and slightly increased speed, which makes it more of an annoyance than an actual threat. The stage itself is hardcoded to be longer than most of the stages due to how much fish you need to eat before leveling up, effectively turning it into a Marathon Boss.
Averted with the final encounter with the Intruder in the second game. While the boss battle is fairly similar to previous encounters, the boss stage has new gimmicks (like cuttlefish and less elbow room) that might catch players off-guard, therefore making it more of an actual threat than the Shark King.
Even Better Sequel: The general opinion of the second game, due to having more gameplay elements, more powerups, the ability to eat barracuda, and a more intense boss battle.
The inhale ability in both games, for all the wrongreasons; not only it can be used to suck in an entire school of prey, but you can also use it to move and redirect potential hazards such as Mines, Jellyfish, and predators to other predators that make the level harder for you.
Golden minnows are fast and rarely appear, but are very susceptible to the inhale ability and immediately increase your size.
Shield powerups from the first game and decoy fish from the second serve as a second lifebar that can save you from almost every threat regardless of your current stage. The only exception (at least in the first game) is clams, which can kill you no matter what.
For that matter, any escape button powerups, even more so in the sequel.
The Flash from the first and second game will STUN all fish in a second and detonate all mines on the whole stage, not just the entire screen. Stunned fish cannot eat you no matter what, so use it to secure your position and open yourself a breathing room. In fact, this is the only escape button powerup in the first game, so utilize it well.
From the second game, the Mushroom can shrink all fish on the entire stage to the smallest size possible, where you can proceed to eat them. Doesn't help that their behavior is not changed at all, as they will keep thinking that they are predator and often times goes straight to a larger fish (including you) line of range. The only exceptions are the fishes where you are already large enough to consume it yourself and the Invader, where you are using the Mushroom as a combat mechanic against it.
You also got yourself a Loony Lure in the second game. Once taken, all larger fish (excluding the ones that you can eat already) will follow it and leave the screen. Very useful if your screen is rather crowded.
Game-Breaking Bug: In the first game, you can trap yourself in an endless state of fury when getting the First Fury power-up and got caught by Jellyfish. This has been fixed in the Xbox 360 re-release.
Goddamned Bats: Most enemy fishes can qualify as this, especially those who will not stop chasing you until they finally eat you. However, there are a few glaring examples.
Pufferfish can, well, puff up and bounce you off. Not only do they tend to do this at the worst times, and even when you sneak up on them like the game suggests you do, but they reduce points and give no Mercy Invincibility. If you're bouncing straight into a bigger fish… there's no help for you.
Barracudas in the original were rather annoying, as they cannot be eaten no matter what you do. (Well, unless you count the shark king, who is a rehash of them in the final level, and even then they didn't do anything other than disappear.) This only applies however in the earlier levels, however, when J.D. and Orville encounter them in later levels the barracudas are now able to be more easily dealt with (though in J.D.'s case, enemy orcas replace the barracudas). It wasn't until the 2nd game they were finally able to be eaten via shrinking, and they gave rewards as well.
Sharks and orcas in the second game are uneatable NO MATTER WHAT. You must let them pass along, or hope they get caught in a clam or get hit by a cuttlefish's stray ink. In Feeding Frenzy 2, however, you can use a shrink mushroom… and you get to be a shark at one point, who can gobble them up at his highest size.
Cuttlefish can make your movement rather erratic and odd to control. It gets worse in levels where you MUST eat them to advance. (And yes, they do exist.)
Poison minnows reverse your controls, and that's it. These can actually be removed faster by rapid clicking left, but you better hope you don't overestimate how long it takes, and if you're planted in front of a mine, you'll dash into it and kaboom. The second game does make them a bit more difficult, not only with their duller colors, but the poisonous minnow is actually spat out back into the level, making it possible to eat it again and repeat the cycle.
Jellyfish stun you when you touch them. And you are completely incapable of eating one at any size.
Most Wonderful Sound: The announcer's voice where you level up the multiplier. Even moreso in the second game.
The sucking noise.
The jingle where you successfully get a pearl. Even more satisfying when it's a Black Pearl.
The Horn noise where you eat enough fish and grow into a larger stage.
Also the noise where you got to eat the largest predator on the stage. How can a Sickening "Crunch!" turn into something so satisfying to listen to?
The music where you finished the stage without dying.
That One Level: Tricky Treats in the second game. You're stuck in an area filled with Leopard Sharks and Orcas, and your only sources of food are Cuttlefish and Puffer Fish. Yes, the two fish that are living hell to try and eat. In addition, there are also Poison Minnows.
For that matter, some of Edie's level on the first game qualifies;
In general, Edie herself is a textbook example of a Mighty Glacier, she lumbering at a slow pace and has a larger hitbox where a lucky predator can snuck onto you and caught you off guard. Her only redeeming trait is that she has a larger mouth that can eat more fish and a stronger sucking ability, forcing you to learn and utilize the sucking ability to an extraordinary extent, and she is also where you are introduced to the more useful power-ups like First Fury and Shield power-up. For those who are fully accustomed to Andy's Fragile Speedster and Leo's Jack of All Trades gameplay, you are in for a big surprise. Her entire level can be easily summarized as a Wake-Up Call Boss, as the game won't be pulling any punches from now on.
"Deep Water Dreams", the 21st level of the game. You are immediately thrown into what appears to be the preview of the final stage, a very large area surrounded by endgame fish (Orca and Shark specifically) and you are just a tiny bit on the whole screen. The worst part? The Orca works as the Barracuda of the stage and is very trigger-happy and appears more often than most Barracuda would do.
"Surgeon Crossing", the 22nd level, just after "Deep Water Dreams". It's basically a chicken game where you have to search your prey and avoid the predators that all swim in a straight lane at high speed, sounds easy enough right? Well, have fun trying to maneuver around large and swarming predators that lunge at high speed while searching for said prey that is even faster, all while using Edie's Mighty Glacier gameplay.
Ugly Cute: The Intruder is supposed to be a scary menace, with it's gigantic size and large mouth. But it also has a round shape and big, beady eyes that some players find to be adorable instead.
The film:
Retroactive Recognition: All of the members of RedLetterMedia have roles in the film. While Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bauman, and Rich Evans might have been known quantities to those who had already begun watching Half in the Bag in 2011, the film also features supporting performances by Jack Packard and Josh "The Wizard" Davis, who would only go onto more prominent roles in RLM videos after the film's release. It also features Jocelyn Ridgely, who would go on to play Nadine in the Mr. Plinkett Reviews, and Gillian Bellinger, who makes a handful of appearances in RLM videos.
