Fishing Adventure Review

Fishing Adventure

Release: January 1, 1970
Publisher: Ultimate Games
Developer: Ultimate Games
Genre: Switch Reviews
PEGI: E
Comments:

 

Comment

I have many fond memories growing up of going to the lake with my fishing pole and tackle box, and spending an afternoon hanging out with a friend, trying to catch fish. Fishing for me was more about spending time outdoors with friends and family than about catching dinner, but the rush of catching a fish added to the experience.

As a gamer, I also liked virtual fishing, whether it was Sega Bass Fishing on the Dreamcast or Championship Bass on PS1. I even liked the handheld fishing games that looked like a reel. I liked the more realistic games, where you would enter a tournament, choose your bait wisely and try to land the biggest catch.

This brings me to Fishing Adventure, recently released on the Nintendo Switch.

With a somewhat nondescript name, Fishing Adventure is exactly what it sounds like. There’s very little fanfare in the game. You load in, choose a location and start fishing. There are eight countries to pick from, including Poland, Norway, Haiti, Canada and America. You’ll start in Poland and unlock the other spots by playing the game.

Each country has just one location and one weather pattern. When you’re starting the game, be prepared to spend a lot of time in Poland’s dusky thunderstorm. You find a spot to cast your line, then reel it in when you catch a fish. You can also row a boat into the middle of the lake, which allows you to find some different and bigger fish. But the boat controls are abysmal, and it was very hard to get where you want to go.

There is only the single game mode. As you catch fish, you can either sell them or release them. If you sell them, you get cash to buy better equipment or to get a boat license; if you release them, you build up XP so that you can unlock more countries.

The gameplay itself is not entertaining or challenging at all. I barely noticed a difference between equipment, and caught fish literally every time I cast a line, unless I wasn’t paying attention.

To cast, you aim your pole toward the water and hold RZ to power up. Push LZ to reel in, and sometimes let your bobber just chill. You get a notice when you have a bite, and just hit RZ to hook the fish, then LZ to reel it in. Decide to sell or release, rinse and repeat. Over and over and over.

The game’s water looks good, though…

All-in-all…if you are looking for a fishing game on the Nintendo Switch, look elsewhere. Rapala Fishing if you want a “realistic” experience. Fishing World Star if you want a cutesy arcade game. Try Dynamite Fishing for a more budget, zany arcade game.

Or just buy Stardew Valley or wait for Animal Crossing, both of which will have better fishing gameplay than Fishing Adventure.