Cast it out — Fishing Sim World review

Simulator games have become an interesting and increasingly explored genre over the years. Whether they involve farming, truck driving, working in an office, or conducting a train, they all aim to provide realistic experiences. These games are designed to allow players to perform normal tasks that they may not be able to do otherwise. They may not be the most exciting or action-packed games, but they have their own relaxing charm to them. The newest edition to this genre is Fishing Sim World.

Fishing Sim World is exactly as it sounds, a game where you attempt to catch fish in a variety of locales. The best thing to do when starting is take the time to watch the tutorial videos. These videos not only lay out the controls for you, but they give you suggestions on where to find certain types of fish. It was a lot to take in at first, but it was incredibly helpful, because I would have been wandering around aimlessly otherwise.

When heading out to fish, you press L2 to prepare your cast, and then you cast out one of two ways, depending on which casting method you chose. If you select the standard method, you hold R2 to build up a power meter, and then release it to cast. The more power you build, the farther it goes. If you choose true cast, you pull the right stick back, and then flick it up and press R2 while flicking to cast. The distance that it goes depends on what angle the rod is when you press R2. It takes a little getting used to, but it feels nice replicating the cast, even with just one thumbstick.

After the lure is in the water, you press L2 to reel it in. There’s a meter on the left that shows the reel speed, which can be adjusted with the L1 and R1 buttons; L1 lowers the speed and R1 raises it. Some fish may be more tempted by a slower moving target, while others are attracted to faster targets. You can also flick the right stick to yank the rod in that direction and potentially catch a fish’s attention. When a fish bites, the lure indicator changes, which signifies your time to perform a strike. A strike is done by flicking the right stick down; the quicker you react, the better off you’ll be. The fish will start swimming around in various directions as it tries to unhook itself. In addition to holding L2 to reel in the line, you’ll need to use the right stick to pull back against the fish. To the left of the reel speed meter, the tension meter will fluctuate based on where the fish is pulling, how much you’re reeling in, and how much pull you’re applying. When the meter hits the red and the exclamation point lights up, you need to ease up or else you’ll risk snapping the line and losing the fish. That means learning when to reel quickly and when to loosen up are extremely important. That being said, winning the tug of war with a fish feels satisfying.

There are two ways to fish: on the shore or on your boat. If you’re on the shore, you can cast out from pretty much anywhere, although finding a dock is better because you can claim a peg. A peg allows you to set up three rods in order to maximize your fish catching potential. After casting one out, you can set it down and switch to another rod. The cast out rod will stay put and alert you if a fish takes the bait. You’ll need to pick up that rod quickly and strike before the fish gets loose. The boat is a nice way to head out into the open water and search for fish. The fish tracking GPS is great because it gives you a visual of any fish that may be swimming nearby, and even gives you an approximate depth of their location as well. This is helpful because it lets you know if you’ve found a good spot or not instead of blindly heading out and taking a shot in the dark. My one problem with the boat is it’s speed. The starting boat states that it isn’t the fastest, but that its max speed is 40 mph. I have only been able to reach that speed once; the bulk of my time was spent going between 5 and 15 mph. At first I thought it might have been because I was too close to the shore, but I soon realized that even in water that was over 100 meters deep, my speed barely changed. Hitting top speed felt like a fluke because every other time it took a long time to go anywhere. I don’t need a speedboat, but it shouldn’t take me 10 minutes to reach my fishing spot when my character could’ve walked there faster.

Fishing Sim World contains some beautiful locations, ranging from large lakes to small rivers. You can see some lush trees, rocky shores, far off mountains, and much more. You can even choose the time of day that you’re fishing, along with the weather. Want to head out on a clear morning? Go for it. Prefer some night fishing in the pouring rain? You have the option. You can even cast out before sunset with dynamic weather if you so choose. The point is, you have plenty of options to get some relaxing fishing done with.

Celebrating a catch in the rain at night

There are three main modes to take part in: freedom fishing, online multiplayer, and tournament mode. Freedom fishing lets you choose any of the locations and fish to your heart’s content. It’s the most relaxing of the modes by far. My one issue is that for some reason, I wasn’t able to select any of the starting locations in Gigantica. I could choose the location, but clicking on the starting points did nothing, and I couldn’t even back out. Hopefully this is just a bug that will be fixed later. Multiplayer lets you hop into an online server with other players, either fishing freely for fun or competing in tournaments against one another. There weren’t many players in the online lobbies when I tested it out, but as time passes, more players might start showing up. Tournaments are interesting because they allow you to test your fishing skills against AI opponents. You get a time limit to achieve a certain goal; it could be trying to see who catches the biggest fish, who catches the most, or a few other options. It puts the pressure on, but if you’re confident, then you’ll definitely want to see if you’re the best. It isn’t the most exciting game, but games like these are more about relaxation and simulation than action-packed gaming. That being said, for anybody that’s a fan of fishing or fishing games, you may want to look into Fishing Sim World.

Codi Spence

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Codi loves to play video games and watch movies. He will watch almost any kind of movie just to experience them. His ideas take inspiration from the shows and movies he watches, and games he plays. He also loves a good pun.

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