As more simulations cast a line into the pool of console gamers, does the latest from Dovetail have enough to get a bite?
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Simulation games are usually more at home when big hulking machines like planes and trains are involved. Indeed, Dovetail’s previous foray into this field was with Train Sim World, and at least two words of that title remain as they get ready to go fishing this time around.
If you hate fishing, maybe now is the time to say that this game isn’t for you. This is a departure from the arcade fishing experiences of yesteryear, and what you have here is a highly authentic experience; this was clearly designed from the get-go with an emphasis on realism.
Fishing, at its core, is a combination of long periods of waiting, suddenly disrupted by the tug on the end of your line. It’s these moments that keen anglers wait for with baited breath. Luckily, it seems Dovetail has decided to increase the ratio of catching fish to time waited, and we felt like top dogs, rather than the floundering fools we’d have been in real life.
Apart from the seemingly increased number of catches (or maybe we were that bad when we went as kids), the game is highly realistic. There are some periods of waiting where you can recast your line, or move to new places to find different fish, and you can even set up a little group of rods to maximise your catching potential and cast each in turn.
The casting system comes in two forms. Firstly, you can go full manual and use a combination of stick flicks and timing, but for the less dextrous you have a power bar that looks a little like something out of a golf game. This is more based on timing and button pressing.
There’s so much going on here too, with both a single-player and multiplayer experience. Online gives you the chance to compete with up to three other people at the same time, and then there’s the Dovetail Fishing League where you can take on anglers from around the globe to become the ‘angler of the month’. Head into single-player mode, however, and you can have some free practice before entering tournaments where you can compete with AI anglers to get the biggest or most catches.
Every time you catch something, you get experience points, and these points can be spent on upgrading your equipment with new lures, rods, and boats to take to the events. The better the equipment, the better your chances, as you might expect. As for the fish though, they actually have realistic AI, so they behave like they would in real (or should we say reel) life. They can also be only found in specific spots, so you’ll have to explore your environment to catch em all.
When you feel that tug on your line, you have to pull your rod right or left to get the hook in. Then comes the fun, as you have to think about adjusting line tension, speed, and when to pull. You also need to have the right equipment for the right fish. It might be tricky to catch a bass on a trench line, for example.
This is one of our criticisms, as when we were catching the fish, we just didn’t feel as engaged as we should have. The excitement of real fishing wasn’t there, and the vibrations of the controller didn’t make us feel the rush like we did when we were actually sitting by the river.
Maybe a bunch of arcade-style experiences have clouded our memories, but this detracted from our passion for the game. That said, it was pretty cool to just pick up and play this for a quick hour. It felt like a break from some of the other things we played and gave us the sort of respite and break from the real-world hustle and bustle.
This is something for the passionate angler who likes to take their hobby to the couch. All of the equipment is branded, and there are a few real spots to go fishing. The game will take you to the canals in England to huge lakes in the USA, and on these huge lakes, you can tear around in your motorboat, using your sonar to find new shoals.
At first glance, this is a really nice game to look at. The lakes and rivers look great, and in fact all of the textures are impressive. When you get a little closer, though, the hair on the back of the avatar’s head looks a little rough, and the trees look a little blocky.
The sound effects of the plops in the water really add to the experience. Dovetail promised us the most authentic fishing game ever, and we feel they delivered. There’s not even any music, which makes those moments of patience waiting for a bite, a little more… realistic.
There are some tutorials to get you into it, but these didn’t feel overly instructive like the ones in Train Sim World. Maybe there could have been more to help us get started, but it was by fishing in the free practice that we learned our trade.
Each of your record catches will go down in your angling diary, and once you’ve caught all the 18 different types of fish, there are some legendary trophy fish to catch. These are obviously trickier to catch and come with a variety of entertaining nicknames like “Mr Angry” and “the German”. Sadly, the real Moby Dick and Jaws didn’t show up.
There’s so much to do in this game that you could probably sink a fair few hours into it. It’s nice for just the odd pickup and play, but sadly it does get a wee bit repetitive, and it almost feels a little too hollow. We say that because – at its core – it’s just about going out and waiting to catch what you can, and this soon gets pretty repetitive.
How to sum this one up? It really is a fishing game for anglers. The graphics could have been brushed up a little in terms of the backgrounds, but there’s so much to do here that you should be kept entertained for a time. Just don’t play for too long in one sitting as it can become repetitive. We have to agree that it’s the most realistic angling game, it’s certainly the most realistic that we’ve played, but we’re not sure it’s going to wow many new fans, or really make a splash in the pond of console gamers.
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Keyword: Fishing Sim World