Game Experience: High
Game Value: High
Total Score: 100%
Quiche’s Recommendation: Free fishing? What are you waiting for? Download now!
Nothing beats fishing, even if it’s on your phone. Relax, cast, reel in a whopper.
Roofdog Games’s Fishing Break is the best new F2P this year.
It’s got everything a solid F2P should have: simple and addictive gameplay, cool upgrades, collectable items, and so on. It also isn’t what a F2P shouldn’t be: pay-to-win, annoying idle time, intrusive ads, etc.
Oh, and there’s the fishing. I love fishing. It’s the ultimate escape. And now, I have fishing in my pocket, ready to go after a stressful day at the office.
Nothing like waiting for a bite…
Gameplay is simple. You’re on a boat. You cast your line by swiping the screen. When a fish bites, reel it in by tapping and swiping the screen. If the fish’s “defense” (number next to a shield) is greater than your “offense” (number next to a sword), then the line will break and you will lose the fish. If you reel too fast or too hard, the line will break and you will lose the fish. The trick is to watch the tension meter and tap or swipe accordingly so that you’re pulling the fish in without snapping the line. It may take a few tries to get the right feel for it but it’s not difficult.
Don’t let it get away!
There are unlockable maps each with missions and unique fish to collect. You will need to upgrade your gear, bait and earn cash to get through each map. When you catch a species for the first time, it’ll be sent to your museum. The museum collects money over time. Passive income, idle gameplay, but not annoying idle gameplay.
Enjoy your prize catch at the museum.
You can also earn cash by selling fish that don’t make the cut.
The most rewarding aspect of the game is collecting the fish. There are common, uncommon, and rare fish, among other categories. It’s surprisingly satisfying to catch a species for the first time, especially if it puts up a fight. Not exactly “Old Man and the Sea”, but it sometimes takes a minute or more to bring it in. When I finally netted a barracuda, I couldn’t help but shout, “Got you, @#$#!”
The barracuda put up a fight.
The upgrades consist of things like different poles that increases your offense, faster reels, longer lines and gloves that help you cast farther. There are also tournaments and quests.
But the upgrades and tournaments aren’t the attraction here. It’s the fish. The thrill of the hunt, if you will.
Yes, the fish. Give it up to the fish!
Upgrades help you get bigger fish.
Complete missions for cash and to unlock new maps.
New maps = new fish.