Fishing Planet: The Fisherman Review – Deepwater Fishing

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As I stated in my Review of Fishing Sim World Pro Tour, I’m no Fisherman, But I do love my sim games! Is The Fisherman worth the price tag over the free to play version? Let’s don our trusty fishing jacket and cap and find out!

Fishing Planet originally launched as a Free 2 Play game back in 2015 the game itself was free but you’d pay for DLC’s and microtransactions, 4 Years later, Publisher Bigben Interactive releases The Fisherman, The Fishing Planet you know and love, boxed with all the DLC and not a penny more of your own hard-earned to spend! It also comes with an extra map, La Creuse. The new Trolling fishing technique, New boats and 4 new fish, only available in this version.

Just cast your line and relax…

Gameplay

Unlike Fishing Sim World, The Fisherman has an interactive tutorial which over the course of a few hours of gameplay, introduces you to the various fishing techniques, rods, lines, hooks and bait. I much prefer this way of learning the game, you also earn a few bait coins along the way.

The menu’s at first look are a little daunting, with plenty of menus and sub menu’s to work your way through, particularly the store, there is a huge selection of rods, lines, hooks, reels, bait and boats to choose from, but they are easy to navigate.

Menu system first looks daunting but is easy to navigate…

Some of the more noticeable changes to the game which have been mentioned by the developer are that the in-game cash and bait coins are easier to obtain, the licences are cheaper and are now permanent instead of timing out, travel and fishing fees are now cheaper and repair costs for your gear are less, All of this I feel make for a much more enjoyable and relaxing experience. There are daily competitions available if you’re of the more competitive nature and missions for those achievement hunters out there!

If you are a returning or current player of Fishing Planet, it’s worth noting that The Fisherman is in effect a new game, none of your existing progress or purchases are transferable from the free to play game, so if you have a lot of time and/or money invested in the free to play game then this may not be a great purchase for you.

Graphics

The game looks great, although graphics aren’t the be all and end all of simulations games, they certainly help with setting the scene and adding to the immersion. I loved the weather effects (which also affect the fishing mechanics). The fish themselves look well modelled and you even get water splashes on your screen! The shadow of you player looks a bit off at times but can be forgiven for what little you see of it whilst fishing.

Give a man a fish he can eat for a day, Give a man a rod…

Audio

Audio is of a quality you would expect from a simulation game, the title music seams fitting, but as with Fishing Sim World, the real quality comes from the background noise whilst fishing, water splashing, birds tweeting etc all help set the scene and help fall into an immersive and relaxing experience.

Longevity

As with all sporting games, if you have no knowledge of the sport or rules, then initially these games can feel a little tiring, However, the time invested in Fishing Planet served me well, I’ve learnt a lot about fishing, the different techniques and bait required to catch specific fish all while having a very relaxed and enjoyable time, The hours literally flew by. 

Although a lot of the additional lakes, equipment and bait required to catch certain fish are locked behind level caps. Playing didn’t feel overly grindy to me, I just cast my line and fished! 

That’s A LOT of Bait Coins!

It’s also worth pointing out that although the DLC is included with the game, some of it needs to be unlocked with the in-game bait coins.

Conclusion

The Fisherman is a very enjoyable and relaxing game, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time playing it. As a new player, I can recommend it, for the initial purchase you get a lot of game for the money and the removal of the microtransactions and the reworked economy make for a much more enjoyable and relaxing game, which in my eyes a fishing game should be. 

If however, you’re a seasoned Fishing Planet player I can’t see it being a worthwhile purchase, If you’ve already invested 100’s of your own hours or more importantly money into the free game, it’s a lot to give up for reworked mechanics.

I feel The Fisherman deserves the gold thumb award!

Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.

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