There have been a few entries into the fishing niche of gaming, with Sega Bass Fishing being the most notable. It has been sometime since its release a few decades ago and fans of the genre are looking for the next big catch. Let me introduce you to Let’s Fish! Hooked On, the newest PlayStation Vita title released by Wired Productions, a digital publisher based in the UK.
Let’s Fish! Hooked On includes the game modes you would expect a fishing game to include, which are World Tour and Challenge Mode. World Tour adds in something that has not been explored in a fishing game before, and that is a story. Each of the four playable characters has a unique background and they all have their own reasons for entering the fishing tournament. While it is nice, and very unique, to see a fishing game implement a story like this, sadly it just never feels to grab you and keep you engaged. You will play through the game mainly just for the simple joy of fishing, while trying to collect all of the lures and upgrading your skills as you try to become the number one fishing master in the game.
World tour is enjoyable, but the most fun I had in the game was in Challenge Mode. Each level has a list of challenges that you need to complete in order progress, and they help you earn more lures which are used improve your fishing skills catching different types of betta fish. All of this helps you work your way up the leaderboards as you try to reel in the next big catch. It is addictive and works great as a portable experience.
Let’s Fish! Hooked On has some nice visuals, but they are a bit basic. The level design feels like you are playing on template with backgrounds just painted on, adding a slightly eerie lack of life. It’s just your character, their boat, and the fish circling around them. The Vita has the power to implement a feeling of realism by adding in characters in the background, or even wildlife to make you not feel so alone. While fishing tends to be a solitary activity, or one with a friend, but given that a world tour is going on you would expect some spectators to be present.
The gameplay is not much to write home about, but it gets the job done. Let’s Fish! Hooked On was frustrating at first, especially when casting out directly on a fish and not having it bite. I later realized that the lures play an essential part in catching the fish, but this was never explained in the tutorial, which was not nearly as informative as it could have been. Also, I found the power gauge to not be very responsive, there is a latency issue that needs to be dealt with if the game is to receive any patch updates.
The Likes of Lets Fish Hooked on
+Nice Soundtrack
+Challenge Mode is addictive
+Online leaderboards
The Dislikes of Lets Fish Hooked On
-Not enough gameplay depth
-Story is uninteresting
-Tutorial needs to be more informative
Let’s Fish! Hooked On had the potential to be something that people would go to to get there fix of fishing on rainy days. Sadly, it just feels like the developers weren’t given enough time to show their true talent. All of the issues I had are things that can be solved, and I hope if we are to see a Let’s Fish Hooked On 2 that these issues would be addressed.
This review was based on a final version of the game provided by Wired Production
