Developer: GameMill Entertainment
Publisher: Concrete Software
Platform: Xbox One, PS4
Tested on: PS4
Rapala Fishing: Pro Series – Review
Fishing games are often only accessible for enthusiasts of the genre, and while they appear less frequent than during the PS1 and PS2 era, they are still around. Most of the time they tend to stay under the radar, only catering to a specific audience, but from time to time there are companies that try to promote their fishing game a bit more, trying to develop something more modern, with more options, more modes and of course a higher realism factor. These features brought us to Rapala Fishing: Pro Series, which tries to bring something new to the table.
Story
Outside of creating a character out of very limited possibilities, earning cash and trying to attract new sponsors, the game doesn’t really have a story mode. It’s all about becoming a pro fisherman, not only during your leisure, but also in the competitive circuit. If you were hoping for a grand battle of fishermen, where one rod rules them all, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
Graphics
Graphically Rapala Fishing seems to be stuck in the previous generation, and even then it’s sometimes even poorly done by those already dated standards. The characters look rather awful, with only around five different models available, who only have different facial features. The boats are done in a simplistic fashion, and even though there’s a large variety of fish, they also look a bit on the simple side. Nonetheless, the big assortment of available fish makes up for a lot, and it also makes the game rather interesting gameplay wise. The water effects are done nicely however, which is certainly a plus for a game that situates itself on the water for the biggest part of the game. That being said, if the game was a bit more polished, it could have been a rather impressive show of the fishing genre on our current generation of consoles.
Sound
As this game pretty much falls in the simulation genre, you’ll be treated to fairly realistic SFX when touring the different lakes, with no background music, allowing you to enjoy the calm sounds that surround you. Music only tends to pop up when you’re reeling in a fish, to make things a tad more exciting, and perhaps stressful. Other than that, you’ll get some fairly active tunes when browsing through the menus. The tutorial and championship commentary are fully voiced by a rather soothing voice, making that portion of the game rather pleasant.
Gameplay
Rapala Fishing: Pro Series is a simulation game, albeit with some minigames implemented when it comes to reeling in fish, and using the proper lures for said fish. This means you’ll constantly be on the water in your personal boat, skimming different lakes, hoping to reel in the big and bountiful fish that brings you reputation and some cash to buy new lures, rods, lines, boats, accessories and so on. The game is pretty straightforward, and will always tell you what it expects of you, e. g. which fish to catch, how many to catch and within what timeframe.
For the most part, the game is all about the solo play function in order to learn the ropes, gather money for new items, lures, lines, rods and so on, and to try and learn how the different items work. Overall the solo play is a stress-free mode in which you can simply do as you like, all while earning a bit of pocket money when trying to complete the different challenges. This is a great way to prepare you for the career mode, which is simply going from one tournament to another. The tournaments are timed events in which you have to, for example, catch a specific fish the most and the combined weight of your top three catches will earn you a score, and depending on the score you’ll get a prize awarded in cash. Overall the tournaments are fun, but they are quite difficult for you to place high in, if you don’t already own a bit better gear. Other than that, there are the daily challenges which also provide a bit of fun, but you’ll probably be wading the most in the first two modes.
The game is pretty straightforward in the sense that you have to move around different lakes in order to find great fishing spots, and of course that better material will allow you to get better catches. All of your lures work differently, as they have a different ‘move’ pattern to attract different types of fish. When you actually hook a fish, the reeling minigame will start, where you can properly reel in a fish when it stays within the catch zone, if not, you’ll have to give some way or otherwise your line might snap. When it remains long enough in the catch zone, you can boost the reel, dragging the fish closer to the boat at a faster rate. When a fish moves outside said zone, you’ll sometimes be prompted to do other button presses, but these either don’t respond, or don’t seem to do anything, so we aren’t sure what this is all about.
Conclusion
It’s true that you can’t judge a book by its cover, and that’s exactly the case with Rapala Fishing: Pro Series, as it might look a tad on the hideous side by today’s norms, it’s actually a very entertaining and relaxing game for fishing enthusiasts. You’ll be able to fish on a handful of different lakes, with a reasonable amount of different fishing accessories, all while aiming for fame and glory, or a bit of relaxation on the other side. If you’re a fan of this genre, or this type of game, then this might be one to look out for.
Rapala Fishing: Pro Series - Review,
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