Fishing Girl is based on a Game Prototyping Challenge set just under a year ago. The idea was to create a game using the available resources (graphics, scripts etc) and some predefined gameplay rules to make a fully playable game, you can read the story in full here. Some months later Fishing Girl is released on the 360 Indie Games featuring most of the ideas found in the challenge.
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Fishing Girl puts you in control of a female bear-like character who is split from her boyfriend at the start of the game due to the ground separating and creating a large lake filled with fish. Her aim is to be reunited with her boyfriend, I wont say how you reunite the two but it should not be hard to work out.
Graphics are in a cartoon flash style pastel design, this works great and is easy on the eye. The sprites are well drawn and the color schemes work very well together to create something that is very relaxing. Music is non existent in this game and I honestly think that is the right decision whether or not it was intentional, I do not listen to music when I go fishing, it is supposed to be a relaxing experience and so no music in the game is the right choice. To replace the music, the sound effects are used well, you can hear the water occasionally hitting the banks of the lake and the lure splashing in the water when it hits it for example.
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The girl starts off with a basic fishing rod and lure which can be used to catch fish. There are three sizes of fish; small, medium and large which are named after clothes, furniture and instruments respectively, this leads to some funny fish names such as a Hatfish, Chairfish and Guitarfish. You start the game with a small lure so you are only able to catch small fish, anything larger will break your lure. Once you have successfully caught a fish you are awarded some Gold depending on the quality, rarity and size of the fish.
Gold can be used to purchase new items at the store which is represented by a buoy in the water, accessible by hitting it with your lure. There are a variety of upgrades for your fishing gear; improved rods allow you to cast further and larger lures allow you to catch larger sizes of fish. The lures, once purchased, are changeable by pressing the B button before you cast. There are a good choice of upgrades and they give the player something to work towards in the game.
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The game itself is simple to play and is mostly controlled with just the A button to cast and reel in your fishing rod. The way the lure acts in the water is how you would expect it, holding the A button will reel it in as you try to catch the attention of a fish, if you leave the lure it will slowly fall further into the lake. Once you catch a fish you hold the A button, or tap it in the case of a large fish, to reel it back in. The controls feel spot on and you will fishing like a pro in no time, it is this that allows anyone to pick up and play the game, young or old.
For the more advanced players there is a bit of strategy to the game. If you want, you can be more adventurous and catch fish in a different way. Larger fish can be caught with a certain lure which allows you to firstly catch a small fish which can be used as bait to catch a medium fish, which in turn can be used to catch a large fish. You do not get extra Gold for doing this but it adds to the fun and the first time you do this you will unlock an in-game award for doing so.
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There are twelve in game awards to aim towards unlocking. You will unlock many in your first few plays of the game but the rest will take a bit longer. Awards include earning amounts of Gold, casting your rods a certain distance, rescuing the boy and catching all the types of fish. They are a good mix of award types and difficulties which add to the lifespan of the game.
What makes Fishing Girl a great game is a combination of all the above key points, the simple yet addictive gameplay, easy controls, subtle pastel style graphics along with relaxing sound effects. Granted you can complete the game on your first play but there is something that draws you back for more, what should be a quick pick up and play game turns into an hour long fishing expedition! Don’t bother trying the trial, buy it straight away and save yourself some time, because you will be hooked, oh yes you will! 🙂
Fishing Girl costs 80 :MSPoints: and more information can be found on the Marketplace here.
Competition Time!
This weeks competition is to win a code for Fishing Girl, there are two codes to give away.
The first is a Twitter based competition. To enter, simply follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/emuholic and RT the following phrase “RT @emuholic Win a Fishing Girl code, follow @emuholic and retweet to enter. Winner chosen at random. #fishinggirl“. I will pick winner from a random retweet after the deadline.
For the second code giveaway all you have to do is reply by posting a comment below and tell me your favourite fish, it can be a real one or a made up one, but you will have to explain it if its made up. I will pick winner from a random comment after the deadline.
Rules:
The deadline to submit your entry for both giveaways is Sunday 4th October at 23:59:59 BST. Please include your correct email address in the field if entering the comment giveaway as this will be used to contact you if you win, the email address is not shown to the public.
You can enter both giveaways but only one comment and RT per person, multiple entries will be banned from this and future competitions. Anyone may enter but please remember the token may not be redeemable if Indie Games are not available in your country. The winners will be decided at random from all valid entries.
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