As an arts and entertainment journalist focusing on my love for games, I have to say that I never thought I’d be reviewing a game about fishing. I was initially sceptical when the opportunity came up but having been raised in the countryside, I know a little bit about fly fishing. So, I thought, why not give it a try?
If you enjoy fishing and can’t get out to your local spots – be it weather or the season – then this game is perfect for your downtime, that I will say. I don’t know much about fishing for Bass (or just fishing in general, nowadays) but that didn’t stop me.
I want to start on a positive note about the level of detail and depth that this game provides. It plunges you into the world of fishing head first and in the time I spent playing it, I learned a lot about fishing in general. Now, I know it isn’t the real thing, but if I was looking to take fishing up as a hobby (or potential sport), I’d imagine this game is a good place to start.
And with the game being produced by the official Bassmaster tournament as it’s “official game” – I feel confident in my opinion that it is fairly comprehensive as far as fishing games go. It also felt like the game is an attempt to get the younger generation involved, which is smart, and a good way to do it. But this moves me onto my biggest criticism of the game; the avatars.
I understand that the professional fishermen of the Bassmaster tournament are offered as playable characters, I have no issue there. But when looking to create a custom character, there was no scope for female characters, or any other type of character but a male character.
While fishing tends to be a male dominated hobby and sport, there are brilliant female fishers and I feel an opportunity was lost to usher in an inclusive environment for the game – after all, it would be naive and discriminatory to think otherwise.
My only other criticisms of the game come from the UI layout and the rather sub-par graphics for a game being released in 2022. Again, the game is very niche and does what it sets out to do – so my UI and graphical issues are more from a gamer’s standpoint than the actual gameplay content of the game (which is outstandingly detailed).
Overall, a good game that can stand in for enjoying the real thing when you’re not able too. Or, alternatively, for introducing the sport to younger generations. The game’s attention to detail and depth about fishing is absolutely this game’s strength and for future iterations of the game, I’d recommend some custom female characters (as not to deter any young women that may be interested in the game or the sport).