Fishing Planet

Few pastimes can be as relaxing as fishing. However, not all of us can enjoy the freedom of going to a nearby lake year-round to catch some fish, and that’s precisely where Fishing Planet comes in. This visually stunning simulator lets you get up close and personal with the world of professional fishing as you visit some of the world’s prime angling locations.

When you hear the words “free to play game,” your mind might immediately go to unpleasant memories of microtransactions and some other woes of modern gaming. Sadly, despite everything that Fishing Planet does well, it still falls victim to some frankly predatory tactics.

Angling Possibilities

Perhaps the best aspect of Fishing Planet is the game’s commitment to building an online community of fishermen around the world. It’s all about community in this game, and learning how to fish like a pro is only the first step in the myriad of things you can do in Fishing Planet.

Fishing enthusiasts will undoubtedly find the experience they’re looking for with this game. Not since Fishing Sim World have we seen such a realistic representation of all things angling-related so perfectly made as we do in this game.

With tons of fish to discover and catch, it’s mindblowing to see the work that developers Fishing Planet LLC have made when it comes to the fish’s AI. Every species has its own patterns that the player must learn to identify if they hope to catch them all. Knowing your equipment is also a huge step forward to a successful fishing trip.

Gear, Rods, and Scenery

Even if we could somehow ignore the impressively photorealistic visuals, we’d still be blown away by the game’s astoundingly detailed scenarios. Every lake and river in Fishing Planet is amazingly beautiful, each resembling real-life biomes to a T.

Of course, every fishing game needs some kind of nice-looking water, and Fishing Planet delivers that in spades. Water reflections are insanely detailed, and so are water physics thanks to the game’s clever use of photogrammetry. To make the experience feel even more close to the real thing, weather and other seasonal elements are also simulated.

Boats and kayaks are also a key part of your fishing arsenal. The type of vessel you choose can affect which fish species you can get, Combining different types of tackle and choosing the right tool for every waterway can mean the difference between a successful fishing trip, and coming back empty-handed.

A Sea of Microtransactions

As with most freemium games, the economy of Fishing Planet is sustained by multiple microtransactions. In this game’s case, players can use real money to get in-game currency. This virtual currency gets you everything you’ll ever need to get started and to keep fishing.

There’s a daily limit of things you can do without spending any real money, forcing you to shell out some real cash if you want to keep on playing. While this might sound like a huge turn-off for most players, it’s understandable that the developers needed a model like this to make this game profitable. It’s just a shame that it gets in the way of fun as often as it does.

Pros:

• Impressive visuals
• Outstanding physics
• Huge variety of fish and fishing gear

Cons:

• Too many microtransactions
• Messy interface