A nice day for fishing was launched to our shores on May 29th, developed by FusionPlay and published by Team17. The team aims to bring the town of Honeywood to life, following our very own VLDL popular short Epic NPC Man, who accompanies our humble fisherman, Baelin, as he transitions from fisherman to adventurer, embarking on his own epic little adventure.
Homage to a VLDL Universe
You start as Baelin on a typical day in Honeywood, walking around and seeing the hustle and bustle of adventurers roaming around, accepting quests in a typical MMO setting, and making Honeywood a better place. You see Baradun, who is one of the main NPC characters. Within a few moments, the events are set in motion to not only disconnect all the adventurers from the game, but Baelin becomes an adventurer in Honeywood’s time of need, equipped with nothing but his handy fishing rod and a small remaining amount of NPC to guide him along the way.
Your tasks are simple: help find the missing NPC’s, rebuild Honeywood, and save it from the curse, allowing the adventurers to return. Equipped with your fishing rod, you must collect fish and treasures from the sea, fight monsters and bosses, save your share of helpful NPCs from the VLDL series, and rebuild a once bustling town to its former or newer glory.
Honeywood needs your aid, adventurer!
Visually, the game is charming and cute on the surface, with loads of little hidden items and places to build in such a way it allows for a level of customization both in Honeywood and with Baelin himself with a various array of outfits, fishing rods, and sails for your little fishing boat, whilst it’s not a full scale overhaul it does provide a distinct level of charm seeing the little alterations as you go along.
The various biomes you travel between and seeing the difference of oceanic life is a constant breath of fresh air to see, it’s not just the same recycled tools from zone to zone and allows for both visual but alternate styles of gameplay in each little zone, new unlockable, outfits, sails and spells unlocking as you progress.
Nice Day for Fishing, Ain’t It? Hu Ha.
While the game has the typical RPG vibe, it feels unique since much of the gameplay revolves around fishing for items whether they’re upgrades for yourself or lost belongings from the NPCs, not to mention catching fish. Occasionally, you must confront certain bosses armed only with your fishing rod and a few spells you may have unlocked. This presents a different level of challenge, but thankfully, nothing too difficult to overcome.
The game is quirky and fun, featuring various challenges, however, some aspects can become repetitive over time. For instance, having to recover a boss’s hammer for the 80th time repeatedly may lose its humor. Nevertheless, it continues to embody the charm of the web series.
A Charming Entry into Gaming
The game’s audio ties directly to the series’ theme, and each NPC’s introduction includes a brief voiceover greeting. Although the involvement of the VLDL team suggests resources were available, it was a missed opportunity not to include more voice acting, which could have significantly enhanced the experience.
Overall, the game satisfies the desire for an RPG with a fishing twist. I was particularly excited that it was set within the VLDL universe. While the game is enjoyable, it does exhibit some repetitiveness. It lacks certain elements that could be improved in future updates, such as the ability to control other characters like Baradun, Greg the Garlic Farmer, or Eugene.
Good Enough for Greg to Remember?
If you’re a fan of VLDL or fishing RPGs in general, this game is a solid addition to your gaming library. It’s entertaining without being overly demanding on your time or system resources. Available on all platforms, it can now be found on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation for £19.99. As of writing, a free demo is also available on Steam for you to check out.