Fishing Star World Tour

Genre: Sports (Fishing)

Players: 1

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Review:

Fishing Star World Tour is a Fishing game that takes a very different approach to the genre than pretty much everything else on the Nintendo Switch, focusing on bright, colorful, cartoony visuals and an arcadey experience that focuses on delivering the best possible experience with the Joy-Cons’ motion controls. The result is something that more serious aficionados looking for more of a serious simulation are likely to turn their nose up at… but they probably shouldn’t.

Visually, this game is unrealistically colorful, but it is also absolutely gorgeous. The use of color here not only makes the game’s at times fantastical locales extremely appealing, it also adds a lot of variety to the affair, making each new location feel like a reward for progress in and of itself.

It’s not just color that sets the visuals apart here either – the water looks good, the areas are detailed, and unlike most other games in the genre you can actually see the areas under the surface refracted through the water, with the light filtering down to ripple over the surface. Make no mistake, after playing most of the Nintendo Switch’s library with visuals ranging from “decent but unspectacular” to “this is clearly a bottom-of-the-barrel mobile port”, to play a Fishing game on the Nintendo Switch that actually had me wanting to soak in the visuals was a rare treat.

Well, most of the visuals. The fish themselves are a bit of a frustration, as they’re represented by shadowy forms rather than character models for each of the individual fish. Only after you finally reel one in does it show you what the fish you caught looks like on the results screen, which is disappointing. I really would have liked to be able to catch a glimpse of the monster I was fighting whenever he jumped out of the water, or at least had the joy of seeing him revealed when I finally pulled him up, but sadly the game deprives players of this.

There’s another element of the presentation I have mixed feelings about, and that’s in the game’s music. While the sound is largely fine (though nothing to write home about), the game’s music while trying to hook a fish is pleasant but repetitive, though I can say it is at least fittingly peaceful given the serene surroundings. However, as soon as you do hook a fish and need to reel it in, you’ll be doing so with the backing of a jazzy tune that doesn’t sound like it belongs anywhere near a fishing game. I understand the desire to ramp up enthusiasm by playing energetic music, but hearing a saxophone play a fast-paced tune while I’m fishing just seems bizarre to me.

In terms of gameplay, there’s two areas where Fishing Star rises far above the other games in the genre on the Nintendo Switch – controls and conveying information to the player. When it comes to controls, players are given the option of playing with traditional controls, or they can use a pair of Joy-Cons to make use of motion controls. I’ll save you from having to compare them – the motion controls here are far, far superior. If you’re playing without motion controls, not only are you missing out on a delightful visceral element that those controls bring, but you’re also playing with controls that seem to ask far too much of a single control stick, which players need to treat with the gentlest of touches to ensure their rod is pointed the right way, as the slightest move in either direction can send the rod jerking off dramatically.

No, the motion controls are the way to go here and that’s just fine because this game uses some surprisingly fantastic motion controls that work very well for this game, using one Joy-Con for the rod, and the other to spin the reel, with both of these feeling natural and being pretty responsive. Honestly, the motion controls in this game have to be some of the better motion controls on the Nintendo Switch, and even if the traditional controls weren’t busted I’d still probably be recommending the motion controls.

As this is an arcadey experience, it’s not completely straightforward, though. Players generally point the rod toward the fish and then reel in the fish with an eye on a meter to ensure it doesn’t get too tense or too slack. However, this is broken up every now and then when the fish decides to make a break for it, requiring you to completely stop reeling. Players also gradually power up a move that has them guiding a fish to a location and tugging him out of the water, getting the fish closer in doing so. Finally, players will occasionally be prompted to quickly shift the rod in the direction opposite where they’re facing. These somewhat arcadey interactions do a good job of shaking up the experience and making it a little less monotonous.

However, not everything about the gameplay is positive, and if this game has one major problem, it’s the way it handles progression. Players are not rewarded for every fish they catch, and in fact often it seems like it’s better to let a fish get away rather than reel it in if you suspect it’s not a specific one you’re trying to nab. That’s because progressing to new locations in this game requires catching specific fish, and you could catch a million fish and still be stuck in one spot until you get the one the game is demanding. This is bad enough as it is, but when combined with the shadowy forms of the fish you’re catching, the only real indication of what you’re looking at is the size of that shadowy form.

As a result, so much of this game’s progression is tied to pure dumb luck, and it’s pretty infuriating to land your zillionth fish of a kind you’ve already caught when you just need one stinkin’ catch of a specific species so you can move on to see the next fantastical location. Players do unlock different gear, and the game even makes sure to let players know when a piece of fishing gear will make it more likely to nab an as-yet uncaught species… but you start out with zero options and unlock this gear slowly. Plus, the gear you’re getting isn’t designed to target any one specific fish, meaning that you’re still just as likely (if not more so) to catch a species you don’t want.

Finally, I should also point out that this game actually supports the Nintendo LABO fishing rod (from the Nintendo LABO Toy-Con 01 Variety Kit), although it does so in a self-contained mini-game. Still, I tried it, and this mini-game is pretty fun, though I have to say that I think it asks for more vigorous use of the cardboard fishing rod than I feel comfortable with. Having said that, I feel like this is actually a better use of that fishing rod than the actual fishing game included in the Nintendo LABO package, so those interested in getting the most out of their LABO may want to check this game out.

Anyway, when it comes to this game overall, I wish Fishing Star World Tour handled progression differently, because there is so very much here it gets absolutely right. The gameplay is fun and engaging, making excellent use of the Joy-Cons’ motion control, the visuals are gorgeous, and generally speaking this is a game that does a great job of making players want to succeed and move forward. It’s just so often a pain to actually do that. Still, if you’re looking for a fun fishing game on the Nintendo Switch and don’t mind something a bit cartoony, Fishing Star World Tour is definitely one of your best bets.

tl;dr – Fishing Star World Tour is a Fishing game that takes a cartoony, arcadey approach to the genre. The visuals here are gorgeous, the game’s use of motion controls are superb, and the arcadey gameplay infuses catching and reeling in a fish with enough variety to keep it from getting stale too quickly. The only problem here (beyond the annoying sax music when reeling in a fish) is frustrating progression. Still, this is one of the best Fishing games on the Nintendo Switch, and well worth a look for anyone wanting a good Fishing game.

Grade: B

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