How to Fish is another "friendslop" project. A cooperative game with primitive graphics but an interesting concept for a fun time with friends. We've seen games about quota collection, climbing to the top of a mountain, traveling in an RV, and even hide-and-seek. And Dazed Games' debut project is dedicated to fishing and boss battles.
Behind the outward simplicity lies a sequential campaign. Players complete quests, unlock islands, buy weapons, and defeat bosses. The main playthrough takes about five to six hours. How to Fish can be completed with friends in one or two evenings, after which rare fish species, additional enemies, and achievements remain.
Fishing as a Source of Income
The game begins after an unsuccessful boat trip. The heroes find themselves on a small island near a lighthouse. They have no gear, provisions, or money. So, first, they have to collect mollusks, some of which can be eaten, and the rest sold to the lighthouse keeper. The first earned funds go towards a crab fishing rod. And on the second island, you can buy a good spinning rod and bait.
Fishing itself is simple. The player chooses bait, casts the line, and waits for a bite. There's no need to struggle with the catch for long or monitor line tension. Slowly reeling in the line will surely attract some fish. But pulling the fish to the surface is only part of fishing.
The fish doesn't turn into an immobile item in the inventory. It jumps on the ground, tries to attack the character, or hide in the water. In the first few minutes, you have to use your fists. After accumulating some money, you will definitely buy a knife. And on other islands, shotguns, submachine guns, sniper rifles, and assault rifles appear for sale.
Weapons are not only for defense. The cost of the catch depends on the method of killing. The game encourages headshots, shooting without aiming, and hitting fish while they are in the air. Complex combinations increase the final multiplier. A common mackerel can simply be shot on the ground, but it's more profitable to toss it with a rod and hit it with a rifle before it falls.
Later, cooking the catch becomes available. Properly fried fish receives an additional value multiplier. If left on the fire for too long, it will burn and lose value. This forms the formula for the most profitable catch: catch the creature, get a high score for the kill, cook the carcass, and only then sell it.
Earned funds can be spent not only on weapons but also on attachments, new types of bait, and boat equipment. Another option is to take the catch to the casino. The player is allowed to bet fish on roulette or use slot machines. However, basic probability theory rules apply here. It allows you to quickly increase your income or lose your entire catch.
Time to Grind Again
How to Fish has some elements of a role-playing adventure. There are no classes, dialogue choices, or detailed character stat development. The project borrows its campaign structure from RPGs: quests, new areas, equipment, economy, and bosses that block further progress.
Each island represents a separate stage of development. On new territory, better bait and more powerful weapons are sold. Ordinary creatures become more dangerous, and local characters' quests gradually lead to another boss. After winning, the player receives the coordinates of the next island.
Progress depends on equipment. Here you can improve weapon damage and upgrade your boat. An improved engine reduces travel time between islands, and radar helps find the next route points.
But the economy limits the speed of progression. If you constantly change weapons and invest money in every purchase, you will get stuck on one island for a long time. It's simpler and more profitable to choose one suitable automatic rifle or shotgun and upgrade it to the end. The possibility of making spending mistakes creates a semblance of character building, although the number of options remains small.
One Island Stranger Than the Other
The main campaign consists of a sequence of quests. Each territory has a character who needs a specific fish or a boss's body part. Completing the assignment unlocks the coordinates of the next point.
The first island teaches basic economics. The player buys a fishing rod, catches several creatures, and saves money for a melee weapon. Then the lighthouse keeper helps obtain bait for a spider crab. Defeating it brings boat keys and opens the way to the rest of the archipelago.
On subsequent islands, the structure repeats. The player searches for necessary items, prepares special bait, and summons a boss. The formula doesn't change, but weapon requirements gradually increase, and you need to re-learn enemy behavior.
Each boss has a health bar and an escape timer. If players fail within the allotted time, the enemy disappears. Therefore, you have to search for or buy special bait again. Bosses differ in size, speed, and attack method. They don't offer complex sequences of many phases but require changing weapons and tactics. For example, the crab teaches you to dodge at the last moment, the piranha – to control crowds, and the pufferfish – to use the environment.
Better Together
How to Fish can be played solo, but it can drag on for tens of hours due to leveling up. However, it can be played with friends. After updates, the lobby size was increased to eight people, although the game structure works best in a quartet.
Participants independently distribute tasks. One player catches fish, another shoots at it in the air, a third collects and cooks the catch. During boss battles, one participant can distract the enemy while the others deal damage. If someone dies, teammates get a chance to bring them back into the fight.
In a team, roles can be distributed, but this usually only makes sense during sea voyages: one player steers the ship, and another indicates the direction. On the islands themselves, role distribution is not required, everyone's health recovers passively, and only satiety needs to be maintained. Therefore, the gameplay will be the same for everyone: catch fish, finish them off on land, fry and sell. Each player needs to buy weapons and upgrade them. But in co-op, enemy characteristics do not change. They will be the same for solo players and groups of friends.
Playing with friends takes about five to six hours. The main cycle unfolds in the first few hours. However, repetitiveness becomes the main problem. After the finale, you can continue the playthrough. You can replenish your fish collection, get the remaining achievements, and return to additional bosses.
Verdict
How to Fish leaves a positive impression. Its gameplay perfectly explains the reason for its popularity: the developers took fishing, progression, action, and multiplayer to create another funny trash game. Exclusively in a good way.
The gameplay is simple and casual. You won't find a realistic fishing simulator, a meaningful story, or a long single-player adventure here. This is a game about having a good time with friends, where you get into funny situations.
It's inexpensive, system requirements are low, and simple mechanics make it easy to play with company. It can be tackled alone, but then you'll have to put in effort and time. But for a "friendslop," this is fraught with a sad exit from the game and a loss of interest in the project.