We've all had a crazy few weeks and at the end of it I am left severely empty emotionally, physically, and just feel jaded by it all. I sat at my computer after a long day and wondered what I should play but nothing really appealed to me. I was lingering on 'What difference does it make?' but I had to pull myself out of that mental state because I've been in it before and it leads me to a craze that cannot be quenched by looking for 'meaning' behind a game.
Title image made by me in Paint!
I do like to fill a progress bar but only if it 'matters' in the game world despite any action I do making zero 'difference' because the game is meant to be infinite (to a degree).
I eventually just decide to forget it all and turn on a game to go fishing.
I login and notice my character is where I left it last time (duh!). He is near a body of water with a fishing pole already equipped. Well, that makes it easy for me to cast off and begin reeling in whatever the RNG waters provide. I haven't fished in a while and with a lack of energy to put any effort into a game but still wanting to do something I chose to fish.
There is nothing at stake, there isn't a huge reward at the end of it but just the simple task of choosing a spot to cast off from, waiting for a bite, and reeling it in amidst chaos is nice.
New World WAS my favorite game with fishing in it but since its shut down announcement and me having done a 30 casting spot fishing recorded session to seal my time on it, I felt like my fishing there on Aeternum was done.
I also hadn't been virtual fishing for myself in a long time. I did do a venture about an AI fisherman but that was just a trial run and test to see if it could be done and it was marginally successful.
The current games on my 'fishing' tab were great but maybe something new was needed.
Surely though there were other multiplayer/open world games that had fishing. I had done a lot of searching previously but couldn't find anything that fit the niche exactly but here I was again on the merry-go-round trying to find something to fill the space left by New World (71GB).
Search Engines and Generative AI/LLMs weren't really helpful in this regard. They kept spitting out the same results despite my nuancing down and specifying what I was looking for exactly. It did make me slightly conspiracist that there was a wealth of knowledge being withheld from me and that there were no alternatives beyond what they produced. I knew there were many other MMO/Multiplayer games that had fishing but their results kept giving me the same games I had already tried or dismissed before due to not having enough 'oomph' in the fishing activity.
I was surprised when I saw this video recently posted on Youtube about fishing in MMOs. I knew there were other virtual anglers who had similar tastes but this video helped me cut through the bullshit quicker and to get back on the saddle.
I tried Fallout 76 and after remembering where my character was, how diminished my ammo supplies were, and re-figuring out how to play, I went straight to the mire region to begin the fishing quest. The actual mechanics were lackluster and the fish I caught were rather boring. The fish looked like regular fish anyone would find in a stream, albeit slightly toothier, and there was nothing additional once the fish was caught. No information about the species, no oddities (that I could find after 70 casts), and it felt like no difference in fish variety despite traveling to different regions with water and casting off at different times of day / setting (Day, Night, Rainy,). Fallout 76 was a bust.
Black Desert Online was a popular option but I just couldn't hold it to myself to install the damn thing. The entire game just strikes me as a virus or malware waiting to happen. Sort of like a rugpull. It didn't matter that the game had to be bought (Why is it almost always on sale for 99 cents?) While many people have praised the fishing system in that game I just couldn't do it.
I briefly thought about FFXIV but that is committing myself further than I want to.
So I finally decided to try Throne and Liberty. South Korean made but I already have generally good history with south Korean games so no big deal there.
I had to get past all the staples of a korean MMO but if the fishing was good than it would be worth it.
I couldn't just start off and begin fishing though. I had to actually complete the storyline up to a point before fishing would be available to me. I bit the bullet and made the choice to get through it. After 5 hours of doing the story missions and ignoring all the additional quests I finally reached the NPC that would give me a fishing rod and I could begin.
Finally my fishing instructor... a stuffed penguin
I was hesitant but hopeful. I didn't care that the player base had dwindled, I didn't mind that it was a free to play game, I didn't even mind that my character was treated like an errand boy by literally every important NPC I had interacted with so far, I just wanted to get to the fishing.
I cast my line out and after fumbling the key binds the first few times (F to cast out but Q to press when a fish bites and then F again to cast out has gotten me a few times) I catch a fish and the codex updates. There is a minimum and maximum weight, a description, information about the fish habitat, and so much more.
Swinging the camera around and taking a photo at the same time gave this cool blur effect
What a lot of info!
I was somewhat surprised and also a little intrigued at how in depth this fishing system could get. Of course I wasn't expecting much but the fishing here was a whole heck of a lot better than other titles I had tried.
"If you're so interested in fishing than why not play a fishing game?" Well, funnily enough I am somewhat odd about this. I don't want to play a game FOCUSED on fishing but I do want to play a game that has fishing as an activity. I don't like playing single player games and would rather be online on an MMO while doing this activity so it doesn't get lonely.
Solo MMO players such as myself might seem like a conundrum but the best example I can think of is going to the park by yourself. It's nice to be able to walk around freely and by yourself but having people nearby is also nice as it doesn't feel lonely.
So at the end of all these games, thoughts, and more, I have finally found a game that fills my unique 'niche' of having fishing but not being a fishing game entirely. By being multiplayer and filled with others but not requiring interaction with them.
It doesn't matter that the player base is 'low' or the game isnt popular anymore because I am not looking to complete difficult content or participate with elements that require coordination. I am just looking to find a place to cast off and reel in some fish while being in a multiplayer space.
And that's good with me.
Thank you for reading!