Fishing

About the game

3D sport fishing with one finger: read the water, cast, work the lure, strike and play the fish on five waters. A 35-level Tour, free fishing and an endless Gauntlet.

Fishing is rod-and-reel sport fishing in 3D, played with one finger. Find the fish first: they live where their kind likes to be, on weed, under branches, along a drop-off, in a seam of current, and they show themselves in rings on the water, scattering bait and working birds. Drag to turn, pull down to take the rod back, and let go to cast where the marker shows. Hold to wind, circle to set the speed, flick to twitch. When the line twitches, swipe up to strike.

Then play the fish. The rod bends, the line stretches and the reel's drag slips as they really do: let a strong fish run, lift and wind as it tires, lean it away from weed and snags, and drop the rod tip when it jumps. Pull too hard and the line breaks; leave it slack and the hook falls out.

Five waters change the fishing as well as the view: a reed-fringed lake at dusk from a wooden staging, a misty mountain lake at dawn from a rowing boat, a stony river fished wading, knee-deep tropical flats, and blue water from a sport boat. Sixteen species, from perch and pike to bonefish, tarpon, tuna and sailfish, each with its own lies, moods, lures and way of fighting. Every fish is weighed, measured and released.

The Tour has 35 levels: casting to rings, a named fish, light line, a mixed bag, the biggest fish before dusk, and matches against named rival anglers, with up to three stars a level. Free fishing has no clock. The Gauntlet never ends: heavier fish, lighter line, harder weather. A logbook keeps your best of every species.

Five camera views including one from behind the angler, separate Music and Sound switches, portrait or landscape, eleven languages, touch, mouse, keyboard or gamepad. One self-contained file with no network requests, so it plays offline at 38,000 feet.

How to play

1. Find them. Fish live where their kind likes to be: on weed, under branches, along a drop-off, in a seam of current. Watch for rings on the water, for bait scattering, for birds. In a boat the sounder shows what is under the line you aim along.
2. Cast. Drag sideways to turn. Pull down to take the rod back: the marker shows where the cast will fall. Let go as the ring closes on the dot. Under branches use the side cast.
3. Work the lure. Hold to wind, circle your finger to set the speed, flick to twitch. Each lure has a depth and a speed it works at, and each fish a speed it will chase.
4. Strike. When the line twitches, swipe up. Hard for a bony mouth, gently for a soft one.
5. Play it. Hold to wind, drag to move the rod. Keep the line between slack and breaking: let a strong fish take line against the drag, lift the rod and wind down as it tires, lean it away from weed and snags, and drop the rod tip when it jumps.
6. Let it go. Every fish is weighed, measured and released. Undersized fish do not count in a match.

Controls