Last Dream Fishing Arcade [review]
Last Dream Fishing Arcade is an interesting little game available on Steam. It looks like White Giant RPG Studio has a couple RPG Maker games, and this is a quaint cozy fishing game set in that universe featuring those characters. While I’ve never played the games (and admittedly have no interest in playing them) I thought Last Dream Fishing Arcade was kinda of neat. It’s a game that commits to capturing the experience of fishing in an RPG. At the low price point of $4.99, this is perfect for someone who just wants the chill, cozy experience of capturing fish after fish, nothing more and nothing less.
Developer: White Giant RPG Studios
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
Genres: Indie game, Role-playing game, Sports
Publisher: White Giant RPG Studios
There are 12 total characters for players to unlock, each with their own separate stat blocks for fishing. Additionally, there are 14 different locations to find, each one with its own piece of music and spread of fish to catch. After hooking the fish, players can either let it go–which is often the correct action if it’s so strong it threatens to break the rod, or try to reel it is by pressing A and the highlighted direction buttons on the arrow pad. Different fish yield different amounts of upgrade points. These are spent on enhancing rods or buying new rods. As the rods get stronger, better fish can be caught. And so forth.
There are also fishing tournaments, but I didn’t find them noteworthy. There’s no different screens or dialogue, just text that appears on the screen informing players of the ranking through the tournament. Winning tournaments yields accessories to improve fishing prowess and a trophy.
The world of Last Dream Fishing Arcade has a lot of little neat things to discover while fishing. There are messages in bottles that detail the story of a lonely fisherman trapped on a deserted island, treasure chests to open, and pearls to obtain.
All in all, it’s a giant collect-a-thon built around fishing. Completing the game unlocks New Game + and a Reborn mode, which honestly seems really dang cool. I didn’t unlock these modes though, so I’m not sure what they entail. The game is definitely a little on the grindy side, and a tad repetitive, so it’s best played in short spurts! And being played best in short spurts with a lot to unlock means I wasn’t able to discover those things before the deadline was due.
That said, it’s a simple concept, and a little bare bones, but it is a fun cozy experience, and I can see the broader appeal, especially with the rise of cozy games. Many people like fishing in RPGs, and this would be the perfect game for someone to play on stream while chatting with viewers, or listening to podcasts or audiobooks.
The pixel art is pretty decent, and I liked it. A big point of surprise with me was how good the soundtrack was for this. While there’s only one piece of music per location, it’s a really chill soundtrack. I found myself actually picking the locations based on what music I wanted to listen to next, which was a neat almost zen experience. (White Giant RPG Studios, if you read this, I’d love the option to buy the OST. Hook a girl up.)
All in all, I think if you want an inexpensive game to chill out, this is a pretty alright choice. While it doesn’t really stand out in a sea of games, it has a niche appeal, and there’s definitely worse ways to spend five bucks. If this sounds up your alley, I think it’s worth a try.
Rating: 6/10
