I’ve reviewed a fair number of fishing titles since starting this column, and the idea of one that was just an unapologetic arcade fishing game appealed to me pretty strongly. Plus, Fishing Break is on the Nintendo Switch, which is a platform that could definitely work for that.
Sadly, Fishing Break isn’t the title I’d hoped it would be, but it does represent movement into what could be a really interesting gaming space.
Plot Ahoy!
Fishing Break has no plot, and that’s by design. This is a game in which players catch fish, and that’s it. We aren’t talking about a title that has you search for the perfect bait or work to grind skill points until you realize that one elegant cast. Fishing Break features a cartoon character throwing a line into the water from the back of a raft.
Review Notes
The first thing you really need to know about Fishing Break is that it’s a port of an existing mobile game, and that’s probably the start of its problems. I’m certainly not saying that there can never be a good Switch port of a mobile game, but the hallmark of a good port is that the title has been reconfigured to work on the new platform. While Fishing Break has done the bare minimum to acquire the title of port, the controls are lackluster and feel incredibly tacked on to the experience. Good luck figuring out how things work because almost everything is tied to a mouse/click mechanic. Very little is keyed to buttons or the D-pad, which is odd given that one of the Switch’s strengths is the physicality of the controls.
Fishing Break does have straightforward gameplay in that you catch fish for money. You do get the occasional mission that requires you to catch a certain number of fish or to catch rare fish that only appear when certain conditions have been met. If you accomplish a certain number of these quests, then you unlock islands. The primary feature of those islands is that the water changes color, and you get different fish.
However, Fishing Break never changes, and that’s really the problem. Mobile games are designed to be played in fits and spurts, whenever you have a minute or two of downtime, so repetitive gameplay is not only not boring, it’s actually a perk. You don’t have to relearn new controls every time you open up the game on your phone or tablet. Playing on the Switch, however, usually involves a greater time investment. Therefore, grinding by performing the same action ad nauseam quickly becomes tedious. That’s yet another reason that crafting a good port requires artistry and finesse, and Fishing Break lacks both.
Visually, Fishing Break is cute. There’s nothing realistic about it, so you really won’t confuse it for a “serious sim.” However, its visuals offer a certain charm, except for the greenish water because those areas just look polluted. The sound design is fine, but again, the title’s real issues lie in the gameplay. Sometimes, you won’t catch the fish you should, i.e., the fish that are significantly lower level than you for no apparent reason, and you’ll definitely be stuck scrolling and clicking.
TLDR
Fishing Break feels like a port that is far too true to its roots for the Switch platform with odd controls and incredibly grindy gameplay. However, Fishing Break does offer adorable visuals and a reasonable $7.99 price tag.
Stray Thoughts From Behind the Keyboard
- The fish are hilarious; the swordfish is like three times the size of the sunfish. The mola is one of the largest bony fish in the world, but not according to Fishing Break.
- Bait is not reusable, so one bait per cast gets expensive quickly.
- Often, the best way to catch fish in Fishing Break is to lure them until they jump onto your raft. Y’all, this is not…how this works. At all.