The tutorials and mission structure are well designed, slowly introducing you to new equipment, techniques and menus, all while highlighting what you need to exactly choose to progress. I knew there was a lot to the sport, but this gave me a deeper appreciation for how much thought and purpose goes into every equipment decision. You’ll cut the line to the length you want, adjust resistance, reel speed and much more. You’ll need to setup your ‘profiles’, consisting of what rod, line, bait, hooks, float and more you'll want to use. Think of The Fisherman as a true fishing sim, as you’ll not only need to buy and choose your equipment, but decide what works best for each type of fish you’re wanting to catch that day. While there’s really not an overall traditional campaign structure, instead, you’re guided by tutorials and missions to aim you in a progression path. Don’t fret, as The Fisherman becomes much better after this point and will start to look much better as you begin to reel in those fish along the lakeside. Visually, it doesn’t impress either, as you only have a selection of a couple faces and clothes, appearing to be from something last gen. Now, don’t judge the game by these first 10 minutes, as the character creator is as basic, bare bones and quite frankly, disappointing, as it gets. You begin your fishing career by first creating your character. It’s great to see that a previous free-to-play title riddled with microtransactions now has an all-encompassing package with a ton of content and new additions like the Creuse (France) map and trolling technique. While The Fisherman: Fishing Planet is essentially the same game but ‘console-fied’, it essentially includes a mass amount of DLC that’s been released for it over the years, including a few bonuses and exclusives on top to entice new players.

Truth be told, Fishing Planet has actually been on PC for quite some time as a free to play title. I even learned quite a few things about the equipment and techniques that I previously didn’t. For enthusiasts of the sport, they know there’s much more to it than that, and The Fisherman: Fishing Planet aims to bring that reality to console. Fishing is much more than simply getting a hook, tackle and drinking some beers on a lazy weekend. Even so, I did enjoy each time I went, and for whatever reason, I’m always drawn towards new fishing games when they release even though I have barely any real world experience. I can count the times I’ve actually gone fishing in my life on one hand.

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