I didn’t even know it had a mobile release (it’s slow paced enough I could see that working okay)!
I was actually able to finish it over the weekend and overall I think I’d give it a 6-7/10:
Gameplay: Solid. The mechanics are fun, but don’t really evolve beyond the first couple hours of gameplay
Graphics: Great. The open sea is both inviting and omnionous, while the characters and fish all have a nice flair to them
Story: Okay. The story being revealed in messages and encounters is fun, but the stakes never really seem to change, and I think if the world got pulled more into your descent it would make it more impactful.
Graphics are great, the fish look amazing. The fishing mechanics are solid, but one of the things that really bothered me in the micromanagement hell of the inventory. I didn’t truly feel it until I started upgrading my boat, and building company boxes for the Iron Rig. Here’s my experience on the 4 areas:
spoiler
Didn’t like how fast the threat was neutralized in Stellar Basin. Fun fact, I thought that giant octopus/squid thing responds to fast movement. So I tried so move as slowly as I can, still I couldn’t get inside, but it was a nice interaction.
The swamp unfortunately has no danger whatsoever, aside from the mind suckers which can be avoided very easily, and it was the first time I fished at night with minimal consequence.
Speaking of threats the Gale Rock threat was amazing, you never get rid of it, it kept chasing me when I got back to do the Iron Rig DLC.
Devil’s Spine is absolutely great. The vibe, the maze like layout, people complained it was too short, I visited Stellar Basin before the swamp and broke the sequence. I still love lava land.
Now the DLCs: The Iron Rig really felt like “Hey you know how there are so many inconvenient things about this game? Here’s a DLC to fix all of that”. The Iron Rig has this material harvester which would have been so, so useful when I was upgrading my boat in the early game. By the end materials have no use whatsoever.
Visually the Ice DLC was good, I just didn’t like how my fish kept rotting even though I was in a snowy place. Having the Icebreaker was great, and the narwhal almost didn’t pose any threat.
I think if the world got pulled more into your descent it would make it more impactful
Yeah which is a thing that we the Iron Rig kinda attempts and it was really nice. Oil and dark ooze spreading everywhere, I cleaned some of it in the areas that I frequent regularly. Also I’m still bothered by that Scientist who jumps overboard and no one reacts to it. You can’t even tell anyone about it. “Like yeah we had a scientist, the scientist was a distraction, the scientist is gone now 💀”
Seems like you and I had similar opinions. I don’t have the dlc, but ended up reading up on it. It seems like they were good additions to the game, but I didn’t feel strongly enough to go back and get them.
If you liked the fishing theme with some plot, Dave the Diver has some parallels. I think the gameplay loop is a bit better, but it goes more for goofy/zany rather than Lovecraftian.
I didn’t even know it had a mobile release (it’s slow paced enough I could see that working okay)!
I was actually able to finish it over the weekend and overall I think I’d give it a 6-7/10:
Graphics are great, the fish look amazing. The fishing mechanics are solid, but one of the things that really bothered me in the micromanagement hell of the inventory. I didn’t truly feel it until I started upgrading my boat, and building company boxes for the Iron Rig. Here’s my experience on the 4 areas:
spoiler
Didn’t like how fast the threat was neutralized in Stellar Basin. Fun fact, I thought that giant octopus/squid thing responds to fast movement. So I tried so move as slowly as I can, still I couldn’t get inside, but it was a nice interaction.
The swamp unfortunately has no danger whatsoever, aside from the mind suckers which can be avoided very easily, and it was the first time I fished at night with minimal consequence.
Speaking of threats the Gale Rock threat was amazing, you never get rid of it, it kept chasing me when I got back to do the Iron Rig DLC.
Devil’s Spine is absolutely great. The vibe, the maze like layout, people complained it was too short, I visited Stellar Basin before the swamp and broke the sequence. I still love lava land.
Now the DLCs: The Iron Rig really felt like “Hey you know how there are so many inconvenient things about this game? Here’s a DLC to fix all of that”. The Iron Rig has this material harvester which would have been so, so useful when I was upgrading my boat in the early game. By the end materials have no use whatsoever.
Visually the Ice DLC was good, I just didn’t like how my fish kept rotting even though I was in a snowy place. Having the Icebreaker was great, and the narwhal almost didn’t pose any threat.
Yeah which is a thing that we the Iron Rig kinda attempts and it was really nice. Oil and dark ooze spreading everywhere, I cleaned some of it in the areas that I frequent regularly. Also I’m still bothered by that Scientist who jumps overboard and no one reacts to it. You can’t even tell anyone about it. “Like yeah we had a scientist, the scientist was a distraction, the scientist is gone now 💀”
I guess I’d give it a 6/7 out of 10 too.
I appreciate you adding your review!
Seems like you and I had similar opinions. I don’t have the dlc, but ended up reading up on it. It seems like they were good additions to the game, but I didn’t feel strongly enough to go back and get them.
If you liked the fishing theme with some plot, Dave the Diver has some parallels. I think the gameplay loop is a bit better, but it goes more for goofy/zany rather than Lovecraftian.
Sure I’ll hit Dave the Diver.