About Fishing, as you might've guessed, is actually about more than just fishing. Of course, there's fishing involved. You'll catch rare species of fish through a world teeming with submerged life, with each creature displaying individual behaviors as well as unique shapes and patterns. But just as every new fish friend is a delightfully distinct discovery, every NPC has their own patterns and personalities to display. Some are far more 'abyssal zone' than others.
In the reveal trailer aired during the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted, we start off on an innocent fishing trip. Deck chairs out, fog rolling in, your companion offers you a curly fry. There's something off about the aesthetic, though. Maybe it's the greenish hue, or the extreme, low-poly environment and characters. I've not seen a game like this since the days of Diver's Dream for the original Playstation. I mean, it's a welcome throwback, and who needs anti-aliasing anyway? But this is all making me a little uncomfortable.
As the trailer goes on, we see a little girl in an oversized yellow raincoat proudly wielding her pink fishing rod, along with a freshly caught sheepshead seabream—to the initiated it's known as the convict fish.
The following shots are flashes that, tied together in context, tell a far more sinister tale. The curly fry man from the beginning is now incarcerated. The girl has been sleeping on a manky mattress on the floor beside a truck in some kind of garage? None of this bodes well, and it's made all the more uncomfortable with visceral fish filleting mechanics, shots of mermaids lurking in the depths, and a lot of hands holding things: A lock of hair. A curly fry. A fish caught in a grip that looks incredibly uncomfortable for the poor yellow angel.
Today I learned that, supposedly, "fish actually get pretty depressed". I also learned that fishing games aren't always entirely relaxing experiences. Right now you can get involved with the game's open playtest on Steam, and wishlist it to stay up to date with its progression.
If you'd rather leave the ocean to its secrets, check out the rest of the games announced during the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025 Powered by Xbox Game Pass.
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