Publisher: Natsume
Developer: Marvelous Entertainment
Genre: Sports/Fishing
Release date: Available now

It shouldn’t be surprising to find that whole cadres of fishing games have been developed for the Wii. Just one look at the Wiimote and you can picture the handle of a fishing rod as players battle a catch from the comfort of their living-room couches. Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream attempts to cash in on this niche.

Angler’s Dream is divided into two simple modes: Story and Versus. Story mode starts you out as a novice fisherman, new to the lodge and under the tutelage of the aptly named “Fishing Master.” He quickly shows you how to score a nice catch, as well as the best places to fish. The first basic stage you’re allowed to try out is the lake, a wide-open body of water stocked to the brim with biters. Once you’ve proven your worth there, new and more exciting stages become available that have, if you’ll pardon the expression, bigger fish to fry. The Versus mode is very similar to the Story mode, except that you compete against your buddies for the best catch, with a time limit.

Gameplay mostly consists of you trolling for various types of fish and figuring out the best ways to catch them once they’ve taken the bait. If you snag a fish that’s a fighter, you’ve got to make sure to reel it in fast by spinning the nunchuck quickly while laying your rod flat to ensure your line doesn’t break. Once you’ve snagged your catch, it’s up to you to decide whether to keep the fish and add it to your virtual aquarium, or to set it free. Throughout the game you encounter all sorts of different species of fish, each of which require specific methods and equipment to make them easier to catch.

The first thing I noticed about Anglers Dream was how relaxing it is to play. I put it in on a rainy day, and instantly I was captivated by the extremely light, peaceful music and serene sound effects of the babbling brook. Also, the photography chosen for the background imagery is perfect, featuring forests and snowcapped mountains.

However, just because a game looks and sounds pretty, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s fun. To start, I found the controls to be highly unresponsive and unmanageable. There are supposedly three different actions you can take once you hook a fish, all depending on what the fish does. The problem is that the animations are so poor, you can’t see what the fish are doing, nor can you feel it, since every action makes the Wiimote rumble in the exact same way. This makes the game very frustrating to play. The tutorial never explains anything about the various options available in terms of bait, tackle or rods. This means that many players can find themselves at an annoying disadvantage if they don’t have previous fishing knowledge.

There’s most certainly a market for fishing games on the Wii, but I think most players will find Angler’s Dream lacking in too many areas to have any strong replay value.

Our Score:
Our Recommendation: