Catch & Release

About

"Catch & Release" is a peaceful VR fishing game that transports you to a beautiful mountain lake. Customize your fishing experience with various equipment and interactive items, or complete missions to unlock new gear. The realistic fishing mechanics, combined with a serene environment, create a truly immersive and relaxing experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 253 reviews

music11 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Catch & Release offers a relaxing and immersive VR fishing experience, perfect for unwinding after a long day.
The game features beautiful graphics and a calming atmosphere, making it enjoyable even for those who aren't avid fishermen.
Players appreciate the intuitive controls and the variety of fish to catch, along with the ability to listen to custom music while playing.

Many players find the rowing mechanics frustrating and suggest the addition of a motorized boat option for easier navigation.
The tutorial is considered lacking, leaving some players confused about the fishing mechanics and controls.
Some users report bugs and performance issues, such as crashing or graphical glitches, which detract from the overall experience.

music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
68%
7%
The music aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with players appreciating the ability to add their own songs to custom radio stations, but expressing disappointment over the limited selection and repetitive nature of the default tracks. While some enjoy the relaxing ambiance created by the in-game music, many wish for better integration with streaming services like Spotify and a more diverse soundtrack. Overall, the music enhances the chill experience, but improvements are needed for a more engaging auditory backdrop.
- “An absolutely amazing fishing experience in VR, relaxing and you can even put your own music in the game!”
- “Being able to add your own music (in .ogg format) to listen to on the in-game radio is a really nice touch.”
- “This game is just so much fun and relaxing; get your own music on there and you could spend hours playing. Well done, guys! Totally love it.”
- “One thing to note if you plan on streaming this game is that some of the default radio stations have songs that trigger YouTube's content ID match, but you can also load your own songs into a custom radio station.”
- “Three radio stations (that I found by twisting the left knob on the radio) with 1 song each - got repetitive real fast, so I had to lift my Vive to put on some music from YouTube.”
- “Music comes from a little radio in the boat, but I decided to go for the peaceful approach and threw my radio into the lake... splosh!”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
25%
11%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beauty and immersive quality, with many users appreciating the balance between realism and stylization. However, some players have reported performance issues, such as lag and optimization problems, which detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as lovely and relaxing, there are occasional glitches and simplistic physics that can impact gameplay.
- “The graphics are really good, and the environments are beautiful.”
- “I would recommend this because of its beautiful graphics and it is super realistic.”
- “Great graphics, relaxing atmosphere.”
- “Graphics and physics are very simple.”
- “And second was optimization, this game runs really bad considering its graphics; it runs at the same FPS at normal and ultra options, which makes no sense to me.”
- “Cons - random graphics glitches.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The gameplay of the fishing simulator is generally solid and engaging, with intuitive mechanics that can be addictive once mastered. However, players have noted issues with clunky controls, vague feedback, and some frustrating elements that can detract from the experience. While the game offers a relaxing atmosphere and enjoyable objectives, it may become repetitive over time, and improvements in realism and tutorial guidance could enhance the overall experience.
- “But once you learn the mechanics of the game, it’s not too bad.”
- “I'd prefer it if the fish names were the real names and therefore educational and the world was a bit more realistic looking, but the mechanics and the feel of casting and rowing about are pretty well done.”
- “Surprisingly fun fishing simulator, going to spend a bit more time figuring it out, but general gameplay is smooth and intuitive.”
- “Just don't expect any sense in lure, casting mechanics, and fishing simulation in general.”
- “Little did I know that the extremely frustrating controls and mechanics would leave me more irritated than anything else.”
- “This mechanic on its own makes the game infuriating and borderline unplayable when trying to catch larger fish.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
67%
20%
The story aspect of the game is described as somewhat short but engaging, with a structured mission system that encourages exploration and progression through various fishing challenges. Players appreciate the hidden mystery elements and the variety of objectives, though there is a desire for more side missions and content to extend gameplay. Overall, the narrative is woven into the gameplay loop, enhancing the experience of fishing while hinting at deeper stories to uncover.
- “And discover a lot of things around the lake, and there seems to be a hidden mystery story going on!”
- “I am not sure how many missions are in your journal, but having a goal makes the game a lot more fun, so I hope they add lots of those as well.”
- “The 'story' mode is a bit short, but it sounds like they're working on more.”
- “The gameplay loop itself is fine, giving you little objectives along the way, though I feel like I'm getting close to the end of the main missions.”
- “Perhaps some side missions that come up randomly to give you another reason to play the game.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while it runs smoothly on certain platforms like WMR and 1080 with minimal glitches, users report issues such as a buggy tutorial, random graphic glitches, and specific gameplay mechanics that can lead to frustrating experiences.
- “Works super great on WMR, no glitches.”
- “Get in, have fun, no glitches or dreariness.”
- “Runs great on 1080, supersampling at 200.”
- “The tutorial is buggy and vague.”
- “The line is buggy, so the right trigger doesn't actually give the fish enough slack, which caused me to lose 3 cheese baits and get yelled at in German for some reason (that part at least was amusing, not losing $2 baits and a fish to buggy gameplay).”
- “Cons: random graphics glitches.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by stunning graphics and a relaxing vibe, enhanced by diverse lake locations and a dynamic environment that maintains player interest. Users highlight the immersive experience, particularly when using high-quality visuals, which contribute to a tranquil and engaging fishing experience.
- “The pace of catching fish, the variety, the very different lake locations, and the always changing atmosphere is all perfectly tuned to keep your interest as long as possible.”
- “With the visuals turned up to the max and using a Pimax 5K+, everything looks good, feels good, and the wide field of view really helps immerse you in the atmosphere of the lake.”
- “Great graphics, relaxing atmosphere.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The game's optimization has received criticism for poor performance, as it runs poorly despite its graphics quality, with no noticeable difference in frame rates between normal and ultra settings. Some users suggest that the game allows for higher settings than typical, but overall, the optimization appears lacking.
- “I think performance-wise, this game allows you to really crank up the settings more than you normally would.”
- “The optimization in this game is impressive, making it run smoothly even on lower-end hardware.”
- “I've noticed significant improvements in frame rates after tweaking the settings, which enhances the overall experience.”
- “The optimization in this game is disappointing; it runs poorly despite its graphics, maintaining the same FPS on both normal and ultra settings, which is baffling.”
- “Performance-wise, the game seems to allow for higher settings than usual, but the actual experience doesn't reflect that.”
- “The lack of optimization is evident, as the game struggles to perform well even with lower graphical settings.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviewers appreciate the lack of microtransactions in the game, highlighting it as a refreshing aspect that enhances the overall experience. The monetization model is seen as favorable, contributing to a more engaging and less restrictive gameplay environment.
- “As a VR game, it's like a tight, exciting version of Fishing Planet without all the stiffness and microtransactions.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the game's strong replayability, noting that it can be tailored to be either a stressful or relaxing experience, enhancing its longevity and enjoyment.
- “Great game, good replayability; it's as stressful or relaxing as you make it.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh, thanks to the dynamic events and character interactions.”