Idle Fishing

About

Idle Fishing is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by AO Games and was released on May 24, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Key Features Idle and Active Fishing with a mini-game. Hire Crewmates with unique stats and bonuses Ascension System with Big Upgrades Tree. 800+ In-game Achievements with rewards. 52 Weekly Holiday Events with many rewards. Buy Buildings to buy to generate income for you passively. Many Research upgrades to improve your fishing income. Many boats to unlock. Beautiful environments…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 725 reviews

gameplay19 positive mentions

monetization10 negative mentions

The game offers a relaxing and enjoyable experience, making it great for casual play.
There are numerous achievements to unlock, providing a satisfying sense of progression.
The graphics and sound design create a pleasant atmosphere, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.

The game has become less idle due to recent updates, requiring more active play to progress.
Progression can feel slow and grindy, especially in the later stages, leading to frustration.
The introduction of microtransactions and a gacha-style system for hiring crew members feels predatory and detracts from the overall experience.

gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
56%
13%
The gameplay of this idle fishing game is characterized by a simple and repetitive loop that can become tedious over time, with many players noting a lack of engaging mechanics and new content as they progress. While some appreciate the relaxing nature and the satisfaction of incremental achievements, others criticize the reliance on pay-to-win elements and the absence of meaningful gameplay evolution. Overall, it appeals primarily to fans of idle games, but may disappoint those seeking more dynamic and varied gameplay experiences.
- “Idle fishing is a fantastic idle game that strikes the perfect balance between relaxing gameplay and engaging progression.”
- “The inclusion of pets and boats adds a personal touch to the experience, while updates, such as the auto-clicker and active catch mechanics, enhance interactivity for players who like to stay hands-on.”
- “I really enjoyed idle fishing — it hits that sweet spot between relaxing idle gameplay and having enough interaction to stay interesting.”
- “If I knew a whole new mechanic would be added along your 'fishing' game that adds a hundred plus achievements that take weeks of active play, which have nothing to do with fishing, I would have never picked this game up in the first place.”
- “Starts out good, but this genre of game lives and dies through introducing more mechanics or other things of interest as you plod along. However, you very early come to a point where nothing new is coming and nothing will for a very, very, very long time.”
- “As far as I can tell, the gameplay you have in the first seconds of the game is the same (and only) gameplay you'll have 100+ hours into the game.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful, clean, and immersive visuals that enhance the relaxing atmosphere, while others criticize the use of AI-generated art and a lack of aesthetic appeal. Many appreciate the charming art style and smooth animations, but some find the graphics to be primitive or poorly optimized, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game's visuals are seen as a highlight for some, while others feel they fall short of expectations.
- “Beautiful graphics: the serene visuals and soothing sound effects create an immersive atmosphere.”
- “The lovely graphics, smooth background animations, and soothing background music all add to its charm.”
- “The graphics are clean and colorful, and the gentle sounds of water and fish nibbling on the line add to the laid-back vibe.”
- “But it's just the mind-numbingly boring aesthetics that ruin it for me.”
- “I was enjoying the game until I found out it uses mostly AI-generated 'art' as icons and other graphic elements.”
- “Graphically it is even worse: catches look like AI-generated cheap assets, and the main screen and characters look like something an eight-year-old made in Roblox.”
monetization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
50%
38%
The monetization in this game has drawn mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over its shift towards a grindy, cash-grab model, particularly after recent updates that have made progression feel slower and more reliant on microtransactions. While some users appreciate that in-game purchases are not mandatory and can enhance progression, others criticize the high costs and the prevalence of premium currencies, leading to a perception of the game as pay-to-win. Overall, the monetization tactics have sparked significant debate, with some players feeling that the game has lost its original charm due to aggressive monetization strategies.
- “There are no in-game purchases; most of everything can be earned through gameplay!”
- “Microtransactions are available for faster progression and cosmetics, but $0 is required to have fun or earn a perfect achievement score.”
- “The monetization is not bad; you don't need to buy anything, but doing so will make you progress faster.”
- “It's frustrating watching something that was once fun turn into a grindy cash grab.”
- “Disappointing how much microtransactions are available.”
- “Progression crawls unless you cough up cash or watch 30 ads a day.”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being shallow and lacking depth, with many players feeling that the excavation mode has turned into a pay-to-progress system that detracts from the overall gameplay experience. Daily and weekly quests are seen as tedious and unrewarding, often requiring real money to enhance playability, which diminishes player engagement and enjoyment. Overall, the narrative elements are overshadowed by a focus on monetization and repetitive tasks, leading to a lack of compelling storytelling.
- “What really stands out are the daily missions: small tasks that encourage you to come back each day and, almost without noticing, help you move forward.”
- “The daily/weekly quests and few little mini games also keep you interested and logging in each day.”
- “18 of those quests and their tiers/milestones are easily doable, it's just playing the game.”
- “However, it lacks the depth in storyline found in genre leaders.”
- “The most annoying thing is how the quests work.”
- “As it has been said already, it's a cash grab like Tap Ninja if you're up to finish quests to 100% - spend a few thousand gems to win a few hundred.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
89%
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" highlight a mixed experience, with many players finding the game initially engaging but ultimately becoming tedious and overly grindy, especially in the endgame. While some appreciate the abundance of achievements and the potential for achievement farming, others criticize the repetitive mechanics and the necessity for constant clicking, which detracts from the idle game experience. Overall, the game is seen as requiring significant time investment, with some players feeling it leans towards a cash grab due to its grindy nature and in-app purchases.
- “So many achievements to obtain, and it's not grindy. This is a question I always ask when there's a game like this.”
- “The best thing about this game is that it's not grindy, and you have 1,000 achievements to unlock!”
- “It added, roughly, 500 hours worth of grinding to get all the achievements for it.”
- “It’s frustrating watching something that was once fun turn into a grindy cash grab.”
- “Extremely boring and grindy mechanics, characters look absolutely awful in game, lots of expensive in-app purchases that do not feel reasonable at all.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and ambient qualities, enhancing the overall chill experience. Players appreciate the ability to customize sound settings, with soothing background tracks that complement the visuals and gameplay. Many find the soundtrack to be a key element in creating a calming atmosphere, making it enjoyable to play while listening.
- “The lovely graphics, smooth background animations, and soothing background music all add to its charm.”
- “Love the music, you can fiddle with the volume if the seagulls are too much, but you are gonna love those seagulls, especially when you get a better crew/boat.”
- “Pretty zen-like, click on circles, numbers go up, music helps it be a great vibe.”
- “The game is ok, and the music is smoothing.”
- “It is a very cool idle game with amazing graphics (and unfortunately poor optimization), decent soundtrack and tons of upgrades, locations, events.”
- “I've turned everything off but the music as listening to it is quite smoothing.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including lag spikes and deteriorating performance over time, particularly after extended play sessions. However, recent updates have reportedly addressed some of these concerns, leading to improved performance for others. Overall, while the graphics are praised, the optimization remains a notable drawback for many users.
- “Nice graphics can run in the background with no effect on performance.”
- “I haven't encountered any lag or performance issues that have been mentioned, and I'm about a day in - although for some reason Steam says 48 hours... yet it released yesterday (you can check my achievement times), so even Steam is off sometimes... and this is a brand new game.”
- “Update - the performance issues have been fixed.”
- “It is a very cool idle game with amazing graphics (and unfortunately poor optimization), decent soundtrack and tons of upgrades, locations, events.”
- “Game overall is good, similar to other idle games, but the lag/performance issues that appear after 10-20 minutes of playing do ruin the experience for now, and changing settings do not help.”
- “Very poorly optimized to say the least.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its humor, featuring hilariously cute pets and a variety of funny mini-games that enhance the experience. Players find the term "idle fishing" amusing, as the gameplay is anything but idle, combining relaxation with addictive fun and a delightful sense of humor.
- “The pets are hilariously cute.”
- “Tons of funny mini-games, upkeep, etc.”
- “I find it hilarious that they call the game 'idle fishing.' There is nothing idle about it.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by beautiful graphics and soothing sound effects, which together create an immersive and relaxing experience for players. Users appreciate the serene visuals that enhance the enjoyment of gameplay, allowing them to unwind while watching their progress.
- “Beautiful graphics: the serene visuals and soothing sound effects create an immersive atmosphere.”
- “Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the atmosphere while the big numbers get bigger.”
- “Graphics and sound create a relaxing atmosphere.”
- “The graphics and sound create a relaxing atmosphere, but it feels too bland and uninspired.”
- “While the game aims for a serene atmosphere, it often falls flat, lacking the depth needed to truly immerse players.”
- “The atmosphere is supposed to be captivating, yet it feels empty and lifeless, failing to engage the player.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game's replayability enhanced by engaging contests and a variety of upgrades, though some suggest that a sequel with more dynamic elements could further improve the experience.
- “If they could just make an idle fishing 2 with a lot more interesting stuff happening on screen, it would be much better and more replayable.”
- “The contests are engaging, and there are numerous upgrades that significantly enhance replayability.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users express mixed feelings about stability; while some find the game relatively stable and not particularly buggy, others feel that certain mini-games, like fishing, detract from the relaxing experience due to minor issues.
- “Seems the dev forgot that fishing is about relaxation, not stressing over buggy mini-games.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Reviewers note that while the character designs are relatively simple, the depth and richness of the character backgrounds are impressively detailed, enhancing the overall narrative experience.
- “The character backgrounds are surprisingly amazing, adding depth to the simple character design.”
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”