The Catch: Carp & Coarse Fishing
- June 30, 2020
- Dovetail Games
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"The Catch: Carp & Coarse Fishing" is a realistic simulation game for anglers, offering a wide range of fishing techniques and environments. Players can explore various UK locations and catch over 30 species of fish using authentic equipment and gear. The game features dynamic weather and time of day, affecting fish behavior and requiring strategic planning for successful fishing trips.
Reviews
- The game offers a highly realistic fishing experience, especially for British anglers, with accurate maps and enjoyable mechanics.
- Players appreciate the variety of fish and the challenge of catching boss fish, making it addictive and rewarding.
- The graphics and ambient sounds enhance the overall experience, providing a relaxing atmosphere for fishing enthusiasts.
- Numerous bugs and glitches, including game crashes and unresponsive controls, significantly detract from the gameplay experience.
- Many players feel the game is too similar to Fishing Sim World, lacking enough new content or features to justify its standalone release.
- The mechanics can feel clunky and scripted, particularly during fish fights, which can lead to a frustrating experience.
- gameplay21 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the improved fishing mechanics and graphics, particularly the new drag/slip mechanic and the inclusion of detailed fish information. However, some users criticize the overall mechanics for being flawed and note that the game feels similar to Fishing Sim World, albeit with some enhancements. While the new maps and challenges are welcomed, there are calls for more content and better performance, especially regarding frame rates.
“I like the fighting mechanics when you are trying to reel in the big ones.”
“I enjoy the new drag/slip mechanic.”
“Well, 3 hours in and I'm enjoying this. I like the subtle changes to the fishing mechanics and I also like the graphical info giving you details about the fish in each lake and what bait they prefer.”
“Locations are nice, but the mechanics completely ruin the experience.”
“The mechanics of the game have serious issues, and 30 fps in this day and age for a game like this is ridiculous.”
“Just could not take the absurd drag and overall mechanics.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and sharpness compared to previous versions, while some criticize them for being worse than earlier titles. Players appreciate the ambient sounds and graphical details that enhance the fishing experience, though there are calls for further improvements and updates. Despite some concerns, the visuals are generally considered a strong point of the game, contributing positively to the overall gameplay experience.
“Graphics are amazing.”
“Graphics look great and although the fps is locked at 30 it doesn’t make that much of a difference in a fishing game.”
“The game does look better in the graphics department.”
“The graphics are worse than Fishing Sim World; don't know what they did, but it looks terrible, it's gone backwards.”
“Graphics should be better, especially in 2020. I did see a comment about chairs and bivvies that would be a nice little DLC or free update. I've owned Euro Fishing and Fishing Sim World, so it's time for something a little different in this game.”
“This game has so much potential; graphically it's sound, but there has been no fresh thought on features.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate games that minimize grinding, allowing for immediate access to all content without tedious tasks. Many find traditional grinding mechanics, such as scripted fish fights, to be unengaging and artificial. Overall, a reduction in grinding enhances the enjoyment and flow of gameplay.
“If you don't want to spend hours grinding or waiting for bites, this game is not for you.”
“Tedious drag settings and the fish fights feel way too scripted and fake.”
“Another bonus of DTG games is that all the waters are unlocked from the get-go, eliminating annoying grinding.”
- stability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs and glitches, such as fish swimming on land and erratic line behavior. While it runs smoothly at 30 fps, attempts to play at 60 fps lead to significant issues. Players express frustration over the developer's lack of attention to fixing these problems, focusing instead on downloadable content.
“I tried the game at 60 fps, and it runs great even at 30 fps. Just leave it alone.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; I haven't experienced any crashes or major bugs.”
“I appreciate how smooth the gameplay is, even during intense moments. It really enhances the overall experience.”
“It's an absolute buggy mess.”
“From the time I have played, there seem to be the same glitches (fish swimming on land and unnatural line behavior).”
“Dovetail Games never fix any problems or glitches in their games and are only interested in DLCs.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
While the new hook mechanics are well-received, overall performance issues significantly detract from the experience, leading to a lack of recommendation.
“The new hook slipping and everything felt good, but the performance and feel of everything else are too bad to justify recommending this.”
“The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”
“Despite some interesting mechanics, the overall optimization is lacking, leading to frustrating lag and stuttering during gameplay.”
