The Catch: Carp & Coarse Fishing
- June 30, 2020
- Dovetail Games
- 15h median play time
"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
- Highly realistic and enjoyable, especially for British anglers, with accurate maps and engaging gameplay.
- The game features a variety of fish species and a rewarding system for catching them, making it addictive and fun.
- Graphics and ambient sounds are beautiful, enhancing the overall fishing experience.
- Numerous game-breaking bugs and crashes, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.
- Gameplay mechanics can feel scripted and tedious, particularly during fish fights, detracting from immersion.
- The game is perceived as a re-skinned version of Fishing Sim World, lacking significant new content or improvements.
- gameplay42 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the improved mechanics and graphics, particularly the more challenging fishing system and the new drag/slip mechanic. However, some users criticize the overall mechanics and performance issues, such as the low frame rate, which detracts from the experience. Overall, while the game is seen as a solid extension of Fishing Sim World with enjoyable features, it still has room for improvement in content and technical execution.
“I like the fighting mechanics when you are trying to reel in the big ones.”
“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 (something I wish they would have done better in FSW).”
“I enjoy the new drag/slip mechanic.”
“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.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and sharpness compared to previous versions, while others criticize them for being worse than Fishing Sim World. Overall, players appreciate the improved visuals and ambient sounds, though some express a desire for further enhancements and additional content. Despite some concerns, the graphics are generally seen as a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“The 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.”
“Graphics awesome as usual.”
“The graphics are worse than FSW; 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 bivvys 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 to be in this game.”
“This game has so much potential; graphically it's sound but there has been no fresh thought on features.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate games that minimize grinding, allowing for immediate access to content and reducing the time spent on tedious tasks. Many find scripted fish fights and drag settings detract from the experience, but the overall sentiment favors games that unlock all areas from the start, enhancing enjoyment by eliminating unnecessary grinding.
“Tedious drag settings and the fish fights feel way too scripted and fake.”
“Another bonus of dtg games is all the waters are unlocked from the get-go, no annoying grinding in their games.”
“If you don't want to spend hours grinding or waiting for bites, this one is for you.”
- stability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous persistent bugs and glitches, such as fish swimming on land and erratic line behavior. Many players suggest that while the game runs better at 30 fps, it remains a "buggy mess" overall, and express frustration over the developer's lack of attention to fixing these issues, focusing instead on downloadable content.
“It's an absolute buggy mess.”
“From the time I have played, there seem to be all 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.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received negative feedback, with users noting that while some mechanics, like the new hook slipping, feel good, the overall performance and feel are lacking, making it difficult to recommend the game.
“The new hook slipping and everything felt good, but the performance and feel of everything else are too bad to justify recommending this.”