Whisker Waters
- April 25, 2024
- Underbite Games
Get on Steam"Whisker Waters" is a cozy RPG game that focuses on the unique and challenging experience of fishing. Explore a semi-open world, complete quests, and catch a variety of fish with their own unique behaviors using cool fishing tools. Join the Meow Fishing Club, befriend local cats, bears, and birds, and unlock rewards in this game suitable for fishing pros and beginners alike.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features cute graphics and a charming premise centered around cats and fishing, appealing to cozy game enthusiasts.
- The fishing mechanics are nuanced and interesting, with various mini-games that add variety to the gameplay.
- The character customization is well-received, allowing players to create their own unique cat character.
- The game suffers from significant performance issues, including frame rate drops and a shaky camera that can induce motion sickness.
- Many players find the controls unresponsive and the combat frustrating, with enemies being overly punishing and the camera often obstructing gameplay.
- The quest system lacks clarity, with no markers or guidance, making it difficult for players to track objectives and progress.
- story24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally appreciated for its charm and engaging quests, particularly the fishing mini-games. However, players express frustration over the lack of quest markers and tracking systems, making it difficult to navigate and complete objectives. While the narrative and characters are enjoyable, the questing system requires significant improvement to enhance the overall experience.
“I love the story and the gameplay.”
“The story is cute; the fishing is nice except for how weird and confusing it gets to be.”
“I love the cats, I personally enjoyed the fishing, and I'm glad there are quests to keep me focused on a goal.”
“The crux of the game is that you run around, complete standard fetch-type quests for characters, and of course, fish.”
“There is no ability to track quests either; there will be no map pinpoint, only a vague description that typically only makes sense if you remember where you originally picked up the quest.”
“Game is cute, but there is no way to tell where a quest giver is, and no way to find out where to turn anything in after the quest is completed.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as cute and charming, with a cozy aesthetic that appeals to players, particularly cat lovers. However, many reviews note that the visuals are simple and sometimes flawed, featuring rudimentary animations and noticeable texture issues. Overall, while the art style is appreciated, it struggles with a balance between being overly stylized and underwhelming, leading to a mixed reception.
“I loved the customization of the cats and the graphics are beautiful.”
“The graphics are cute and I just love the premise of the game.”
“The aesthetics are very charming and the music very low-key.”
“The animations are pretty rudimentary as well as the graphics, but the vibe that I have gotten thus far in playing it, which is admittedly not that much, is that it feels like a lovingly-crafted Roblox game made by a small team or an individual creator and I really enjoy that feel.”
“The graphics are a bit chunky and you do notice that they are not blended well at the seams.”
“I typically don't hit a game for graphics, but this hits a weird line between overstylized and understylized and the engine it's running just does not work for it.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Gameplay is generally well-received, with a thorough tutorial that effectively introduces mechanics and a variety of mini-games that keep the experience fresh. However, some players find the fishing mechanics overwhelming and express a desire for improvements in the questing system and camera controls. While many appreciate the effort put into the game, there are concerns about certain mechanics being poorly executed, leading to mixed feelings about overall enjoyment.
“The tutorial was very thorough and does a great job introducing you to the mechanics.”
“Some of the mini games I still don't really understand, but I love that it changes up to not feel like the same old, same old since it's the core gameplay.”
“I knew the fishing would either make or break this title since it’s such a large part of the gameplay loop, and I personally like it.”
“Even when using the mechanics to try to get other fish away, it was still so many leaving me too overwhelmed to actually enjoy the game, so I ended up requesting a refund.”
“In regard to the gameplay, I think the game could do with a revision of its questing system, including improved quest tracking and NPCs having a quest icon above their head.”
“I appreciate the attempt; there is clearly a lot of love and effort put into the game, but a combination of just odd decisions and poorly executed mechanics make it a no from me.”
- music7 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is criticized for being repetitive, with the same song playing on loop for extended periods, leading some players to turn it off after a short time. While the aesthetics are described as charming, the lack of variety in the soundtrack detracts from the overall experience, leaving a noticeable absence of ambient sound when the music is disabled.
“The aesthetics are very charming and the music is very low-key.”
“The same song seems to loop on repeat for the game's entirety, or at least for the first few hours.”
“I'm not sure if this one gets better as you play, but I had to turn off the music after 30 minutes of playing because it was the same song playing over again.”
“Once I turned off the music, it seemed like there was no ambience except for the steps.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game requires further optimization, as players report significant performance issues, including choppy graphics and problematic camera angles that can induce motion sickness. While it offers a variety of activities, these technical shortcomings detract from the overall experience.
“The game still needs some optimization, but for sure is a good cozy game!”
“The game is filled with many things to do, but it is hard to focus on these as the awful, choppy performance and terrible camera angles started making me feel nauseous, so I had to stop.”
“Besides the performance, I found quests to be rather frustrating.”
“Performance issues and motion sickness.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game presents a cute and wholesome aesthetic, players feel that it ultimately falls short emotionally due to its unfinished state and lack of essential features, leading to a disconnection from the intended charm. The fast camera movement further detracts from the experience, leaving some feeling uncomfortable rather than engaged.
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including a problematic camera that swings erratically and glitches when near terrain, as well as various minor bugs affecting combat and animations. Overall, players feel that the game lacks adequate playtesting and requires substantial quality of life improvements.
“Unfortunately, it's buggy and seems like it wasn't really playtested at all.”
“The game could use some big quality of life changes for sure; the camera is rough and there are some minor 'buggy' issues with combat and animations.”
“I can't do it; the camera swings around wildly and when you get close to a mountain, it glitches pretty badly and zooms in so close you can't see what you're doing.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, but players note that it offers substantial playtime due to a wealth of side and main quests.
“The replayability value is not high, but I suspect it has a hefty playtime with all the side and main quests.”
“Each playthrough offers a unique experience, making me want to dive back in and explore different choices.”
“The variety of character builds and story paths ensures that no two runs feel the same.”
“Replayability value: no, but I suspect it has a hefty playtime with all side and main quests.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices that would encourage multiple playthroughs.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be unexpected and delightful, with moments like a surprising encounter with a plant that leads to hilarious outcomes, eliciting genuine laughter.
“I actually burst out laughing when I went up to a plant out of curiosity and it flattened me right out.”
“The witty dialogue and clever puns had me chuckling throughout the entire game.”
“I love how the game uses absurd situations to create humor; it never fails to make me smile.”
