DEEP FISHING by Jari Komppa
Never say never.
A fishing game? Really? Hmmm, no, not my kind of entertainment.
Never say never.
...
The most incredible video game competition of all time has received an entry based on recreational fishing. As we are a community of high intellect, it is appropriate to include some historical details to put us in context:
Brief History of Recreational Fishing
- Ancient Civilizations (circa 3000 BCE): Recreational fishing was a popular pastime in ancient cultures like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. They used simple fishing gear like lines, hooks, and nets to catch fish for food and sport.
- Medieval Period (circa 500 CE): Recreational fishing continued to grow in popularity during the Middle Ages. The introduction of new fishing techniques like trolling and bottom fishing made it easier for people to catch fish.
- 19th Century (circa 1800s CE): The Industrial Revolution brought significant changes to recreational fishing. The introduction of new fishing gear like rods, reels, and lures made it easier for people to catch fish.
- 20th Century (circa 1900s CE): Recreational fishing continued to grow in popularity during the 20th century. The introduction of new fishing techniques like fly fishing and deep-sea fishing made it possible for people to catch a wide range of fish species.
- First Fishing Tackle Box (circa 1870s CE): The first fishing tackle box was invented in the late 19th century, making it easier for people to store and organize their fishing gear.
- First Spinning Reel (circa 1900s CE): The first spinning reel was invented in the early 20th century, making it easier for people to catch fish using a spinning rod.
- First Fly Fishing Vest (circa 1950s CE): The first fly fishing vest was invented in the mid-20th century, making it easier for people to carry their fly fishing gear.
Notable Figures:
- Izaak Walton (1593-1683 CE): Walton was an English writer and angler who wrote the book "The Compleat Angler," which is still considered one of the most influential fishing books of all time.
- Lee Wulff (1895-1991 CE): Wulff was an American angler and writer who is credited with inventing the first modern fly fishing rod.
- Zane Grey (1872-1939 CE): Grey was an American author and angler who wrote several books on fishing and the outdoors.
Thank you internet.
Looking back, the venerable ZX Spectrum, in its commercial era, already had a serious (-ly boring) fishing game:
The question that is troubling 98% of the world's population right now is: Can Komppa's game be a match for a professional product of the time?
The information provided by the author is brief: "To play, press any key. I'm sure you can figure out the rest." - A single key? I think I can handle it.
After the artistic loading screen you see above, the game begins on its unique and tidy playing field:
I really like the clarity with which all the information is displayed. When (if) we get all the fish, a new game starts and the face that asks us to fish changes, another nice touch from the author.. As is also the use of colour and brightness to represent the depth of the water, very well done.
Interesting is also the list of the inhabitants of the waters. Using only a few fish designs and by applying different patterns of dots and lines, the author manages to trick the brain and it seems to us that the aquatic vertebrates are different even in shape. Applause.
I will now turn my attention to the game's protagonist, the fisherman. We all know the story of a famous miner called Willy who made a fortune from a, shall we say, strange mine. We also know that he bought himself a mansion. What many people don't know, and what the author subtly points out, is that after all the partying and drinking in his huge house, Miner Willy dedicated himself to the life of a quiet millionaire, with fishing being one of his favourite pastimes.
(It's him !!!)
Let's go fishing then.
We know which fish we need and where to look for them. Press any key and the line will go deeper. When you release the key, the line is reeled in and, if we are lucky, we will catch the fish that was at that depth. If the catch matches one of the fishes in the central list, a tick will appear next to the fish.
Simple... No.
So far it would be a good entertainment, but the author has gone further. There are fish that are in ‘top’, ‘deep’, or without indication. This introduces some fun into the search, as we don't know exactly where to look, but also some bugs.
(I spent a whole afternoon looking for this little tuna, fishing in all the depths, phoning fishing experts... Nothing. Hope a bigger fish ate it.)
It turns out that the tackle shop had sold Mr Willy a line that didn't go down to 32. I can still hear the fish laughing down there.
There are fish that share habitat, another great detail by the author, we will not always achieve our objective the first time, no matter how well tuned we are with the fishing rod.
As the game progresses, the author surprises us again, we will get a list of fish with very little information about where they move.
But of course, this isn't just any fisherman, it's billionaire Miner Willy, who uses a state-of-the-art fish-locating drone integrated into his line.
Now with all the fish in the bucket: Never say never. As a premise, a fishing game is about as boring as you can get. But... I've been playing it for days. Not just for the review, this game is hugely entertaining. Sometimes frustrating because of the bugs, but I had a good time. The sound effects are sparse, but they do their job. It's fishing, you need silence. Coded in assembler, I think it is a great achievement. "Jet Set Willy Goes Fishing" will be released in...
Scrambled Smile: 7/10
Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 2/10
Deep Fried Ice Cream: 9/10
Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 9/10
Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 6/10
Comments
Post a Comment