I recently took my oldest son fishing with a buddy and his daughter. This was not his first time fishing, but it was definitely our most fruitful adventure. The kids were catching perch and bass as fast as we could get the bait wet and they were having a blast. Luckily, we hooked onto a couple of larger bass and Peyton had to learn to fight and real a fish that could really fight. Being the geek that I have made him, he asked if there was a fishing game on the iPhone on our way home. We decided to take a look at the app store and found Flick Fishing. Turns out the game is quite fun and the entire family has taken to seeing who can catch the largest fish. Lets take a look.
The premise to Flick Fishing is simple. Cast the bait out into the water, snag a fish and reel it in. I actually bought the game for the boys to play but was not too interested in it myself. They were having a great time playing and came to see if I could help them reel in a big one. I was instantly hooked! I was amazed at how well the physics engine incorporates the accelerometer to recreate a somewhat realistic fishing experience. The game immediately was installed on my phone.
Imagine a rod and reel attached to the iPhone and the physics are easy to figure out. Pointing the phone up or down will raise or lower the rod tip. As any fisherman knows, this is part of the art of fishing when reeling in a whopper. The reel is located at the bottom center of the screen and is worked by turning the crank with your finger. To cast, simply flick the phone forward and the line will be ready to go. My kids have a theory that they must cast it further to catch bigger fish, so they get the full arm action big casting motion every time.
When fishing, four bait types will be available. Each bait will catch certain types of fish and bring different luck. There are seven fishing holes to try your luck on the map. Each location is marked by a red bobber and has a different theme. There is an inland pond, lake and river spots and various off shore locations. Each location has a unique look and is fully animated. The developer took special care in creating the fishing scenes that come alive. The animations are beautiful and really set the tone for each area whether on a tranquil lake, the angry ocean or night fishing. The graphics alone make this work the $.99. Players can just fish for fun, enter tournaments or talk to the old man at the lighthouse for assignments. I kind of like to just travel around the map and see what I can catch.
Catching a fish, especially larger fish is tricky just as it is in real fishing. A combination of reeling, keeping the rod tip up and managing the line tension is essential. The above screen shot shows a fish being caught and the display you will see. The top bar indicates line length and tension. When the line tension gets to the far right in the red, there is a threat to break the line and lose the fish. A combination of reeling and letting line back out, like a drag, will keep the line from breaking. Larger fish may take a minute or two to bring in, but the fight is enjoyable. The bar on the bottom indicates the strength of the fish. As the fish fights, the bar shakes which means you might just hold your ground. As the fish gets more tired, the bar gets smaller and you are able to reel faster without breaking the line. Each fish has different strength levels and fight differently, so you must watch what you are doing and fish smart.
As a fisherman, I was surprised at the quality experience playing a game on my iPhone could bring. To show how good the physics are…The other day I was playing in the office when I had a few minutes. Another coach, who does not own an iPhone and did not know what I was doing, asked if I was fishing. He had a confused look on his face when he asked and was much more surprised when I told him I was. He said, “ahhh looked like you were fishing.” Of course then he wanted to try it for himself. The game is beautiful, fun and works great. Flick Fishing is a must have on your $.99 game list. Check it out here in the app store.
What I like: Awesome graphics and realistic fishing physics. Super addicting!
What could be improved: The ability for me to catch bigger fish than my five year old son!!
