Update 2023/11/13: The latest update gave players more accessibility options, namely the option to autoclick and toggle sprint mode! This means the complaints I made about those things are no longer accurate.
Ah, Webfishing. This game is the latest (as of November 2024) gaming fad on social media. Is it worth the hype, should you buy it? Let's analyze its aspects to find out.
Note that this is a review of the game without mods, the way I play it. There are multiple mods around for Webfishing which can solve some of the issues I mention or enhance gameplay.
Webfishing is a casual fishing game with a focus on hanging out with other players. There's no story and no pressure to catch every fish. Really, it's all about catching fish, selling them and upgrading your camp to unlock new stuff to buy.
It's super simple, but it's pretty well-executed. Once you cast and get a bite, you hold the left mouse button to reel it in, interspersed by moments where you mash that very same button a varying number of times to catch the fish. It's repetitive, but strangely addictive.
It's not without flaw though. It's easy enough for most fish, but the number of times you have to click can get absurdly high- which would be fine, a bit of a challenge and a reason to upgrade your equipment never hurt anyone, were it not for the fact that it can cause discomfort around the wrist for many people. Additionally, I wish there was an auto-sprint option, as pressing down on the Shift key can also cause a bit of a strain.
Despite not having a whole lot of «purpose», it actually has a couple of events and a secret I loved. Stuff like a meteor event takes you by surprise the first time it happens, which I found to be really cool. Oh, and the Sans Undertale spectral rod is really cool and worth the search.
There's also a ton of «flavor» in the game, items that don't necessarily add to the gameplay but are fun when hanging out with other players. Stuff like instruments and props are a nice addition in a chill hangout.
Overall, it's definitely more style over substance, though I don't consider that a bad thing.
The graphics obviously take a lot of inspiration from Animal Crossing, but adds its own spin with the low-poly style it has as its default (you can adjust the pixelization or remove it entirely).
Speaking of pixels, the drawing tools are kind of hard to use at first, they have this pixel art style to them that is a bit hard to master for many. I'm mentioning this in the «visuals and music» section because the pixel art style might not fit with the low-poly graphics turned off. That is a nitpick though...
The music and ambience are quite pleasant, mostly keeping to nature sounds with the occasional chill beat playing for a short time. There's a boombox prop that plays royalty-free music by Kevin MacLeod when you interact with it- it's pretty funny to have the infamous upbeat ukelele tune playing, though I prefer the sad piano.
Since this is a hangout game, it's nice to have plenty of customization options to stand out. This game has many clothes and accessories you can buy, as well as different stylish rods and bobbers. There's also titles you can earn and buy that show up under your player name.
The game has plenty of LGBT pride items and 1 (one) straight pride item (which is the most expensive title in the game). If that bothers you, you're silly this ain't the game for you.
Since this isn't a competitive game, most players are exceedly chill to hang out with. You can set a private server for your friends or make a public one. I've mostly kept to friends-only servers, but I've chatted with random people on public ones and I've generally had a nice experience.
This isn't to say every interaction is super nice, that's just been my experience.
You can also set your server as 18+, but since this game doesn't ask for your age it's based on a honor system. I'm not entirely sure it always works, but it's at least good to have that option.
It's pretty damn good! A chill space to hang out, and at a pretty affordable price to boot (just about 5 bucks). It's not surprising that so many people got into this game, it's easy enough to pick up for a bit before you go to work or school (a lot of people I met were playing in the morning, ahah), it has a lot of charm and its cheap price makes it very appealing.
If you're looking for a challenge or only like games that require a lot of skill, you might want to look elsewhere. This game is super casual. If you don't mind the repetitiveness and casual nature it has, I recommend it. It sure beats just hanging out on Discord- at least you get to fish together.