Bibliography
Game Title: Ridiculous Fishing
Genre: Casual, Action
Target: Teens+
Monetization: Paid, $2.99
The first thing I noticed about Ridiculous Fishing was the art style. The pixel graphics and bright colors give it a cartoony feel that is later accentuated when you are shooting dozens of fish out of the sky. The fishing gameplay is broken into two distinct parts, fishing below water and fishing above water. Below water is also broken into two parts, dodging and catching. On the way down the player tilts the device to dodge fish until they either run out of line or accidently catch a fish. Then as the line is reeled back in the player tries to catch as many fish as they can. Once you reach the surface the fish on the hook are launched into the sky then the player must tap on the screen to shoot them and collect their points. In-between fishing the player may move to new locations and buy upgraded items.
The overall goal is to catch all the different types of fish and unlock harder locations and better upgrades. This is a decent game that incorporates the gyroscope sensor of the device, that can be played casually in short sessions. The break in the use of the gyroscope felt a bit disorienting, switching from how I interacted with my device, tilting to tapping. And it didn’t feel as natural as it should have. Perhaps also tilting to aim my gun would have made it a smoother experience. However, that is still a minor complaint. The biggest complaint I have was with the upgrade path, particularly for the guns. You quickly unlock the Uzi and double Uzi which feels very powerful, allowing you to hold and move two fingers around the screen to shoot down fish. Compared to later upgrades like the shotgun, which lets you shoot twice then you must reload, it feels much less useful but costs more and they are unlocked after the Uzi. So, I felt like I was wasting time and not accomplishing anything by unlocking those upgrades.
Vlambeer. (2013). Ridiculous Fishing [iOS].