Arcade-style fishing games can be quite an intriguing genre blend in theory, but after having a chance to play it out in Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits, I have to say that Bandai Namco is on to something. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise since this is a sequel title to a hit game from 2019, but it is the first title in the Ace Angler series to make its way to the Americas. While it isn’t a perfect game, I am glad it made it over here.

Story

Something is happening that is causing trash to begin building up in the ocean. As an expert fisherman and lover of the seas, it is up to you to help find out why there is so much trash and where it is coming from. Worse than that, it appears that someone is poisoning the fish! While you are out on the water, you will need to gather as many poisoned fish as possible in order to cure them and find out who is poisoning the fish. Who knows, maybe these two problems are linked? Either way, the ocean is in dire need of someone with your talents!

Gameplay

As you could guess, this gameplay is revolved around fishing. The first thing to note is that the controls are a little weird, even after the tutorial. You have the angle the rod in the direction you want to throw it in, press A to lock it in that direction, and wait for the strength bar reaches where you want it to be - depending on how far you want the cast to go. Then, after you have cast the line, there is no challenge to get the fish on your line. They just go straight for it and bite the bait. You do have to reel in the fish, which is done by holding A, and you can even use a Lightning ability to temporarily stun the fish, helping you reel it in.

While fishing, keep your end goal in mind; find and catch the poisoned fish. A poisoned fish has a purple aura around them and they are a little stronger than regular fish. Once you catch them, you can sometimes cure them of the poison that is afflicting them. Some don’t ask to be cured and will befriend you as a poisoned fish. Caught poisoned fish will help provide information that will help move the story forward.

Story mode will play out where each level has its own challenge to beat it. Challenges will have you catching specific fish, upwards to a Great White Shark, and to do this you just need to get the line to land on where the shadow of the fish is. The shadows don’t show which fish they are until you have already caught one, but based on what you are fishing for and the size of the shadow you can sort of tell.

The game is split up into a few different modes. Starting with Story Mode, which is split up into levels that each have specific goals, Arcade mode, which will have you run around catching fish wherein different areas hold different fish, Shark Fever Mode, which is a coin dozer type mode where you use coins earned from other modes - it also has fishing moments happen when a monster fish coin or enough monster fish bubbles are earned through the coin dozer and it will make a monster fish appear, and then Championship Mode which is online play. All of the base game modes in the game can be played with 1 or 2 players, split screen. Something to keep in mind is that in Story Mode you will have unlimited Lightning uses, but in Arcade and Shark Fever Mode you will be limited to the amount of Lightning your current rod allows.

Customization is pretty diverse in this game. You can customize your character with a large variety of mix-and-match options for clothing. You can also customize your rod, but that starts with slim pickings and you unlock more options as you progress. You can upgrade the rod as well by playing through the story mode to give you stronger lines, stronger rods, and more options that will ultimately help you catch bigger and harder-to-catch fish.

No matter the mode, your ultimate goal is to fill up the aquarium in the city. To do this, you run around collecting coins and tickets which can be used on a Gacha machine that will give you a random fish. There are two different tickets: standard and rare. Using these ticket options will change the type, or rarity, of the fish you get. The fish you catch do not go in the aquarium, only those from the Gacha machine. The fish you catch fill up your personal fish catalog which ultimately increases your customization options.

When you are in the city, you can interact with the NPCs - which are talking fish. If there is a coin bubble over their head, they will ask a question, and getting it right will earn that coin. Other than that, you can run up to the game mode you wanna play, check out the aquarium, or go customization shopping.

Audio and Visual

Fittingly, the music is nice and playful. The sound effects are fairly standard to what you would expect and give a good indication of what is going on. However, there is an announcer-type of voice-over when you do the mini-games and level selection that can be a little much for some, but if you are a fan of the anime-style voice work then it will be a perfect fit. The rest of the voice work is pretty fitting though.

When it comes to graphics, this game has a nice quality to it. Looking into the details of fish comes with a lot of information and can be a learning experience as well. While the characters and environment have a very cartoonish style, the fish themselves are given more detail and a more upgraded aesthetic quality.

Replayability

As long as you are having fun fishing, still trying to fill out that aquarium, or just like being surprised by what lurks under the waves, then yes there is replayability. Not to mention the two players’ option and the online mode to play with others.

What It Could Have Done Better

There is a lot of dialogue that could have simply been left out. While it did seem like they wanted to try and deliver a joke here and there, at a certain point it comes across as just more talking. More specifically speaking, the announcer's voice should have her own volume control. I did want to have that voice-over specifically turned down without costing the voice work put in for the story and other NPC dialogue moments, but unfortunately, it is either no voice work or all of it.

There should be a control option to actually hook the fish. I like that we can reel it in, but hooking a fish is a big part of the fun of fishing! At least we can use lightning to help with the fishing and that adds a unique element to the game.

Verdict

Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits is a playful version of a fishing game and is very entertaining in its own style! It is a neat little title that is good for killing time and even trying hard, depending on what part of the game you want to play with. I didn’t think an arcade fishing game was something I would ever play, but now I have to say that I recommend giving it a try if you like fishing games - especially if you like titles that don’t take themselves too seriously. The added fact that it is educational as well is just such a bonus to the overall experience too.

Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits is now available on Nintendo Switch.