If you’ve never heard of the company Vlambeer, it’s time to add them to that list you keep in your head of developers you love and hate because their games are so addictive. They first launched to popularity with their devilishly difficult Super Crate Box, and have also had success with some of their other games, including Radical Fishing and Gun Godz. The sequel to Radical Fishing, Ridiculous Fishing: A Tale of Redemption, was released for iOS in March, and has destroyed my free time on more than one occasion. But it’s more than just an addictive reflex-driven video game – it is, as its subtitle suggests, a tale of redemption.
Platforms: iOS
Publisher: Vlambleer
Developer: Vlambleer
Genre: Ridiculous Fishing… It’s Right There in the Title
Release Date: March 14, 2013
iTunes App Rating: 12+
In Ridiculous Fishing, you play as a fisherman named Billy, going from location to location and trying to fill your Fish-o-Pedia with as many different types of underwater creatures as possible. You tap the fishing rod, and your line goes down, down, down into the water. But on the way down, you want to avoid the fish, and get your line to go down as far as possible. You tilt your iPad left and right in order to dodge the fish, going as deep as you can, and then, once you hit a fish, your goal is to use the same maneuvers to catch as many fish as you can as the line pulls back up again.
Sounds like a simple day on the water, right? But there’s more. Once they hit the surface, the fish are thrown into the air, and you have to shoot them with your gun, which nets you cash. I can’t tell you how surprised I was when I first played the game and, as the fish flew out of the water, my friend shouted, “Now shoot them! Shoot them!!” The game goes from precise movements and then explodes into frenetic hilarity as you blow those fish out of the sky.
Using your money, you can upgrade your line, so you can go even deeper under the water. You can also upgrade your weapons and add additional items to your fishing line (chainsaws can really cut through fish!), lights so you can see in the dark depths, even toasters to blow up everything on the screen. You also purchase clothing and hats, some of which give you bonuses.
You can unlock more locations as you catch more fish, until you finally arrive at the fourth and final location. At the bottom of each area, something mystical awaits. And there’s an ending that is far deeper than I ever expected to encounter on a game that seems so fun and silly on the surface.
Vlambeer worked hard to make a game that was addictive yet meaningful, fun but still touching. Ridiculous Fishing is a game that everyone should play to satiate the need to use those twitch reflexes but also as a way to end a long day – by relaxing and blowing some fish to smithereens.
For $2.99, you’d be a fool not to own Ridiculous Fishing. In fact, if you’ve got any iOS device, you might as well just stock up on everything Vlambeer has to offer (or go totally insane and buy this awesome crate). Vlambeer is one of those companies that should be encouraged to create more games, because it’s clear that these guys are full of passion and creativity – and we need more of that, especially in the iOS world. Support them and buy this game – and I dare you to not shed a tear at the ending.
Review Disclosure: A retail copy of Ridiculous Fishing was purchased by Warp Zoned for the purposes of this review.
