For those unfamiliar with Viva La Dirt League, they are a comedy troupe from New Zealand who have produced several series of sketches. Among their series is Epic NPC Man, a comedy series about the goings ons of a fictional video game called Skycraft set in the land of Azerim. Yeah I think we can see what they were going for there.
The series initially focused on an NPC called Greg the Garlic Farmer, the main quest giver in the town of Honeywood, but over time more characters were introduced and took focus. One of these characters was Baelin, a fisherman NPC who only has a single line, “Morning! Nice day for fishing, ain’t it? Hua hah!” and yet took off in popularity and even earned his own standalone kickstarter-funded short film. Now Viva La Dirt League has teamed with Team17 to produce a game based on the series and surprisingly enough, it is a game that has helped save my sanity.
At its core, Nice Day For Fishing, named for Baelin’s only line, is a fishing RPG, but it is so much more than that. The game is full of meta humour about the nature of video games and NPCs, and of course, in jokes and references to Epic NPC Man recurring gags.
All of the iconic characters are here, such as Bodger the blacksmith, Baradun the sorcerer, Fred the fruit seller and of course the muggers. The plot sees the muggers cause an issue that sees all the player characters, the adventurers, disappear from the game. At the same time, Baelin is affected as well when he is turned from an NPC into an adventurer.
Baelin can still only say one line, but is able to fully interact with the world and other characters in this 2D Pixel game.The meat of the game will see you fishing, but this is not a typical fishing game. Fishing here takes the form of RPG battles, where you must attack and then defend against attacks from the fish.
Yes, battles against fish. These battles are phase based, where you will start off attacking and then move to defending. You will have to learn how to block and parry attacks, while also facing status effects in the process. Different fish have different approaches and health meters, and as you level up, you will find new ways to approach the battle.
You will also learn spells and gain items over time that will help you in combat throughout the game. These spells can range from a healing spell to repair your fishing line, to attacks that are essential for defeating ( and therefore catching) certain fish. It can really get your adrenaline going, especially in later areas, and never feels dull.
Of course, a game like this needs epic bosses and Nice Day For Fishing has plenty. These bosses do not use a phase based battle, so you must constantly be blocking and parrying while you attack. They can get very intense, but never too overwhelming thankfully.
There is more to the game though, as helping get the town back on its feet after an ancient evil is unleashed, is a major part of the game. You will need to find more of the iconic characters from the series and slowly make progress as you gather materials. The more you do, the more options are provided to you for what to buy and how to progress, and sidequests will change as well.
I have been praising Nice Day For Fishing, but there are some negatives as well. The jokes are a major part of the appeal of the game, don’t get me wrong, but some of them feel like they outstay their welcome by being used so often. If they were more spread out, they would work much better. In addition, some platforming sections in the game feel very slippery and awkward to progress in.
Still, the overall game is incredible and as mentioned the 2D side-scrolling pixel art look is incredibly well done. The recurring music from the sketches also appears such as the music that always plays in Honeywood and is rendered lovingly in this game. Plus even if some jokes end up being used too much, the writing is overall fantastic.
I mentioned this game saved my sanity earlier, and that is because I had been dealing with anxiety attacks and panic episodes, but playing Nice Day For Fishing just helped get me to calm down and relax. Even at the most frustrating parts of the game, I found myself feeling better just by playing it and being able to get back into the swing of life again. That is something I will always appreciate and a reason I will forever be a fan of Nice Day For Fishing.
Video games adapted from web series have been hit or miss over the years, but Nice Day For Fishing is a real gem. A parody RPG game full of meta humour that still understands it needs to be a good game and have proper mechanics and quests is great, and I daresay that Nice Day For Fishing is a better fishing RPG than some that are held up as greats by fans.
If you are a fan of Viva La Dirt League, you will want to check out Nice Day For Fishing. If you are a fan of RPGs, you will want to check it out. But more importantly, if you are looking for a good game that will leave you satisfied, then you will want to play Nice Day For Fishing. It is just a great game.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
