We be back, and January's game was Fishing Vacation - a weird Game Boy-like fishing fever dream for only $2. In this game, you and a friend are staying in a cabin by a lake for a "fishing vacation" when some pretty weird stuff starts happening.

Fishing Vacation is an homage to Gameboy games of the past. The game is part fishing adventure, part atmospheric horror with a good dose of humor. Over the span of 3 days you'll dig up your own worms and catch your own dinner as you uncover the mysteries of the vacant cabin and the whereabouts of your friend's uncle and their family.

How many fish will we catch? Will we solve the mystery of the cabin? Did Aaron play the game this month? These answers and more in this month's Game Club.

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SumoKirby

"I should have never went on that damned... Fishing Vacation!"

This game is a neat little package. It's a short Game Boy-style, horror-themed escapade that was made as an entry for a game jam, though they clearly took it and fleshed it out, adding a lot of polish. The detailed pixel art for the fish and the little fishing animations are very well done; graphically, I would put this game at the upper end of Game Boy-likes.

The simple and short (<1 hr) story is something I consider a "take it or leave it". There are multiple endings, which the game clearly presents, but I wasn't too thrilled when I realized that I needed to replay the game from the start to experience those I had missed.

I came away from my fishing vacation with admiration for its little details, but a general lack of enthusiasm for the game. So, oddly... 1) absolutely worth $2, but 2) not recommended.

Tony

Fishing Vacation is a short and sweet throwback done in the style of a classic GameBoy game. The story follows two friends visiting a cabin for the weekend to do some fishing, but things become astray as they uncover some terrible secrets. Everything from the sprites, gameplay and sound design are pretty spot on for what you’d find on the GameBoy. I guess you could argue that the voice samples are a bit too clean, but if you’re going to be that nitpicky, what are you even doing here? The basic gameplay loop consists of waking up, digging for worms and then going fishing. In between that you can look around the cabin and talk to your friend, which can lead to different scenarios depending on certain choices you make. It’s nothing too deep, there are only a handful of endings you can unlock and they’re all relatively easy to get. You could easily unlock all of the endings and achievements within 2 or 3 hours, which isn’t too shabby for a game that’s relatively simplistic.

I can’t say that I loved Fishing Vacation, but I appreciated what it was going for and I did really enjoy the fishing mini-game as bare bones as it may have been. For a game that’s only a few bucks you could do a lot worse and it's an easy way to kill a few hours on a lazy afternoon.

Steve

A good Fishing Vacation, like a good fishing story bears repeating, so hear goes: I was minding my business in the middle of work June 2023 when Wario64 (you know that account that helps you spend a little less money while still spending too much) tipped us all off: Fishing Vacation is available for Switch for $2. $2? I can go on a Fishing Vacation for $2 and not think anything about it!

And really, if you like fishing in games, or Game Boy games, or games that don't take very long to complete, there's a lot worse you can do with your $2 and not think about it. The nasty Mr. Beast line of jerky costs more that $2. A gallon of gas costs more than $2. And don't get me started on the so called “value menu” these days. Just turn on something that runs it and give them your $2. You'll be happy you did.

Thrak

Fishing Vacation is a real neat game that could be better. I liked the Gameboy aesthetic and how short it is with the different endings, but it feels more like a concept for a game than a game itself. The game also isn’t scary, like at all. It’s not even that atmospheric. The fishing part of the game is also incredibly simplistic. I hope to see this kind of idea expanded on the future cause I love what this game could become. For right now, it’s a neat idea.

Aaron

This game was surprisingly cool for what seemed like $2 slop. I really dig how there are so many different endings and little secrets that you can easily miss on your first playthrough. I also loved the Game Boy-esque visuals. It works so well for this game in terms of both the simple fishing mechanics and the horror elements.

Overall, it's a neat game that won't overstay its welcome at all.

Thank you for reading!

Come back next month and see what we have to say about February's game, Chex Quest.

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