Nice Day for Fishing: The Game VLDL Fans Have Been Waiting For

Nothing works without them: the NPCs. They set us on quests, show us the way or fill the game world with life and personality, not to mention some iconic quotes said by NPCs like “Stop right there!” from the guards in Oblivion or “I used to be an adventurer like you” from the ones in Skyrim or even “Hello, Adventurer!” from the garlic seller, Greg, from the MMO Skycraft.

What? You don't know Greg or the game Skycraft? The fictional game created by the Viva La Dirty League channel in the humor skits Epic NPC Man, that make jokes about some of the most common things that happen to players like getting disappointing rewards after a complex quest, being at a level much higher than the boss because you did a bunch of side quests or skipping the NPC's lines.

With each new video, the world of Azerim becomes bigger and more complex, with new NPCs for us to meet. In addition to Greg, the blacksmith Bodger, the wizard Baradun and the slow-walking escort quest NPC, Eugine, show us what common game situations are like, but from the point of view of the NPCs of the village of Honeywood. However, the star here is Baelin, your commonplace fisherman, an NPC who only has one voice line (“Mornin’! Nice day for fishing, ain’t it?”) and a simple routine of going fishing and coming home. But what would happen if this NPC became the hero of the story?

That’s what we see in this game by Team 17 and FusionPlay, where we follow a world without adventurers and left in the hands of the friendly Baelin, who’s trying to save the entire game. If you have any questions, leave a comment.

What happens when an NPC takes on a role for which they weren’t originally created? Something similar to the movie “Free Guy”, starring Ryan Reynolds. On a normal day in the village of Honeywood, with adventurers taking on quests and delivering them to NPCs, the High Wizard, Baradun, brings out the box of Abandoned Souls, wanting to take on its powers, but the thieves Charlie and Bernand decide to steal it (after all, they’re thieves and thieves steal). However, when they open the box, they release an unknown power that makes all the adventurers go offline and Baelin gets the ability to take on quests. Now, with no adventurers and an evil loose in the world of Azerim, it’s up to Baelin to save the world. And all this with our greatest (and only) talent: fishing!

German developer Fusion Play (Across the Valley) alongside Team17 and video production company Viva La Dirty League, created by Australian actors and entrepreneurs Rowan Bettjeman, Alan Morrison and Adam King, initially brought Baelin’s story in the form of a 34-minute video, with Baelin helping an NPC girl who survived an orc attack, and now it comes to PC and consoles in a slightly different way, because this time we’re not the player with access to interchangeable equipment, new attacks, spells, defenses, etc. What’s still true is when it comes to dialogue. He’s simply not a man of many words.

Our task is clear: become the greatest (actually, the only one left) hero of all time, defeat the demon and his henchmen, and rebuild Honeywood village. Fishing, collecting items, and improving our newly acquired adventurer skills. So, let's get going, after all, it's a nice day for fishing, isn't it?

Fishing doesn't always have to be a boring pastime - games such as Dave the Diver or Ridiculous Fishing show it well. In Nice Day for Fishing, we take on the role of Baelin and cross many rivers and seas to defeat fish in battle. The objective is to tire out the fish and pull them to the surface - with normal attacks or special moves - without getting knocked out tug-of-war style. However, the fish fight back: they attack us, poison us, or use other tricks. Over time, we accumulate experience points, level up, and become stronger. At the same time, we collect materials to rebuild the village, unlock new equipment and improve our stats in the best RPG style!

Nice Day for Fishing’s gameplay is pleasantly simple, yet cleverly thought out and attractively designed. It can be learned and implemented quickly, without ever becoming boring or frustrating players. One small point of criticism is the frequent back and forth between the various locations in the compact game world to complete quests and take on new tasks - but this is a part of games of this genre, in this case, the MMORPGs that the game wants to emulate. After all, Skycraft is an MMO and we’re in it.

As for the fishing, on the one hand, the battles with the fish and the precise aiming in the currents are convincing, which makes the gameplay exciting and varied. On the other, there’s a risk that this’ll diminish over time and quickly become monotonous. For those looking for relaxation rather than action, Nice Day for Fishing is the perfect game for you.

Nice Day for Fishing impresses with its charming, retro pixelated style that deliberately focuses on simple but carefully designed graphics. Instead of sophisticated, modern 3D visuals, the game impresses with crisp, colorful pixel art that creates a nostalgic feel, while also offering a friendly and playful aesthetic. The environments are detailed enough to create a vibrant world without distracting from the relaxing feel of the game.

Depending on the location or the depth of the water, the mood of the details change - even the appearance of the fish is creatively designed and varies depending on the environment. The individual characters reflect their real-life counterparts from the YouTube videos well and are easily recognizable, even if they don't look exactly like the characters and actors.

The sound also contributes significantly to this: many of the characters' quotes are taken directly from the videos and, so, they’re repeated frequently. It's quite funny that Baelin just always repeats his standard quote: "Mornin’! Nice day for fishing, ain’t it? Huh-ha" - and yet, everyone understands him. Sometimes, big words aren't needed to express something.

The background melodies are discreet, soft and catchy. You'll immediately recognize the Honeywood village theme that plays in all of Epic NPC Man's videos. All of this is complemented by subtle ambient noises, such as birds chirping or the rippling of water, which add depth to the world and create a pleasant and relaxing soundscape.

The interaction between graphics and sound creates a relaxing atmosphere that perfectly matches the relaxing fishing game. The good-humored characters and laid-back gameplay complete the experience and invite you to escape the frenetic pace of everyday life and dive into a charming, peaceful world. Overall, Nice Day for Fishing creates an engaging feel that invites you to stay and enjoy. The fact that all the characters know they’re NPCs creates fun moments over and over again and conveys a successful sense of humor.

The game’s clearly a declaration of love from the members of the VLDL channel to their fans. It’s full of references to both the Epic NPC Man skits and NPC D&D, the RPG tabletop that the actors played during the Covid-19 pandemic, between 2019 and 2022, and missing out on these references takes half the fun out of the game. After all, it's a game focused on fishing and relaxation, with a touch of humor, like others out there.

If you don't understand the jokes or don't know what the actors' voices are saying and why they're saying that, then the game might lose some of its shine. So if you're not familiar with the channel, it might be worth taking the chance to get to know it. Otherwise, playing Nice Day for Fishing might turn out to be a less interesting experience than the FusionPlay team originally intended.

Pros

Successful humor from the comedy group "Viva La Dirt League";

Original sound and voices from the actors;

Fishing is staged as exciting fights with good RPG elements

Cons

Partially repetitive task mechanics;

Too much text in the dialogues;

Large game world with long pathways;

Nice Day for Fishing is a fun game that creates a pleasant atmosphere with its own humor and engaging gameplay. You can sit back, relax, smile, and enjoy the peace and quiet. Although there’s an occasional risk of the title becoming a bit monotonous, the different regions and quests provide enough variety.

The fishing in the form of battles adds a welcome dose of excitement to the otherwise rather simple mechanics. Overall, Nice Day for Fishing is a light and relaxing title, perfect for a quiet break between the competitive and ranked matches of other games.