by theygamesI’ve never enjoyed fishing in real life, but there’s something about taking up the pastime in a videogame that always entices me. Whether it’s exploring Eorzea in a new light in Final Fantasy 14, putting together dishes after investigating the depths in Dave the Diver, or even picking a tranquil spot in Minecraft, putting all those quests and objectives to the back of my mind never felt better. That’s why I’m here telling you about the new Sea Fantasy, which trades out the traditional combat of RPGs for an activity with much more serenity.
At a glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking Sea Fantasy is a modern reimagining of the RPGs of old, like the early years of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. You explore a pixel-art world from a top-down perspective, meet an array of colorful characters, and even have a handful of minigames to keep you busy along the way. This is where any similarities stop, however, because instead of engaging in combat, you’re saving the world by fishing.
Sea Fantasy is filled with over 100 marine creatures called SeaAZ, and it’s the job of protagonists Rod and Axel to collect as many as possible, otherwise the destruction of the world is imminent. It’s quite the jump from peaceful fishing to total planetary annihilation, but it makes for one of the most distinctive-looking games on Steam.
In a similar vein to Stardew Valley, Sea Fantasy’s fishing is all about timing and control. You need to stop the marker at the right time to deal damage to each SeaAZ in order to capture them. From here you can craft equipment like fishing rods and hooks from SeaAZ materials, which will help you catch even tougher creatures.
You can even explore the world by boat, with both Rod and Axel (typing these names for the second time makes them even better) helpful in different ways once you get on land and explore. Rod is, naturally, the best at fishing, while Axel is all about moving obstacles out of your way and providing general support. All of the best JRPGs have delightful party dynamics, but what’s better than two dudes just going on a fishing trip?
Sea Fantasy is available on Steam right now, alongside a 10% launch discount that’s running until Tuesday January 14. You’ll find the game here.
If you want to play more than just Sea Fantasy, we’ve got all the best relaxing games and open-world games you can check out as well.
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