‘Ridiculous Fishing EX’ Apple Arcade Review – It *Can* Get Weirder – TouchArcade

Has it actually been ten years since Ridiculous Fishing launched on iOS? Ten years because it received TouchArcade’s Game of the Year award? Greater than a decade for the reason that cloning controversy? I assume so. Heck, it’s been six years since I did my Classic Reload article on the sport, a chunk that’s now extra basic than the sport itself was on the time of its writing. It was a sport sorely in want of an replace, however when Vlambeer roughly closed its doorways a number of years again, I gave up any hope of that. So think about my shock when Ridiculous Fishing EX () was introduced to be coming to Apple Arcade. Not Ridiculous Fishing+, however Ridiculous Fishing EX! I’m a Capcom fan; ‘EX‘ will get me reasonably excited all by itself. So how is that this replace? Let’s solid a line and discover out.

I’d like to take a seat right here and faux that everybody studying that is already accustomed to Ridiculous Fishing, however time makes fools of us all, doesn’t it? So to kick issues off, right here’s a recap. It began as a Flash sport launched in 2010 by Vlambeer known as Radical Fishing. The small developer deliberate to carry a spiffed-up model of the sport to iOS as considered one of its first cellular sport, however the sudden look of a clone that shall go unnamed prompted a little bit of a dust-up that noticed the sport get sidelined for a few years. It will definitely hit in 2013, after the discharge of the also-excellent Tremendous Crate Field. This new model, known as Ridiculous Fishing: A Story of Redemption, was put collectively by Vlambeer (Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman) together with designer Zach Gage, artist Greg Wohlwent, and musician Eirik Sulke. It was an actual dream group, and the outcomes spoke for themselves. Nice evaluations, many awards, and near-universal reward had been piled up for the sport. Can’t beat the actual factor, child.

It solely takes one play to see why. Ridiculous Fishing hits all of the notes a cellular sport ought to. It’s actually intuitive to choose up and play, it appears and sounds nice, and it’s excellent for filling a couple of minutes or a few hours as wanted. Every play consists of three segments, every taking the type of a bit of mini-game. Casting your line with a faucet begins the primary, which sees you tilting your machine to keep away from any fish or different creatures to make sure your line reaches its most depth. When it hits that time or touches something, the second phase begins. You’re tilting once more right here, however this time you’re making an attempt to hit as a lot as you presumably can to snag it in your ascending line.

Up to now this isn’t very ridiculous, however as soon as your line reaches the floor issues get sort of wild. The catch flies into the air, and also you now have to make use of your gun to shoot each final creature. Properly, not all of them. Every creature you shoot will both add some cash to your whole or subtract some. As soon as all of the creatures have both been shot or fall again into the water, your money earnings are totaled. You may then go to the store to purchase some upgrades or solid your line once more. There are completely different fishing areas, and also you’ll unlock new ones by catching a set variety of species within the earlier one. You may solely do this by reaching as far into the deep as potential, and there are some creatures that require sure circumstances to look.

Ridiculous Fishing EX, developed in affiliation with KO_OP Mode, just about follows the identical template. There are some new upgrades within the store, new creatures to catch, a brand new finish sport mode (a terrific new addition for veteran gamers), a totally redone presentation, and extra. I additionally love that the sport’s Twitter expy has been swapped out for a TikTok expy named BikBok. With new creatures come new entries within the Fishopedia, and they’re simply as hilarious as ever. And don’t fear: it’s nonetheless a story of redemption. Be sure to roll these credit, as a result of there’s a pleasant reward for doing so. All in all, it’s a extremely devoted remake. Whereas it has been absolutely spruced up, it hasn’t deserted the type of the unique sport in doing so.

The gameplay is virtually unchanged apart from what the brand new upgrades provide, and that’s nice as a result of it didn’t want any adjustments. There’s a satisfying development constructed across the easy gameplay loop, and all the segments of that loop are brief and enjoyable sufficient that they by no means actually get outdated. Even after you’re used to the absurd premise, it’s enjoyable making an attempt to keep away from the fish, then do the alternative, after which blast them away. Having to watch out about which fish you shoot to keep away from cash losses and the place it’s best to focus your pictures means you’ll be able to’t simply blast away with out considering, so even at its most senseless Ridiculous Fishing EX wants you to pay a little bit of consideration.

Finally, whereas Ridiculous Fishing EX is a full-on remake, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It takes a sport that very a lot labored in each means, buffs up the presentation, piles some further content material on prime, and most significantly makes it work the best way it ought to on trendy units. Those that performed the unique prime to backside will discover some new issues to get pleasure from, and people who are fully new to Ridiculous Fishing are in for fairly a deal with. I want we had seen the universe the place cellular gaming continued alongside these strains as an alternative of the place it ended up going, however for now I’ll simply say I’m very completely satisfied to have this terrific, near-perfect sport very important as soon as extra.