In defense of Stardew Valley’s fantastically frustrating fishing

I’m a type of weirdos in Stardew Valley who loves fishing.

Fishing is notoriously one of the vital troublesome parts of Stardew Valley. It’s probably not intuitive to select up and even in the event you get first rate at it, a lot of it depends on response pace and timing that it typically places a wrench within the in any other case chill sport. However to me, fishing is unfairly maligned within the Stardew Valley group.

Sure, it’s onerous. Sure, it’s unintuitive and a lot of your success is left as much as likelihood. However that’s precisely why I really like Stardew Valley fishing a lot. You get an adrenaline rush, coupled with the aspect of shock because you by no means actually know for positive what you’ll fish out of the water.

I’ve all the time appreciated fishing in video video games as a result of plenty of it’s randomized, and that candy, candy anticipation does so much for my neurons. Some folks dislike this and have actively labored to do away with it in Stardew, however it’s truly considered one of my favourite components of any fishing minigame. The truth is, I discover it boring if I do know what I’m searching for. And Stardew Valley’s fishing system is difficult; even armed with guides open in a single tab displaying motion patterns, time of day, and climate info for every fish, I’m not totally sure what I’ll fish up.

Picture: ConcernedApe by way of gamerjive

In contrast to video games akin to Animal Crossing or Fireplace Emblem: Three Homes (sure, it had a fishing minigame!), the place fishing may need some timing components, Stardew Valley ups the ante. Urgent the buttons on time — shortly, however not too shortly — is hard sufficient, however the truth that it varies from fish to fish ups the problem much more.

For the time being you get a chunk, all that issues is the battle between me and this little pixel fish; human versus (digital) nature. I function on pure intuition, homing my reflexes to be sharp, in order that I deliver residence that coveted catch. On this little pixel world, I stare out on the water, fishing rod in hand, decided to deliver again a prize. The sensory expertise is unequalled: the little bobber, the shifting fish, the frantic sound results — all of it instantly shifts my mind into grasp angler mode.

Stardew Valley fishing isn’t for everybody. It’s onerous, and despite the fact that I get pleasure from it, I’m nonetheless not nice about it. It’s irritating as hell to look the waters for that final catch in your group heart bundle (for me, it was the sturgeon). However then once more, a lot of the sport’s pleasure comes from mechanics that pressure you to take your time, whether or not you’re ready for crops to reap, descending the mines, or chopping down hardwood. There’s a pleasure in working in your farm, and every mechanic finds a special technique to categorical that. It simply so occurs that the fishing one makes my mind go brrr in one of the best ways.