The ridiculous yet charming fishing sim by Viva La Dirt League (VLDL),Nice Day For Fishing, isn’t just a simple day on the lake. Fisherman NPC-turned-adventurer, Baelin is tasked with saving the world from a conveniently fishy opponent, and players must master the rod and reel to do so. While the game is filled with humor and very little real danger, there are still plenty of things players can do to make the adventure a bit easier and more fun for themselves.
While playing throughNice Day For Fishingto reviewit forScreenRant, I made a mental note of some of the things I wished I had done differently from the start. Now, this list is certainly not comprehensive and is based solely on my own romp through Honeywood, butperhaps some other VLDL fans and beginner fishing heroes can learn from my experienceand find even more enjoyment. And always remember, this is a silly game that isn’t ever meant to be taken too seriously, so have fun with it.
10You Can Simply Cancel Your Cast Rather Than Reeling It In Without A Fish
Good When You See A Chest Or Need To Pause
Perhaps Baradun or another NPC told the players this early in the game, butI was shockingly high level before realizing that if I needed to stop fishing for whatever reason, I could simply press the release button to cancel the cast. Sometimes I might be far down looking for a fish and end up spotting a treasure chest tucked away in some recess. Pulling the line up could waste a lot of time, and runs the risk of one of the fish higher up grabbing hold of the bait.
Always remember, this is a silly game that isn’t ever meant to be taken too seriously, so have fun with it.
While fishing, as long as there is no fish on the line, on the top left of the screen there is an image of a fishhook with a red X on it. Whatever the corresponding button is that is shown, this will cancel the cast and allow Baelin to swap lures and go again.This can also be incredibly handy if you need to pause the game, as there is no way to pause while in the water.
9Achievement Hunters Should Keep Note Of 5-Star Fish
Trust Me, You’ll Thank Yourself Later
Many of the trophies or achievements inNice Day For Fishingaren’t all that complicated to get, but there is one that I found was much more frustrating than it needed to be. In order to get the achievement “Finally, some good d*mn fish"players need to catch a five-star version of every fish in the game. This is already a time-consuming and tedious task, but the fact that the game doesn’t show you which fish you’ve already gotten a five-star for makes it even longer.
So, just keep things simple and, while playing through the main narrative portion of the game,make a note somewhere whenever Baelin pulls in a five-star fish. This way, you don’t have to worry about crossing that one off the list again later on just to chase thatplatinum trophy or achievement.
8Pick Up All The Bait, Always
You Can Never Have Enough Garlic, Worms, And Other Bait
There is a lot of walking back and forth during the fetch quests inNice Day For Fishing, which also gives players plenty ofstrolls past garlic, palm nuts, worms, and other items that are found in the world of Azerim. Early on in the game, I would ignore many of these because I felt that I had more than enough of what I needed and didn’t need to stop.
However,garlic and other items are used for more than just bait for fishing. Once Greg’s shop is available, these seemingly worthless pieces of bait can be exchanged for useful potions. So, it’s just easier to grab them while playing through the story and build up a large supply rather than having to seek them out later on.
7Try To Always Have Some Of Each Crate Item, And Upgrade Buildings ASAP
Upgrading Buildings Will Require A Lot Of Stuff, It’s Easier To Get It As You Go
Similar to the garlic and other gathered resources that are found on land, the ocean has crates of materials that become increasingly important as the game continues.Wood, stone, sand dollars, and so many more resources are only found in specific locations under the water, and may take a little while to respawn once they have been picked up. These materials are crucial components to upgrading the buildings in Honeywood.
Upgrading these buildings is far more than simply rebuilding Honeywood to be a nice person and have it look good.As each building is upgraded, the NPCs in town offer new wares, quests, or deals. Upgrading Greg’s shop gives the chance to stock up on potions and materials. Bodger’s Smithy will sell better rods to improve the fishing strength and other stats. It is absolutely worth making the investment to help out this town.
6Be Careful When Mashing The Attack Button
You Can Also Just Hold Down The Button, But It Might Be Slower
This tip may seem a bit obvious, but it matters. When attacking a fish, players can either hold down the button to attack or mash the button as fast as possible to make it go a little quicker. However, as soon as the fish spins around to attack,if Baelin hasn’t stopped pulling on the line, Baelin will do far more damage to himself than the fish ever would. Focusing on the right timing of when to attack and when to wait feels as though it takes longer, but actuallysaves fishing time in the long run.
5Do The Side Quests To Level Up, And Maybe Do Some Extra Fishing Too
Being Underleveled Makes Things Much Harder
Most ofNice Day For Fishing’s quests are important to progressing the main story, but there are still someoptional side quest mechanicsthat could easily be ignored. The mayor of Honeywood may have some rather silly quests to go along with his lack of awareness of the situation happening in his town, buthe pays well, and it helps Baelin level up.
Unless players want to grind out levels by fishing over and over, which would still be useful for getting the achievement of finding five-star fish, doing the mayor’s quests is an excellent diversion. Level up, get money, and knock out yet another achievement to help out the mayor.
4Hunt For Treasures Everywhere, And Don’t Worry About Physics
Treasure Chests Can Contain Unique Customizations Or Gear
As Baelin’s fishing line gets leveled up, physics don’t matter anymore. Therefore, while going through the game,players should try making note of any treasure chests that are spotted, even if they can’t reach them quite yet. Of course, if they are accessible, this is the perfect reason to cancel the cast and swap to the magnet to grab that treasure.
While many of the chests in the game contain fairly boring items like a potion or gold,some of them hold unique treasures. Custom sails for the boat, cool new weapons and gear that are not available from any of the stores, and more are all found deep down in the depths of the sea.
3Don’t Forget To Check In With The Statue Of The Fishing God
Earn New Spells For Fish Collected
While walking back and forth, remember to check in regularly with the fishing god statue for the chance to unlock spells. This statue wants to see that Baelin has collected at least one of every fish in the game, and at least here it doesn’t have to be five-star. Each area has five fish types to find, andonce all five have been shown to the statue, Baelin learns a new spellor upgrades an existing spell as a reward.
Some of these spells can be powerful attacks, while others give buffs or heals to Baelin during the battle. Also, although Baelin must have the fish in his inventory when talking to the statue, he gets to keep the fish for quests or to sell.
2Don’t Save Your Potions And Spells, Use Them!
These Can Make A Huge Difference In A Fight
Speaking of spells and potions, it is easy to either forget they exist while doing epic battles with a Toulet Tuna or even the Eight-Armed Terror, but they can mean the difference between winning and losing.Potions are used during the battle, but are easy and immediate to apply, as long as you remember they exist.
Spells take up some of Baelin’s power and must be used a bit more strategically, butapplying these buffs to Baelin or de-buffs to the enemy early in the fight is much more useful than waiting until the last moment. Just make sure to save some for healing if needed.
1Spend The Money To Get Better Gear, It’s Worth It
Fishing Rods, Hats, And Accessories Can Make A Big Difference
Saving anything is generally not a good practice inNice Day For Fishing, because not only should players use their potions and buy what they need, buthoarding gold is much less beneficial than spending that money on better gear. Buying accessories from Willow, hats from Eugene, and rods from Bodger not only look cool and have fun descriptors, but the skill improvements that they offer make the entire experience truly become aNice Day For Fishing.
