$20 Game of the Week: Ridiculous Fishing (iOS, Android)

Vlambeer’s (Super Crate Box, Luftrausers) 2013 mobile fishing game, which is an enhanced version of the company’s flash browser game Radical Fishing, is perhaps more famous for the developer’s battle with the developer of a cloned game. To make a long story short, shortly after beginning work on a mobile version, developer Gamenauts released Ninja Fishing, an game that had a similar style of play. The game became an instant success, and this discouraged the developers to a point where they temporarily scrapped the project. However, after winning awards for their game Super Crate Box, the team decided to scrap everything and rebuild Ridiculous Fishing. Thankfully the game was a success, and is one of the best games available on mobile platforms.

Players play as Billy the fisherman, a fisherman who makes use of social media. The game is made up of 3 segments. First, players cast their line into the ocean, trying to go as deep as they can while avoiding fish. Once you catch one, you quickly ascend, and the objective is to bring in as may fish as you can before reaching the top of the water. Then the fish are flung into the air, and you have to shoot as many as you can to maximize eh amount of money you earn. The money you earn can then go towards equipment and power ups that make the game slightly easier. Discovering a certain amount of fish in a location opens up a new location to fish in. There isn’t much more to it than that, but the game will keep you hooked. Also, there are no in-app purchases.

Ridiculous Fishing rose above the controversy to become an excellent game. If you got a few minutes of free time, Vlambeer’s effort is a good way to spend it. And it goes to show players that no matter how many ripoffs there are, the original will win out in the end.