Fishing Sim World: Why this fishing game is the reel deal

Fishing is the new rage these days.

Far Cry 5, Monster Hunter: Worlds and The Legend of Zelda are just a handful of games that encourage the player to step away from the main quest and enjoy a spot of fishing.

It can be both rewarding and challenging, with players often spending nearly as much time trying to catch a bite as they do on the main quest.

Enter Fishing Sim World - a game that, as the title suggests, revolves around catching as many fish as you can.

There's no story-line and side quests, just you, a rod, a high-powered speedboat and a large number of lakes.

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We recently spoke to Mark Greenway, avid angler and Business Director at Dove Tail Games - the team behind the game.

Having released their earlier titles as PC exclusives, Greenway explained how - with the console release of Fishing Sim World - they want to bridge the barrier between their core 'angler' fan base and more casual gamers.

"We wanted to be in a situation where you can fish at any point and at any time" said Greenway.

"You can get a group of friends together on their consoles (with up to four-person multiplayer), all get a boat and you can all fish in one spot together.

"Or you can all fish in different parts of the lake and try and turn it into a competition.

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"You can even use the boats to race each other around the lakes, which is just as much fun as the fishing to be honest."

So, what's new this year?

For Greenway it was about further refining the balance between hardcore fishing sim and creating a game capable of angling for a more casual audience.

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"At its heart, it's about fishing, we have kept it at its core level a fishing simulator," he explained. 

"Saying that I do think it's accessible to everyone. Everybody knows something about fishing especially with all of the shows now on mainstream TV.

"It's definitely accessible to everybody at the end of the day."

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One of the biggest features of Fishing Sim World are the Tournaments, which sees players from across the globe compete

There are four different tournaments: the Bass Tour, the Predator Tour, the Carp Tour and the Mac Series. Here's what you need to know about them:

• The Bass Tour is about catching the five biggest fish you can catch in a certain period of time
• The Predator Tour is about the length of fish combined, so a 14-inch pike with a 16-inch pike makes 30-inches in total
•  The Carp Tour is about how much weight all your fish make totalled up
• The Mac series is about catching as many fish as you can in a set time

Each one of the tournaments is different and each one will run for a week.

"We are going to have them running all the time," added Greenway. "At the end of each month we will give out an angler-of-the-month trophy with in-game rewards."

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With games such as Fortnite, FIFA and Call of Duty paving the way into the mainstream for esports, competitive gaming is hotter now than ever.

But how does Dovetail see Fishing Sim World tackle that market?

"There's plenty of opportunity," said Greenway. "People love competition and they love to fish.

"When I'm fishing on my own I'm practising for when I am going fishing with my friends."

Better catch this while you can.

Fishing Sim World is out now on PC, Xbox One and PS4.