Comparing Fishing Adventures in Three Cozy Games

Hooked on Fishing: Comparing Fishing Adventures in Three Cozy Games

In recent years, the term "Cozy Gaming" has become a popular trend, thanks to games like Harvest Moon, the Animal Crossing franchise, Stardew Valley, and more. These games often involve activities such as farming, cooking, and fishing. However, as someone who has never fished before in real life and is a vegetarian, fishing is my least favorite activity in cozy games. Nevertheless, I want to explore how fishing is approached in three of my favorite cozy games and determine which method I prefer. Each cozy game I'll discuss brings different methods to fishing that I am eager to examine. Keep reading to find out which games I'll talk about in this article.

Today, I plan to analyze the fishing methods used in three different cozy games: Animal Crossing New Horizons, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and Palia - my new favorite game. All three games involve cooking, farming, and fishing. I will provide a detailed explanation of the fishing process in each game, and share my personal experiences and opinions. Let's begin!

Fish images from each respective game's wiki page

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH)

Animal Crossing New Horizons is a game that took the world by storm. It doesn't need an introduction, but I'll give it one just in case. As I mentioned in another blog post, ACNH was my first experience with cozy gaming. This title was released by Nintendo on March 20, 2020, and takes players to a deserted island that they can turn into a thriving home for 10 cute animals. Players can also create and customize furniture, build, cook, farm, and much more. Nintendo truly gave players the freedom to create their dream island from scratch. However, before getting to the fancy things, players must start from the basics.  Fishing is not immediately available to players. At the start of the game, you have no tools. The infamous Tom Nook advises you to focus on agriculture first. After building trees, planting flowers, and interacting with your animal neighbors you will be invited to Nook's workshop where you can learn how to build tools like axes and fishing rods. However, you will need to gather the required materials to make the item first. Once you have crafted your fishing tool, you can approach a body of water on your island, look for a fish-like shadow in the water, cast your fishing rod, and wait for a bite. There are two distinct bite sounds - a lighter one and a deeper one. The deeper bite sound indicates that it's time to catch the fish. Be sure to press the A button immediately. Fishing in ACNH is an easy process, but it requires attention to get the hang of it. In conjunction with listening to the audio cues, you should also look at your Nintendo Switch screen since a big dash from the fishy figure will also appear when it's ready to be caught. If you miss this opportunity, the fish disappear.

Images from my gameplay of Animal Crossing New Horizons, courtesy of Nintendo. 

 Something I've noticed about fishing in Animal Crossing is that you have to be quick. If you move too slowly, the fish will disappear. Also, a fish can be caught at any moment. I used to think that a fish needs to bite three times before I can catch it but this is not always true. Once you cast your fishing rod, it's up to the fish to decide how quickly or slowly it wants to be caught.

Cool Facts

- Customization is available for your fishing rod. 

- You can keep track of all the fish you've caught via critterpedia.
- You can cook delicious meals with the fish you caught (this was not initially in the game).

In my experience with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I found the fish-catching process to be quite manageable, and I would rate it a 4 out of 5. Once you learn to pay attention to the game cues such as the size of the shadow in the water and the timing of the fish nibbling on your bait, it becomes super easy. 

Disney Dreamlight Valley

Disney fanatics, our favorite mouse has bestowed upon us the adventure of a lifetime - Disney Dreamlight Valley. Developed and published by Gameloft on September 6, 2022, this game immerses players into the wonderful world of Disney. This cozy game combines the typical elements of farming, cooking, fishing, and much more. However, what makes it special is the interaction players have with classic Disney characters and even recent favorites like Mirabel and Moana. You can explore different Disney-themed biomes and realms which is just the icing on the cake. Currently, my favorite is the Lion King realm. It's like watching the 1994 classic all over again. Like the aforementioned Animal Crossing title, you do not immediately have access to fishing. However, once you've spoken to Mickey and get to learn a little bit about the game's backstory, you'll gain the skill of fishing from a familiar friend. Players must speak to Goofy and complete the Fishing Expedition quest. Once this is complete, Goofy will let players keep the fishing rod, marking the start of their personal fishing journey in Dreamlight Valley. 

Fishing in Dreamlight Valley has a bit of simplicity with just a touch of skill. The controls I'll be going over today are for the steam deck. Players are to approach a body of water. However, it does not need to be a large body of water, even a small pond will suffice. When approaching fishing, if you throw your hook towards water with no bubbles you'll almost always catch seaweed. However, if you decide to fish where there are bubbles, players will notice there are two different colors: a blue color of bubbles, which will give you some basic fishes, and then a reddish/gold color which can give players more rare fishes and shellfish alike. In my picture below. I approached the reddish/gold bubbles and pressed X to cast my fishing hook in the water. 

    Image from my gameplay of Disney Dreamlight Valley, courtesy of Gameloft. 

Next, players should press RT and then A on cue to catch the fish. Depending on if your bubbles are blue (3 times) or gold (4 times) will determine how many times you have to press the A button. Another thing to note, players will have to press A when a green circle is prominent during the catch. If this is not done, the fish is gone even if you properly hooked it at the beginning. 

Image from my gameplay of Disney Dreamlight Valley, courtesy of Gameloft. When the larger thin circle gets closer to the smaller thicker circle, it will light up green. 

 

If everything is done correctly, you should have an awesome fish in your inventory from the catch. It was nice to see Ariel and even Mother Gothel while I was fishing though she did have some words to say when I lost my first catch 😳. Nonetheless, I was successful in catching a catfish. 

Image from my gameplay of Disney Dreamlight Valley, courtesy of Gameloft. 

Cool Facts

- Like animal crossing, your fish can be used in meals.
- High-quality catches can be sold for great money.
- Goofy appreciates when you gift him fishies.

I enjoyed my time fishing in Dreamlight Valley. I did this exercise with the volume relatively low so I like that you can multitask with other activities while fishing in this game. As long as you look at your screen, you can get the hang of fishing. There is a small learning curve at first, but it is easily adaptable once players learn the patterns of different fishes that can be caught. Also, I love that whenever you fish, a character always makes sure to appear. They will clap for you if you do a great job and who doesn't love that? I'd rate the fishing experience in Disney Dreamlight Valley a solid 4.5 out of 5. 

Palia 

This title is no stranger to my blog. I absolutely had to mention it in this article since it is my current obsession. What sets Palia, developed by Singularity 6 apart is its unique approach to cooking and fishing within the cozy gaming genre. And the best part? It's an MMO game meaning you can play with other real people and even friends. Typically MMO's are competitive but in Palia you get to sit back and explore a whimsical and colorful world while learning about the Majiri way of life. Plus, there are amazing NPCS that you meet along the way. Even though Palia has been published since August 10, 2023, it is still in beta as of February 2024. Nonetheless, the game offers amazing features and resources for players.

Want to know who my favorite NPC is in Palia? Check out this article to find out: My Favorite Palia NPC. 

Like Animal Crossing New Horizons, and Disney Dreamlight Valley players do not immediately have access to fishing. However, instead of finding materials to craft a fishing rod, or complete a quest, all you need to do is talk to an NPC named Einar. 
After speaking with Einar you will be able to use your fishing tool which you'll find in your inventory. Palia takes a completely different take on fishing compared to Animal Crossing and Dreamlight Valley. First, you'll need to approach a body of water (of course). Then you can throw your fishing hook anywhere as long as it's towards a large body of water and you'll be able to catch a fish or item. (No need to look for bubbles or a 'fishy figure' to catch something.) In the picture below, I decided to throw my hook towards a bunch of bubbles for demonstration purposes. You will wait for an audio cue and a visual cue which will let you know when a fish is ready to be caught. 

Image from my gameplay of Palia, courtesy of Singularity 6.

                          

Fishing in Palia is different from fishing in Animal Crossing and Dreamlight Valley, as it involves reeling in the fish once you hear and see the cues. To catch the fish, you need to press A, and then use the ZR button to reel it in on the Nintendo Switch. This part of the game requires focus and dexterity, as you need to navigate your joy-con stick efficiently. To reel in the fish correctly, you must stay within the green brackets displayed in the picture below. This part of the fishing process can be challenging for players who are not used to this mechanic. It took me a few attempts to catch a fish when I first started playing Palia.

           Image from my gameplay of Palia, courtesy of Singularity 6.        

 Image sourced from my gameplay of Palia, courtesy of Singularity 6. I caught a Calico Koi and it was of star quality! 

Cool Facts

- You can fish out quest items from a body of water

- Most rare fish can be caught with bait at Bahari Bay. 

- Einar *always* accepts fishies as a gift if you are looking to build your friendship with him or even romance him. 

Overall, I would rate fishing in Palia a 3 out of 5. While I really enjoy the game, fishing tends to be a bit of a challenge for me. The reeling in part is the most difficult, but I think it may be because I play on the Nintendo Switch and sometimes experience Joycon drift. For me, fishing in Palia is an intense activity rather than a relaxing one, but I have noticed that I'll catch a wider variety of fish if I use good bait. Furthermore, in this game, it's important to level up each skill individually to get the most out of your tools. Once you level up, you'll unlock items that can make skill-building more durable. While fishing isn't my favorite skill, I'll still do it but mainly for quests not enjoyment. Sorry, Einar!

Conclusion 

I had a great time comparing these three different cozy games and analyzing their fishing process. However, what truly sets each game apart are the subtle differences in their approach. While I haven't played Disney Dreamlight Valley in quite some time due to my recent addiction to Palia, I must say that I enjoyed fishing in that game the most. It's a lot like riding a bike; once you become familiar with the fishing mechanics in Dreamlight Valley, it feels almost effortless through muscle memory. 

Even though players lose energy the quickest in Dreamlight Valley, this fishing method is a happy medium. It's not as simple as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but not as complex as Palia.  Also, there's something special about having Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck make an appearance and cheer you on as you catch a fish. (In my case, it was Mother Glothel and Ariel). This character interaction adds an element of excitement and nostalgia to the game. 
Overall,  I appreciate each game's charm and unique features when it comes to fishing.  Which cozy game do you prefer when it comes to fishing? let me know in the comments down below.