lambeer sure seems to have its collective stuff together. Super Crate Box is pretty boss, Luftrausers is shaping up to be one of my favourite games ever, and they recently released one of the more addictive games to show up on the iOS app store: A little thing called Ridiculous Fishing, a sequel to Vlambeer's own previously released free-to-play flash game, Radical Fishing.
Ridiculous Fishing starts up innocuously enough with a quick tutorial explaining who the man in the boat, Billy, is, and how Billy fishes like a champ. With one tap, Billy casts into the water. By tilting your iDevice, you steer his line as it sinks between a number of fish in an attempt to get as deep as you can with the line at your disposal. When you get as low as you can go or you hit a fish, the line ascends and you have to catch as many fish as you can on the upswing.
But then, there's a moment: That moment that you say, “Oh shit, so this is where it all gets 'ridiculous.'” That single moment that, if you'll excuse the pun, really hooks you.
When your big cluster of hooked marine life breaches the surface, they are tossed high and mercilessly into the air... at which point Billy hauls out his trusty pistol to blast them into aerial chum. Each type of fish has a different value attached which will give or take away money, depending on the creature (hint: avoid jellyfish beyond catching them to complete the Fish-o-Pedia).
The more you catch (and vaporize), the more money you can get to buy better line, hooks (with chainsaws, even), extra features like anti-gravity and electrical appliances that give you a second chance if you accidentally hit a fish while you're diving, and of course, bigger, better, deadlier, more efficient and ever-more absurd guns. It's a system that works extremely well, and can really make for an addictive gameplay experience.
As you collect more and more different types of fish, new areas open that are not only more challenging but more crowded as well. This makes for some sweet payouts if you have the skill, which of course leads to better equipment for bigger catches as the cycle continues.
The great visual style features a “neves” puzzle-style triangular look, which keeps things clean and stylized. Grouped with a super catchy soundtrack that pulls influence from the NES and Mega Drive in addition to more modern-sounding synth, fitting sound effects as well as hilarious scripting, Ridiculous Fishing has a fantastic presentation. But perhaps the coolest of the game's features is the social integration on Billy's chipped wooden iPhone. Some pretty funny stuff is often said on “Byrdr,” the in-game version of Twitter, which can actually be retweeted to your own Twitter feed! It's definitely one of the coolest fourth-wall features I've encountered to date. Billy and his circle of friends on Byrdr feel much more real through this feature than I thought possible. Great stuff.
I'm sure any one of you out there who have a compatible iDevice can scrounge the two dollars and ninety-nine cents that are required to buy this little gem. And however you do it, you should do it right now. Seriously, do it now. Thank me later. Billy and Vlambeer will appreciate it. After all, this game is freaking Ridiculous!
