Nice Day for Fishing Review

When I started Nice Day for Fishing, I assumed it would be one of the many “cozy” pixel art titles that bank everything on charm, but it’s actually something with a little more staying power. A few hours into it, I realized it’s a bit of both worlds: a simple fishing game wrapped in light RPG elements, with just enough quirk and grit to keep you on the hook—though not without frustrations.

The premise is straightforward. You’re Baelin, a fisherman whose entire life revolves around casting a line, pulling in whatever bites, and trading your catch for coin and upgrades. It sounds narrow, and it is, but the way the game layers progression, exploration, and oddball side characters gives the loop more depth than the surface suggests. At its best, it’s hypnotic. At its worst, it can be repetitive. And somewhere in between lies the game’s unique appeal.

Fishing itself is the star, and it’s handled with more nuance than you might expect. Casting is easy enough, but once a fish bites, the game asks for patience and control. You balance line tension, reel carefully, and respond to fish that thrash, dive, or zigzag unpredictably. A common catch takes seconds; a rare one can become a miniature battle of attrition, your line creaking as you weigh risk against reward. It’s not as complex as, say, a hardcore sim, but it’s miles better than the mindless button-mashing fishing minigames you find in other RPGs. There’s a tactile satisfaction when you finally land a big one, and that feeling is the heartbeat of the experience.

Of course, you’re not fishing just for the thrill. Every haul translates to cash, which fuels the upgrade loop. Stronger rods, sturdier lines, specialized lures—each step unlocks access to new waters and tougher fish. It’s an incremental progression system, and while it leans grindy, it scratches the same itch as games like Stardew Valley or Rune Factory. There’s always that temptation to push just a little further for one more upgrade before calling it a night.

But Nice Day for Fishing isn’t content to let you sit on the dock forever. Its world, while modest, nudges you into exploration with small quests, villagers who need favors, and secrets tucked away in distant fishing spots. Dialogue is brief and sometimes awkwardly written, but it often adds flavor—silly one-liners, odd requests, or hints about where to find certain fish. It’s not a deep story, but it frames the routine with enough context to make the world feel lived-in.

Visually, the game rides the current wave of retro pixel art. The sun glitters on the water, gulls drift overhead, and the small towns you visit look inviting enough. That said, it’s not the most polished execution. Animations can be stiff, menus feel clunky, and the rough edges are noticeable. But the atmosphere carries it. The sound of water lapping, the tug of the reel, the quiet background hum of the world—it creates a calming space that you sink into over time.

Still, the calm comes with caveats. The grind is real, especially in later stages where money dries up faster than you’d like. Some players on the Steam forums have pointed out pacing issues, and I agree: after the honeymoon period, the loop slows, and it takes longer to reach the next meaningful upgrade. Bugs also crop up here and there—occasional broken quests or fish that don’t register properly. None of these issues make the game unplayable, but they’re worth knowing going in.

And yet, even with those frustrations, I kept casting lines. That’s the peculiar strength of Nice Day for Fishing. It doesn’t dazzle you with spectacle or drown you in features. Instead, it leans into repetition, asking you to find rhythm in its routine. There’s a meditative quality to it—wake up, fish, sell, upgrade, repeat—that becomes oddly addictive. And when the game surprises you with a rare fish or a quirky side quest, the moment feels earned precisely because it breaks the rhythm.

It’s not going to win over everyone. If you need constant action or a sprawling narrative, this game will bore you before long. But if you enjoy patient progression, if you find comfort in games that reward steady effort, Nice Day for Fishing has a strange pull. It’s a rough little gem, not polished but honest in what it sets out to do.

In the end, the title sums it up well. It’s not an amazing day, not a perfect day—just a nice one. And sometimes, especially in games today, that’s exactly enough.