Ace Angler Fishing Spirits is a simulation game released by Bandai Namco Entertainment. This game has a lot to do and can keep you entertained for a while. However, the novelty wears off after a while.
This title doesn’t have the typical main menu for choosing which mode to play. Instead, you’re at a theme park named Marine Medal Mania. Characters can roam freely, pick up medals, and talk to NPCs. Each attraction is a different game mode.
One mode is Ace Angler+, which is pure fishing. Among all the other things you can do in Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits, this was my favorite part of the game. It was relaxing and charming enough not to be boring. Cast a line (insert a medal like in an arcade game) to reel in the fish. As you catch fish, you can earn more medals and continue playing. As long as you have medals, you can enjoy fishing as much as you like. Over 250 types of fish. They are divided into regular, super, rainbow, gold, mega and monster categories. If that’s your goal, different types of rods can help you catch them all.
I had a hard time casting the bobber and reeling in the fish. The game is directionless when it comes to controls and gameplay. Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits is the sequel to Ace Angler released in 2019. If you’ve played the previous game, it might be easier for you to understand the controls.
You can play the game in handheld mode or docked mode. I prefer to play handheld whenever possible, but I’ve played this title docked most of the time. Everything is easier to see on the big screen. It can also be played with or without motion controls. I am one of the few humans who enjoy motion control. Luckily, the controls were smooth, whether docked or handheld.
Another attraction of the theme park is the story mode, Legend of the Poisonous Sea. This mode is not very exciting. The story is simple and the quest to complete is fishing. It also has Shark Fever, another mode that allows you to earn medals without fishing. It’s like throwing a medal at an amusement park game and knocking the other medals off the pedestal. Finally, there is a mini-game mode with 12 games to choose from. Unfortunately, none of them were memorable. After playing them once, I was ready to go back to normal fishing and collecting sea creatures.
Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits offers local co-op and online play. I couldn’t play locally with my sisters much, so I tried online play. Sadly, no one was online when I was online, so I didn’t get a chance to experience it. I think I enjoyed the game more.
Overall, Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits is a good time. I love Collectionthon, so fishing was my favorite part of the game. I didn’t really care for the rest of the modes, they got dull after fishing for a while. I don’t know if I’ll ever return to the game, but it was fun while it lasted.