• Price: $14.99 USD (currently on sale for $13.49 until June 16th)
• Developer/Publisher: Odencat
• Release Date: June 2, 2022

A review code was kindly provided by Odencat. We thank them for being able to cover something they’ve worked so hard on.

Be advised that the game’s setting is in the afterlife. Death is mentioned, and the game includes some conflict with one angel.

From the creator of Bear’s Restaurant (currently on sale for 25% off until June 16th), Fishing Paradiso is a tropical fishing game with “RPG-style progression systems” that is set in the same universe. I absolutely love it when my interests intersect like this. The RPG genre is one of my favorites, and I’ve been obsessed with fish since I was a child. Add the vibrant colors of the game’s screenshots and I was sold on checking this out.

You’re told that you have died and gone to Heaven – but you may not have reached your “True Heaven” yet. You then awaken on an island in Heaven with a talking bird named “Birdy,” who is meant to be your guide. He offers to share his worms with you – naturally, I declined, so he gave me a fishing rod to catch my own food. Birdy says that you don’t have to work in Heaven, but doing so can make you even happier. He gives you a “Sky Phone,” a phone created by angels that allows you to upgrade your fishing abilities, which include tension, throwing distance, charm (makes fish bite more), stamina (increases the tension gauge), and your ability to catch larger fish. It also allows you to fast travel to different areas, and it shows you information on the fish you’ve caught before.

The Sky Phone also has a “Friends” tab. When you befriend people in the afterlife, they’ll give you their phone number, and you can view any requests they have. Completing their requests will increase your friendship rank with them, and they will also tip you for your work. There are no time limits for the requests, so do them at your own pace. Leveling up friendships also gets you some more decor for your house.

I do wish there was more variation in the furniture we can get – there were too many houseplant options in my inventory, in my opinion. (I did love the combination of decorations I used in my design, shown above.) I also wish we could have a proper aquarium to display some of our favorite fish that we’ve caught, since fishing is the focus of the game. It may have also been nice to have the ability to upgrade the house. I do like that I can use an item multiple times in multiple spots in the house without having to acquire additional “copies.”

Each quest requires you to catch a specific fish and they have minimum size/rank requirements for you to catch. Catching fish is simple; you press A to start things up, then choose how much power to use when you cast a line. There isn’t a bait function – just start fishing. Once a fish has bitten, you then hold down A – minding the tension building in the rod – to bring it in. In order to catch a specific fish, use the joystick to change the direction of your line. (Touchscreen controls are also included in the game.) You can get an idea of what fish you’ll catch based on the size, shape, and/or color of its shadow.

Some of the fishing areas look like places where you can fish on Earth, but as this is set in the afterlife, there are also some cool and less realistic areas where you can fish. Although the water is static and has no movement to it, I liked the reflections of the environment at the top of the screen. Each area will have 2-3 fishing spots; I counted 19 individual spots across 7 areas. The fish you catch in those environments will earn you some coins. Sometimes the game activates a bonus that doubles the coins you earn for 2 minutes. Another neat feature would be “Birdy Ninjutsu,” where Birdy can change out the fish currently in the fishing area you’re using and place new fish there. This made it easier to quickly catch specific fish required for a quest.

Initially you can’t do anything with the excess fish you catch, but eventually you’ll be able to use your Sky Phone to access a restaurant tab where you can watch your new friends interact as they eat the dishes cooked by Bear. Odencat the mascot kitty will appear outside of your house to reward you for catching every kind of fish, maxing out all friendships, and for completing each restaurant dish.

You get to know each of the 24 friends as you watch them interact with each other at the restaurant, and as you complete their requests. Their friendship levels go up to level 9, and then you can watch their final event. What’s really neat is that you can watch characters’ events (3 each) again after completing them. The game is divided into two major storylines; the first involves a goal you wouldn’t think would be possible even in Heaven, and the second half of the game involves you maxing out your friendships with each character. I did have an issue with the way some dialogue was displayed; some of it was placed on solid black that obscured the background, while other text was white on light backgrounds, which made it a little hard to read.

I think that the game has some really interesting ideas on the forms people take in the afterlife, what you can do there, and where you can go. There are some scenes related to Hell, and there are several scenes that involve confrontation with one of the angels. You can also befriend a few other angels, so it’s not like they are completely negative about angels or religion. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in the game, and would love to see even more of them in the future! 🐠 😇

Switch it ON or Switch it OFF? Fishing Paradiso is a relaxing and cute fishing game. Although I wanted more furniture options and some more interactions with the quirky cast, I enjoyed the simple fishing mechanics, which were easy to understand. I loved the colorful graphics and interesting fish designs. Aside from the mention of drinking and a small conflict with an angel, the game is pretty wholesome! I enjoyed the creativity behind the world of Fishing Paradiso. The game is cute and fun and has good ideas. I look forward to checking out Odencat’s recently announced JRPG, Meg’s Monster, when it comes out this fall. 8/10