WEBFISHING

<< WEBFISHING >>
posted on 10.31.24
portrait
listening to: --
playing: WEBFISHING
feeling: nostalgic
outside it is: cloudy cloudy

a screenshot of webfishing, specifically of one of the doodle platforms, where 'swifty's hq!' is written above toby and swifty.

when i was very little, i went camping for the first time. it was me, my mom, my dad, and my sister, and we went to celebrate my mom's birthday in late july. i remember burning my finger on the metal ring 'round the campfire, and nursing it with the cold side of my pillow later at night. i got to try s'mores for the first time. i remember the smell of the smoky air.

there was a week period where i was told to stay at a summer camp situation against my will. the only respite i had from it was the gorgeous woodland; i often dreamed about running away into it, never to be seen or found again, becoming a wild beast. (i didn't yet know about therianthropy.) and the stars were beautiful when we all slept on the ampitheatre stage that one night.

i remember camping out in a neighboring reservoir some years later, a few years after my mom passed away. i was staying with a friend's extended family and my sister for three days out in the wilderness. i remember the lake was really cold, and i was too afraid to kayak because of my lack of balance. i remember yelling a swear word really loudly in unison with other kids, seeing who would get in trouble first. i remember reading a morbid book about yellowstone deaths in my tent and getting scared. i remember when a bunch of us went to a nearby rock and talked about whatever around it, and i liked looking out over the lake. and i remember the pillbug i saw before i had to leave.

a dithered image of a forest stream photo.

my dad has, since, taken me - and my sister, before she moved overseas - out on some early morning fishing excursions. mostly at a reservoir, but other times deeper in the mountains. i always enjoyed the smells and sounds of the woods. i would describe it as PNW-like, which feels fair, considering this was in northern california.

i'm saying all this to give context to my personal experience with WEBFISHING, a laid-back multiplayer game about fishing in the woods. i can't help but let my camping experience color my playthrough of games like it. it is extremely cozy, in the most specific way. it's late summer, turning autumn. there's lakes and the ocean (which i've seen once or twice in my life at all) and rivers and TREES.

i think it does what animal crossing wishes it did to me. i can play as an animal - in fact, that's the only choice (cat or dog). i can play with other animals, and walk around and enjoy the scenery. and i can draw on the ground with chalk, and dress myself however i want.

the biggest draw this game has, to me, is the nostalgia factor. it's so... i don't know. it feels authentic to what i remember. heck, even the trash cans scattered around is authentic. it's a campground.

a group of friends on a bench in webfishing.

this game has elements of interactivity that really charm me. i like the chalk drawing. i like the outfits. i like the fish, and the fishing system itself - although simple - doesn't feel like a chore. the color palette the entire island has really nails the end-of-summer vibe, too.

i think one of my only points of complaint would be the music. as cute as it is, it could really use more music; i had the one track play too much, so i ended up disabling it, but if more were added at some point, i might turn it back on.. i also want to complain about how many times the word boy/guy/dude is applied in contexts that it's meant to be "gender neutral"; i know enough (trans) girls that are bothered by this that i am also bothered by it. not that they need to be *removed*, but any sort of inclusion opposite of this would be really nice (ie "koi girl" and similar).

anyway. that's my review of WEBFISHING. i like it, and it reminds me of when i was a puppy. it's casual and feels easy to pick up again after not playing it. it's not trying to be too complex or deep, and i think it succeeds in what it wants to be - a relaxed game to play with your friends.

a pixel art of a salmon in its breeding colors.

- forest ⚲🜍
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leave a comment!

artur

11/9/2024(website)

When I checked out the game, it REALLY took me back to your website. The game itched my brain in all the animal crossing ways, where I got taken back to the old days of simple systems and pure curiosity. I genuinely wish for it to improve and thrive. Your points on how it treats gender in its wordplay are very interesting and important, and I keep noticing how we usually attribute the whimsy and endearing to masculine codes such as lad, guy or boy.

harper (blueb)

11/2/2024(website)

i totally agree on the titles and music part. i dont mind it just being the one track, but a couple would totally improve it. ive had so much fun playing it so far, and already have 18 hours in it at the time of writing. wonderful game to play with friends and alone

drakonic

11/1/2024

I don't mean to speak over people who are bothered by them, but a lot of the male words are rhymes, or worldplay, or references (for example, the dude title being a reference to Finding Nemo, and "koi boy" kind of rhyming), I don't think the dev meant to imply that those terms are gender neutral.
It would be nice if they had these kinds of jokes that weren't based on "male" words, I admit. The game *is* very male-focused, with a lot stemming from the "dad that loves fishing" stereotype