I've never been fishing in my life. Though I live in the countryside, I've never gone to a lake, river, or elsewhere to fish. I have never ever been close to a shark, though I've been to a few beaches in my part of the world and been in the water several times throughout my 31 years of life.
With a background that has never once involved fishing, and with little exposure to the aquatic life, you'd think that games like Bait! for the Gear VR that are all about fishing would be the first titles I'd pass up when shopping in the Oculus Store. Well, surprisingly, I didn't do that. Instead, I embraced Bait!.
Bait! is a game that is, as the title implies, all about fishing bait. Co-created by Resolution Games Founder and Candy Crush Saga creator Tommy Palm, the game finds you, a fisher by profession, at Bait! Island to catch a fish for your boss. She (yes, your boss is a woman named Miss Hark) wants you to catch some fish so that they can be preserved in what you're told is a struggling aquarium. Your goal is to catch the requested fish to keep the aquarium running; since you're working for your boss, who owns it, catching the fish and keeping the aquarium running are also personal goals of yours (for your financial livelihood).
Along the way, you'll meet some of the locals (two cousins and fishermen named Dharma-Mae, or her “unhippy” name, Dolly-Mae, and Jim-Bob) who run fishing shops on Bait! Island. The Island itself contains four fishing environments or scenes in which you can fish (Ocean Lake, Cherry Falls, Shady Swamp, and Secret Sanctuary), and you have to follow and adhere to the plot of the story in order to unlock the various environments.
As you rise in the game, you'll catch new and larger fish, gaining various amounts of money (coins in this case) per fish that you can then use to buy new bait and fishing equipment. You'll also find yourself catching beer cans, soda cans, and even an abandoned boot here or there (which makes you wonder if some of the fishermen were turned into bait while fishing on Bait! Island) to clear the water so as to catch more fish.
There are 43 fish that you must catch, and there's a “Fish-O-Pedia” if you need to keep track of the different kinds of fish you catch, as well as information on each fish you catch. You'll need to catch one of each kind of fish, though you'll find yourself catching more duplicate fish than ever. You'll catch Cow Koi, Sparkling Trout, Zebra Tuna, Tangerine Tang, Knife Fish, Alligator Perch, Python Eel, Bull Piranha, Kahuna Tuna, Hot Rod Cuda, Pinstripe Perch, Chili Anchovy, Camo Carp, Golden Crackerfish, Parrot Perch, Bozo Fish, and Grim Anglerfish, to name just a few.
By the end of the game (after catching 30+ fish), you'll realize that the game Bait! is not just named for the fish or the island, but also for you: as a fisherman, you could also be “bait,” headed for a trap with your boss — who's having you catch fish in order to smuggle them illegally instead of saving a poor, struggling aquarium. Apart from some words on-screen, though, your growth as a player is virtually static.
Yes, you catch more and more fish in the game, but you don't get to come to the realization that Miss Hark, your boss, is really a scam artist; instead, Dharma-Mae tells you, saying that other fishermen have been duped as you have been. Then, you tell Miss Hark that you'll no longer work for her, but again, you have to tell her this, the words are on-screen, and you don't get a choice in the matter.
Enhancements to Bait! for Gear VR will make a great game better
If you're someone who loves fishing and loves the Gear VR and virtual reality in general, you'll love Bait!. It's a game that's easy on the eyes in terms of graphics, and doesn't require any head-turning or a gamepad in order to play it and enjoy it; you can simply use the trackpad on the side of the Gear VR headset.
At the same time, however, I'd love to see Bait! gain more fishing scenes or lakes so that you're not tied to just 4. Bait! can grow as a game, so there's always a chance that the game will grow in the future, but as a game that's ready for new players who've never experienced it, I think most will be pleased.
Secondly, I'd like to see Bait! give players a choice of whether to stay with Miss Hark or free themselves from her wicked grasp. Part of the fun in VR is that it is virtual reality, anything you want it to be, so various scenarios should be provided and the player(s) should be given the choice to decide which scenario he or she wants most.
Last but not least, Bait! has the potential to be a multi-game series if it's done right. Living in the US, I'd like to see 50 scenes, at least one from each of the fifty states, be made available in the game so that you never get bored with fishing. Places in Europe and around the world with access to large bodies of water could also be made available in future updates. I realize that all this development costs money, and Bait! may prove a success initially, but the key to maintaining a successful game is to not only attract first-time players but also retain them in the long-term.
Long-term players will find themselves wanting more after playing the game for just a few days. I caught 35 fish in about nine hours of Gear VR (spread over 3 days), so you'll find yourself excited on the front end but bored when you're down to the last 8 fish (there are a total of 43)) and can't find them — and still find yourself stuck at the same four lakes with few instructions on how to catch the remaining 8 fish.
Conclusion
Bait! is a terrific game for first-time players, and this game will make Gear VR exciting for new users who've picked up their headset to play for the first time. While the game needs greater customization and fishing environments, I have no doubt that this game is what I'll play night after night, time and time again. You will, too.
You can hook Bait! for Gear VR for your own at the Oculus Store. It is currently the third top-selling free game in the Oculus Store, so there's something to all the hype.
