When this August 30, Ultimate Games announced to put a quasi-final version of its fishing game in virtual reality, I felt compelled to take this good old Oculus Rift DK2 out of the box, even if it meant giving me some nausea. And I finally did well, because the experience is unprecedented and truly surprising.
Seasoned fisherman, I regularly test the different fishing simulations that are emerging on Steam. I recently stopped by Fishing Sim World since the Pro Tour update, after getting my teeth into Pro Fishing Simulator from publisher Big Ben. The latter has not been updated (despite the many bugs) since January, I was waiting for a new one to emerge.
Ultimate Fishing Simulator is that game I've been waiting for. Available in early access for several months, the game has been enriched by the developers who have completely revised its graphics engine to add an innovative function: virtual reality.
We hold our breath
You might as well say it right away: the immersion is total! The menus are easy to learn, and playing with an Xbox pad and the Oculus Rift on your head is easy. Ingame, we find ourselves in the skin of the sinner with the hands transparent on the cane. The scale effect is striking. We believe it. Once the lure has been launched in the middle of the pond, it is possible to change the camera and thus switch from a fishing rod view to a hook view.
There, the game takes on a whole new dimension. We are underwater, snorkeling, and the fish are circling around you. "There a trout coming!" The graphics are very realistic, and fish attacks on the lure are predictable. Better still, we can admire the effect of a “stroke of the cane” on the excitement of the fish, which is only waiting for one thing: to bite!
If Fishing Sim World, older, is more complete on the fishing experience. Ultimate Fishing Simulator easily takes second place on the podium with its aesthetics and VR function. We will certainly come back to this promising title which naturally finds its place within Simulagri.fr in the fishing section.