Natsume
is well-known for their series of Harvest Moon games, where the main object is
to become a successful farmer. The success of the series lies in the
integration of RPG elements such as leveling up characters, quests and cool
items to find with the farming simulation side of things. Lesser known is the
River King series, which is similar in format, but lighter on the RPG side and
heavier on the simulation side. In River King, it’s all about fishing.
It’s been
awhile since there has been a River King release on a handheld, around 10
years or so, back on the GameBoy Color. There was
a PlayStation 2 release a couple of years ago, but
it was pretty lame and not nearly as good as the Harvest Moon games for the
consoles. So, after such a long hiatus, how does River King: Mystic Valley
look? Well, it looks very nice (due to a great graphical design), but while
the game is cute and charming, it doesn’t have the depth to hold anyone’s
attention for very long.
Your sister
has fallen into a mysterious sleep and can’t be roused. Your friend
Sasera advises you that a scale from the River
King, an elusive fish with a large reputation, may help awaken her. You
resolve to catch this River King, and armed only with an old fishing rod and a
few bags of bait, you set out for the nearest pond. Here, it’s time to test
your mettle. If good enough, you can earn enough experience points to upgrade
your equipment and get down to some serious fishing.
Fishing is
the name of the game, and there are many species of fish to catch. There is a
flavor of Animal Crossing in this game, with all the different types of fish,
along with bugs and plants that can be collected. There are also many types of
rods and lures that can be purchased with experience points. Players will earn
experience points by catching fish; the bigger and rarer the fish, the more
points it garners. Fish, bugs and plants can be traded in for information
cards, which in turn can be traded for equipment.
While it is
true there is a good amount of variety in the types of fish and equipment that
are present, the fishing itself is fairly simplistic. Fishing looks great,
with wonderful graphics for the DS that depict the fish on the bottom screen
underwater, while the top view shows your character reeling in the fish from
above the water. But, the actual fishing is pretty straightforward. Players
will use the stylus in circles to reel, or tap on the left or right corners of
the screen to pull the fish in from that side of the pole. The tension of the
line is shown on the top screen, and if it is too tight, the line will break
and the fish will escape.
The types of
poles and bait don’t really seem to make that much of a difference in the
success of catching fish overall, other than maybe attracting certain types of
fish more easily. The catching itself is too easy. Young children could play
this game with no problem.
One of the
features of this game is the ability to raise three pets that help the
player’s character in his or her quest to become a better fisherperson, but
this aspect isn’t much fun. At first, it seems like a cool idea, but players
have to fish and fish like crazy to level up these critters for them to become
adult and able to help. I mean, a lot of fish is required, as their appetites
are huge. Their powers aren’t all that wonderful, either.
The bottom
line is that River King Mystic Valley is a bit of a letdown, as it has been a
long time since the last handheld version. This release doesn’t even really
feel like a stand-alone game; rather, it is like a version of the fishing and
bug collecting element in Animal Crossing. While the game looks pretty good,
with well-drawn locales and characters, the gameplay
isn’t engrossing. There aren’t enough quests or other characters, and the
fishing is too simplistic. Best for young players who may
like to fish.
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Gameplay: 6.5
Playing River
King Mystic Valley is only amusing for a short time. The depth just isn’t
present. More of everything would help, and a more robust fishing system is
needed.
Graphics: 7.5
The
graphics are good for the DS, and the larger than normal characters were
nicely drawn.
Sound: 6.0
Minimal music and
sound effects.
Difficulty: Easy
Easy fishing
here!
Concept: 6.0
The
content isn’t anything new.
Multiplayer: 6.0
The
multi-player centers around a fishing tournament, which isn’t all that fun
because the fishing is too easy.
Overall: 7.5
This
is almost a case of “what could have been.” While the game itself isn’t a bad
game, per se, it’s not a very good game, either. There just isn’t enough
content. And, when compared to the earlier releases of River King editions, it
falls short of expectation. This is too bad, as the concept is a good one and
could have been better developed. As it stands, this is a light fishing game
that is suitable for younger players and short gaming sessions.
