Hey,
First things first - I just want to say thank you for joining the playtest.
25,327 of you showed up to the playtest. You sent 7,895 invites to your friends - which, by the way, is insane. And 1,728 of you went the extra mile and filled out the feedback form. Those people have a special place in my heart.
96.8% of you rated the playtest experience as positive. 96.5% said you'd come back for the full game. And 74.7% said you'd recommend it to a friend. I'm not going to pretend I didn't stare at these for an embarrassingly long time. Luckily now we can stare together.
But honestly, the written feedback hit the spot the most. You were thoughtful about it. Specific. And your suggestions are now fueling future work.
Thank you for that. 🙏
A month ago a friend pulled out Wii Sports. I hadn’t played it in ten years. As they innocently swung the Wii remote and watched the ball fly, a mix of physics and chaos, I was violently (but quietly) having my own religious epiphany.
The goal of this project has always been to make the world matter. Not just through story, but through how you think about fishing. And the more I sat with the casting, the more I felt like I was leaving something on the table. Many of you were already praising the line physics in the playtest - how you could interact with the Trout puzzle - and that only made me want to push it further. So I did
But it's better if I just show you.
The line doesn't just behave like it used to - now it flies. With the new casting you're asked to think not just about where you cast, but how. It gives you more control, changes how you set up your line, changes how you approach reeling a fish in. There's something between physics and chaos happening, and honestly, that's exactly where I wanted to end up.
I've been putting a lot of time into the town. It's something I'm very focused on right now. You didn't get a chance to experience it in the playtest, but I wanted to give you a glimpse TASTE of what's been cooking.
What you're seeing here is just a small portion of it. The town is much bigger than this, and the upcoming playtest won't let you roam it - not yet. But I wanted you to know it exists, and that it's very much in progress.
Also trying to pull you into some places that are going to infect you with the atmosphere.
IMPORTANT PSA
Now for the most important part. Some of you might not know that we have THE BEST DISCORD out there. And to prove it, let me show you some of the stuff that's been happening there.
Yes, I do have a channel where you can show your fish.
Let’s appreciate some real catches.
Gotta love a community that’s always there to help a dev in need.
This is what keeps me going, honestly.
Come hang out if you haven't. It's a good place.
And lastly - I know this is what every indie dev is supposed to include, but I'm going to do it slightly differently:
Wishlist the game, tell a friend if you feel like it. But only if this is your kind of thing. It helps with the algorithm, so I have a chance to reach more people like you.
Stay hooked.
~ Kevin (The Water Museum)