Fishing Shop Simulator's barmy demo hooked me

I've long enjoyed janky fishing minigames but never a full fishing game—until YouTube randomly recommended Fishing Shop Simulator’s intro cinematic. Its thumbnail showed a smouldering city with WWII planes over ancient Rome and a mech next to the title, so I downloaded the demo.

It’s as barmy as it looks, and oddly compelling. The fishing itself is simple and satisfying: you buy region-specific bait sold in small Pokémon-like card packs, cast your line and reel in when you get a bite. Catching a rare shiny foil fish feels rewarding, and I’ve been using them to decorate tanks in my cosy shop, which boosts the value of other stock.

Selling fish funds a tech tree that unlocks better shelves, scales, decorations and a bigger shop. You can hire underlings to fish for you, but they need wages, and every few days an airship arrives demanding a large tax payment or interest accumulates. You can lower taxes by contributing to the town’s loan, though that eats into immediate profits.

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