This game? It’s not just fishing. It’s phish-ological warfare. One minute you’re casually casting a float, the next you’re 3 hours deep into a roach frenzy, your bladder’s full, your inventory’s full, your soul is empty.

The realism is off the scales. Weather affects bite rates. Bait matters. You’ll go full bait scientist. You’ll mutter things like “nah mate, garlic dough balls are meta” while crying over a snapped feeder rod and questioning your life choices.

The fish? Smarter than me. I’ve been outwitted by a ruffe with attitude.
The grind? So slow, even sloths think it needs to pick up the pike.
The gear prices? More inflated than a puffed-up pufferfish on payday.

But here’s the kraken-ing thing:
I can’t stop. I’m hooked. Gaffed. Net-ready.
I now measure real-world time in in-game bait timers. I’ve become emotionally attached to my virtual rods. I named my reel “Spinderella.” We have a complicated relationship.

This isn’t just a fishing sim.
It’s a Russian-made, silver-sucking, bleak-breeding, line-breaking, carp-tholic lifestyle choice.

Play Russian Fishing 4. Lose your mind. Catch a frog. Repeat.

Listen, I know it's a free game. Hell, it's one of the better fishing games on the market in terms of gameplay. But, dude. $2,000 for a Lifetime Membership? I wasn't planning on spending a dime on this anyway, but I looked at the Premium stuff just out of curiosity and honestly seeing that sort of ruins the experience for me. I don't think I could ever support any game with that extreme of a microtransaction. Might pick this up a couple more times but that's only because there isn't a single good fishing game on the market that isn't packed with this kind of stuff. Absolutely wild. It should be such a simple and easy formula for a good game and no one wants to make it. Just the same mobile game formula every time. It's a dead genre and it shouldn't be. If anyone can recommend a fishing game that's like this but eliminates the grind and need for microtransactions, please drop it in the comments for me.
QUICK EDIT: It was bugging me a little bit, so I did the math. The Premium for this game costs $130/year. That means the $2000 Lifetime deal is ONLY a discount if you plan on playing for more than 15 YEARS. Uninstalled.

I think this game needs to be able to see other players fishing on the map where you are fishing and be able to interact with them, not just you on the map.