Quote Originally Posted by Ionathus View Post
Stardew Valley
Holy cow, is the fishing in this game frustrating. Especially at the start, but it never REALLY goes away. Sometimes it feels like the game's fishing mechanics are deliberately trolling you. Unfortunately fishing is one of the core pillars of the gameplay so you can't really get away from it. Possibly the one that feels most like a chore, which is a shame because the rest of the game is so cozy and rewarding.
Funny, that's the only game where I actually enjoyed the fishing gameplay.
Usually, fishing minigames are mostly "look bored at the screen, then press A", but in Stardew, it feels like a proper game. You have to learn the patterns of the fish (every species has different moves, to the point I could tell which fish I was after just looking at the line), you have to feel the momentum of your pulls, you have to know when and where to go, and it felt really satisfying (and nt just dumb luck) when I finally got a legendary one.
Far better than the dungeoneering, at least. Now, THAT was random and unsatisfying.

Another game where I enjoyed fishing is Trails in the Sky. Not because of the game itself (very basic), but because of Estelle's sheer enthusiasm for the activity. But I really connected with the MC in those games, so that biases me heavily about anything in them. :)