Sandbox games have become all the rage as of late, because as consoles – and indeed smartphones – become more powerful over time, it has become easier for developers to create an open-ended experience that lets you play at your own leisure. This has led to a variety of open-world titles, such as post-apocalyptic wasteland explorers, epic fantasy simulators, and whatever label Grand Theft Auto decides to take at any given moment. However, Ice Flake Studios have attempted to rise above the generic tropes of the genre, and have created what is possibly the most imaginative use of free-roaming gameplay yet – ice fishing. In Ice Lakes, which is set to hit the App Store on September 5th, you take the role as a fishing guru, who must catch more than twenty different species of fish through holes drilled into rivers that have frozen over, all within a large, explorable sandbox environment. If you’re somehow not sold on this incredible premise, here is a glimpse of what you can get up to in Ice Lakes:
My experience of fishing both starts and ends with Animal Crossing, however the amount of variation that Ice Lakes offers looks like a lot of fun. With multiple pieces of equipment that can help you catch the varied types of aquatic animals available, coupled with numerous game modes such as ‘Biggest Fish’ and ‘Only Trout’ tournament options, there seems to be a lot on offer in this game. Furthermore, with multiple fishermen visible, a beautiful day/night cycle, and a large map to explore for the best spots to cast your rod, Ice Lakes looks like it will redefine ‘ridiculous fishing’ once and for all on the App Store. Watching a fisherman being chased by a bear in the trailer is also possibly my favourite gaming moment of 2016, so I cannot wait to start casting my lines when Ice Lakes launches – for a special launch price of absolutely nothing – on September 5th, and join in the discussion on our forum thread.
