How to Fish, a physics-based co-op fishing game from developer Dazed Games, has become one of Steam's latest breakout hits. According to Rock Paper Shotgun, the game drew around 340,000 concurrent players at launch over the weekend, a figure the outlet compared favorably to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's free beta, which attracted about 115,000 concurrents the same weekend. GamesRadar+ reports the game has surpassed one million sales in just two days, with Dazed Games celebrating the milestone by thanking "1 million fishermen" and promising more content and bug fixes ahead.
The game is designed for one to four players and centers on fishing, upgrading gear, and battling oversized sea creatures, described by the developer as a loop of "fish fish, kill fish, sell fish." GamesRadar+ notes it features elements like cosmetic knives, guns, gambling, and rare fish variants, and currently holds an "Overwhelmingly Positive" review rating on Steam, with some fans calling it a game of the year contender.
PC Gamer's coverage details two of the game's boss encounters. The first, the Spider Crab, is fought largely through melee combat rather than fishing skill; players are advised to complete the sailor's tutorial quest, acquire a knife or brass knuckles, and use a beer can as bait to summon the boss. The crab can kill a player in three to four hits but becomes temporarily dazed after attacking, giving players a window to strike back. PC Gamer suggests eating seafood beforehand to maximize health and hunger, and using terrain and higher ground to advantage.
The Pufferfish boss, found on the third island, is described as more difficult. To reach it, players must complete a quest involving feeding an endangered fish to a swimmer in exchange for special bait. PC Gamer recommends the SMG with bullet upgrades over the shotgun, constant movement to avoid the Pufferfish's lethal purple poison, and using obstacles like trees or the merchant's shop to make the boss get stuck, especially once it grows larger and slows down.
Rock Paper Shotgun reports that Dazed Games has been rapidly patching the game since launch. Updates include support for eight-player and private lobbies, fixes for fake game listings and griefers ending sessions early, more frequent and reliable saving, an option to invert control axes, and a lowered minimum frame rate cap. The developer also fixed a bug allowing players to skip to unlocked islands and addressed a graphical issue with invisible slot machine skins in 4K.
In terms of balance changes, Rock Paper Shotgun notes that both the Pufferfish and the Whale boss were nerfed, and the path to the final island was made easier to see. The outlet speculates the Pufferfish may have been especially difficult before the patch, though it did not play the game directly. Meanwhile, GamesRadar+ says fans are already requesting future additions such as new islands, bosses, and fish variants, and indicates the developer intends to keep expanding the game.