We all love a bit of fishing in our video games, right? Well, you’re in luck, because Bandai Namco Entertainment is about to launch Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits on Nintendo Switch, a game packed to the rim with sharks, frogs, turtles, octopi, and much more. In short, everything you could hope for if you like to just kick back and reel in a few fishies.
What we can’t quite get over, however, is just how similar it looks to Animal Crossing, at least in terms of aesthetics. Just look at those characters! They look like they’ve been plucked straight out of a bunch of Animal Crossing villages and dropped into Ace Angler. It’s not a bad thing, of course; the design choice arguably fits the tone of the game to a tee, and you can even explore a fully formed Aquarium, just like the museum in New Horizons.
The game will feature five distinct ‘attractions’ for you to enjoy. Here’s some more information directly from the eShop page:
– Fishing Medal Game: Ace Angler +
This attraction allows you to play the famous arcade version of Ace Angler. Collect Medals to upgrade the machine, unlocking new seas and fish!– Story Mode: Legend of the Poisoned Seas
Save the seas from toxic pollution!
This story-based attraction involves clearing short missions in the quest to create sustainable oceans. Learn all about the seas and fish that appear in Ace Angler!
– Online Ultimate Angler Competition
Do battle against anglers from around the world in online competition!
Claim victory to earn Stars and upgrade your Angler Level. Aim to become the greatest angler the world has ever seen!– Fishing Mini-Games: Ace Angler Party
This attraction features a collection of games that can be played with family and friends. Defeat the CPU in this attraction’s single-player mode, Master Challenge, to earn rewards!– Medal Pusher Game: Shark Fever
Knock down Shark Balls in this medal pusher game, to unlock a battle against a mighty shark. Land the shark to scoop a huge Medal haul!
In addition to the game itself, players fully invested in all the fishing fun might want to grab the rod accessory, which lets you insert one Joy-Con controller into the shell of a fishing rod, allowing you to fully immerse yourself into the world of Ace Angler. Unfortunately, however, it doesn’t look like it’ll be compatible with the previous rod accessory for 2019’s Ace Angler.
Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits launches on Switch this Friday, October 28th.
Will you be picking this one up? What do you make of the similarities to Animal Crossing? Let us know!