River King: Mystic Valley is a game about fishing. It’s about becoming the best fisherman you can be in order to catch the legendary, one-of-a-kind River King, but if you don’t like the idea of a fishing mini-game drawn out to a game-length endeavor, then you should steer clear. Be prepared to spend a lot of time with a rod, because the main character’s sister has fallen into a sleep so deep that it’s indistinguishable from a coma, and to wake her up he’ll need to catch a lot of fish.
While Natsume has retained the cartoonish look and feel of its other titles, there is no variety of tasks to perform beyond casting and collecting, and there are no buildings to improve beyond story sequences that add items to your home. Instead, there are rods, there are lures, and there are crafty fish lurking and waiting to be caught. First and foremost, it’s a game of strategy. The adrenaline comes later, after the hook is set.
Every fish you catch gives you points that are used as both currency and experience. Your earliest rod requires you to use new bait for every fish you catch, but the game is forgiving and allows you to pick up free bait if you run out. The fish themselves can either be collected to trade for cards (that are themselves redeemable for more FP), or fed to your pets for experience. In practice, it’s not too difficult to decide between using the fish for monster development or access to better equipment, because at several points you will be backtracking to earlier fishing spots in order to satisfy the game’s frequent assignments. You can also collect plants and insects on land that can be traded for cards or used to satisfy assignments, but you will be doing a lot of fishing, one way or another.
The pets themselves add an interesting layer to the game. Mystic valley is full of magical creatures, and in your travels you encounter and adopt three shapeless orphans. As they gain experience by eating fish, they level up to turn into a fox, a raccoon, and a crow that all have unique abilities to help you catch more fish and anthropomorphic appearances that are almost human. You are only able to bring one pet with you at a time, and change pets at your house, but they can recharge your energy, destroy obstacles in your path, and carry you to remote fishing sites.
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