Destiny 2 now has one of the best fishing minigames in an RPG
What makes an RPGs? Most people you’d ask will likely tell you it’s the story, or stats that tie into making “builds” that you can use to tackle battles; for me? It’s fishing. I subscribe to the ideal that Yoko Taro pioneered that RPGs need fishing to be an RPG, and boy has Destiny 2’s Season of the Deep kept me fed, with perhaps the best fishing minigame to grace an RPG in years.
Of course; I’m mostly joking here, but Destiny 2’s latest season has really ratcheted up the theming around the ocean and all that prevails it. I could talk about the new content that has graced the game such as the Ghosts of the Deep dungeon, the new seasonal weapons and armor, and more; but man has Bungie surprised us with a fantastic fishing minigame to tie everything together.
The EDZ, Nessus, and the Throne World now all have a set of fishing points where you and your fireteam buddies - or randoms - can meet together and fish. Bait can be earned through a variety of activities, including completing public events across the galaxy. The actual act of fishing requires you to wait for your fishing line to light up, and by responding as quickly as possible will increase your chances of snagging a rarer fish. Catching rare fish in succession will increase the Focused Fishing meter of the whole pond; incentivizing players to crack open a cold one with the crew as they put on their fishing caps.
Catching fish isn’t just a neat novelty, of course; every new species of fish you catch, with some species being native to specific fishing holes, will unlock a seasonal achievement corresponding to them. Additionally, players can deposit any of the fish that they’ve caught back at the H.E.L.M, and even are gifted an aquarium to bask in their aqueous glory. Depositing fish, regardless of if they’re freshly caught or not, will also award players gear corresponding to the rarity of the fish in question; including Exotic Armor if you’re lucky enough to catch that elusive golden fish.
Really, the last thing I expected was for Bungie to add a fishing minigame to Destiny 2 of all things, but what the developer has introduced feels like anything but a simple distraction; while players are of course free to completely ignore its inclusion, the way that the entire system is integrated into Destiny’s core gameplay loop is impressive and reminds me of the same sort of distractions that players can engage in within Final Fantasy XIV. Done with raid night? Time to celebrate by fishing our hearts out on a Discord call while bringing out the drinks.
It could’ve been very easy for whatever Bungie added for Season of the Deep to feel superfluous, and it’s still a shame that this excellent activity will go the way of the dodo come Destiny 2: The Last Shape’s launch next year, but the company absolutely deserves to be commended for creating, and integrating, one of the best fishing minigames I’ve had the pleasure to engage with in an RPG. Destiny 2: Lightfall might have had its fair share of issues, but Destiny’s seasonal content still manages to deliver for anyone that’s already had the game’s hooks grab ahold of them.