Fishing Girl released on Xbox Live’s Indie Games section last night, and I knew when I saw the screenshots I’d have to check it out. The game’s description is deceptively simple: “A game a about a girl, a boy, and an ocean full of fish. Fishing Girl is an arcade fishing game with over 10 different fish to catch and 8 rod and lure upgrades.”

You start with a small lure and short fishing pole. As you catch fish, you make money to buy bigger lure and better poles. Each game does have a 10 minute time limit but I never felt rushed.  Plus, the timer can be turned off and you can play indefinitely.  You objective is to make enough money to buy the biggest fishing pole and cast all the way across the ocean to the island that the boy is on.  You then reel in the island and live happily ever after.

While Xbox Live Indie Games do not have achievements Fishing Girl does have Badges you unlock as you play.  You get them for hitting certain distances when you cast the lure, catching every type fish, and earning certain amounts of money.  While there was no Gamerscore for getting them I played for a couple hours trying to unlock all the badges.  I have a few more to go and I’m looking forward to playing some more to get them.

The art style and simple controls makes for a very mellow and relaxed playing experience.  Actually, the controls are so simple that you only use two buttons.   ‘A ‘casts your line out and reels it back in.  Once you buy additional lures you can change the one you are using by pressing ‘B’. There are no real major obstacles in the game other than your ability to control the rod and reel.  Fortunately, the simple ‘A’ button controls work really well.  There are a few sharks in the ocean that will try to eat your larger catches if they get close, but they can generally be avoided pretty easily.  Also, if your lure is too small for the fish eating it the line will break, but you get the lure back, without having to buy it again, once the line is reeled in.

Priced at just $1 (80 Microsoft Points) it is games like this that Xbox Live Indie Games was made for. With great graphics, simple controls, and a relaxed playing style there is nothing I can think of that they could add to make Fishing Girl any better.