About Fishing - Neither The Time Nor The Plaice

Storyline (Mystery-Horror Fishing)

• About Fishing blends fishing gameplay with a supernatural mystery set in a strange, haunted-seeming coastal/island town.
• The player begins as a child on a beach fishing trip, catching a fish tied to unexplained supernatural events (e.g., a mermaid releasing a fish from a bottle).
• The fishing journey leads to clues connected to:
  • Missing girls, and a broader case involving:
    • A discovered body/corpse during a later underwater sequence, with increasingly surreal “fish-as-witness” logic.
    • A revelation that the found victim may be one of twins/siblings, leaving a second missing person still unaccounted for.
• The story then time-skips (or rewinds conceptually) into the player’s later life, where they are older/changed and investigate further with the help of psychic/linked fish.

Long-Term Objective

• Find clues underwater and interact with town locations (e.g., church, graveyard) to advance the mystery.
• Seek key items/paths such as:
  • A key to a grandpa’s office
  • Investigation of the flooded graveyard for recovered items and evidence.

Recurring Themes

• The game emphasizes odd “vibes” and unreliable reality, including:
  • Architecture that doesn’t make sense
  • Memories that loop
  • Characters/places that appear warped or distorted

---

Gameplay Highlights

Core Fishing Loop

• Cast by holding/aiming with the right trigger, flicking controls, then releasing to land the hook.
• Wait for a proper bite (not just a “nibble”).
• Once hooked, reel and rotate the fish so it stays oriented correctly for retrieval.

Line Stress / Danger Mechanic

• Larger or poorly positioned fish increase line strain (signaled by noises and a red warning state).
• If red stress appears, you must:
  • Stop reeling briefly
  • Let tension relax to prevent snapping.

Fish as Tools (Psychic Bond / Utility)

• Certain caught fish can be used to solve environmental puzzles, especially underwater.
• At least once, a fish is used to navigate/activate something in a way that ties back to the mystery.

Aquarium Quest / Progression via Delivery

• An aquarium requires specific fish (notably: 4 fish with at least one bass) to unlock progress/rewards.
• Fish values/money scale with performance, and fish can be chopped to increase selling value.

Cutting Fish / Crafting-Like Economy

• Use a knife to process fish.
• Precision matters: cutting order/geometry affects rating and value.
• Better cuts yield higher money, which funds upgrades (e.g., line length/depth, lures, etc.).

Metroidvania-Style Exploration (No Quest Markers)

• The game encourages wandering, trying fishing in new places, and using upgrades to reach deeper/farther areas.
• It uses no traditional quest markers or journals, relying on discovery and intuition.

---

Strategies and Key Tips

Casting

• Aim for depth and avoid poor spots—casting next to strong current (e.g., near a waterfall) can push the line/hook away.
• Re-cast until fish appear in the right area; both depth and distance matter.

Fighting Fish

• Keep the fish oriented toward you while reeling.
• When the line begins warning/red, pause so tension eases, then continue.

Bait / Tactics

• If a fish won’t bite, it may need better bait or a different species as a “bait”/link.

Aquarium + Money Loop

• For aquarium objectives, prioritize the required species—especially bass in the example delivery.
• Profit/upgrades cycle:
  • Catch repeatedly → knife process → sell improved cuts
• Higher precision cuts can raise fish value by about 20% (as shown in the demo).

Underwater Mystery Approach

• Expect surreal outcomes: fish can act like “narrative keys” to reveal hidden areas or objects.
• If stuck:
  • Re-orient the fish
  • Explore nearby underwater geometry (e.g., caves, corpses, and “wrap/tie” interactions)

---

Featured Gamers or Sources

• No other named gamers/sources are referenced in the subtitles beyond the narrator:
  • “John” (and “Many a True Nerd” as the channel identity mentioned at the start)