Buy it for a compact co-op comedy with a willing group; solo players and anyone seeking depth should understand the limits before paying.
Buy How to Fish if you have a group that wants a short, inexpensive physics-comedy game built around fishing, firearms, bosses and shared mistakes. Wait or skip it if you will play only solo, want a realistic fishing simulation, or expect a deep game that lasts for months. That conclusion is not copied from one storefront: it comes from a dated Steam player aggregate, three independent editorial sources, one named PC Gamer hands-on session and the current official patch history.
Player Guidebook has not completed a hands-on review, so this page does not invent an editor score. It keeps every external score attached to the outlet that awarded it and explains where the sources agree, where they disagree and which launch complaints later patches changed.
Scores and evidence at a glance
| Source | What it measured | Published result | What it adds | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam players | 61,514 all-language recommendations, checked September 13 | 95.1% positive; Steam label: Overwhelmingly Positive | The broadest public owner/player signal available | One PC storefront; recommendation votes are not critic scores |
| PC Gamer | A writer's multiplayer hands-on session, published September 6 | Positive feature; no numeric score | Directly observed group chaos, the first Spider Crab fight and the desire to return | A short session, not a full campaign review |
| Gaming.net | PC editorial review | 8.5/10 | Separates the thin underlying game from the stronger experience created by a friend group | One reviewer's judgment |
| SoulsGamer | PC editorial review | 8.5/10 | Praises progression, equipment variety, trick shots and accessible price | Portuguese-language outlet; score remains its own |
There is no honest “cross-platform player score” to display. How to Fish was listed only for Windows when checked, so Steam is the only verified storefront with a large public player-rating population. The media rows are editorial judgments, not extra player-rating platforms, and combining them into one average would hide that difference rather than add value.
What the sources consistently agree on
Co-op is the reason to buy
The agreement is unusually clear. PC Gamer's writer described the game becoming entertaining when a simple loop was shared with friends and friendly fire. Gaming.net likewise treated it as a better meeting point for friends than as a deep standalone game. SoulsGamer praised the chaotic cooperative loop, unpredictable physics and equipment escalation.
This is stronger evidence than the Steam feature checklist alone. Steam can confirm that online co-op exists; the cross-source pattern explains why it matters: other players turn repetitive fishing and combat actions into unscripted stories.
The title creates the wrong expectation
This is not a calm fishing simulator. The loop is catch, defeat or sell fish, buy increasingly absurd equipment, complete island tasks and fight oversized bosses. The sources repeatedly frame the physics, weapons and trick shots—not realistic angling—as the main attraction. A buyer looking for simulation depth is shopping for the wrong product even if the title sounds perfect.
The value case depends on accepting a compact game
The US Steam price was $7.99 when checked September 10. Gaming.net frames the strongest value as a few entertaining sessions rather than a hundred-hour commitment. That makes the low entry price relevant, but it does not erase concerns about repetition or limited long-term depth.
Where the evidence disagrees or remains incomplete
How bad is solo play?
All three editorial sources prefer co-op, but they do not prove that solo is universally bad. PC Gamer's published session was multiplayer, while Gaming.net says the game is far better with a larger group. The responsible conclusion is therefore “supported but higher-risk solo,” not “unplayable alone.”
How long does the appeal last?
The media coverage describes a compact experience and limited depth, but there is no official fixed completion time and no controlled Player Guidebook playthrough. Treat “a few sessions” as a fit warning, not a measured campaign length. If replay value is your main purchase criterion, wait for a larger content update or seek a hands-on long-form review.
Are launch complaints still current?
Not automatically. Early coverage and player comments mentioned lobby problems, black screens, save risk and boss balance. Official patches subsequently changed those areas: Patch 1.0.4 expanded lobbies to eight and said its black-screen change would hopefully resolve that failure; Patch 1.0.6 changed crash-time save behavior; Patch 1.0.12 added Steam Cloud, changed Piranha and Tuna balance, described a lobby performance optimization, and said its voice-chat, radio and final-boss changes were intended or expected to resolve the named cases. Those notes show developer action, not proof that every player's problem disappeared.
This is where Player Guidebook should add value instead of merely repeating review scores: an old complaint remains evidence that the problem existed, but it is not proof that the same problem survives the current build. Check the current patch impact page for the exact version boundary.
Buying decision by player type
| You are buying for… | Recommendation | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 2–8 friends who enjoy physics comedy | Buy | This is the strongest and most consistently supported use case |
| One evening or a short weekend game | Buy if $7.99 feels reasonable | The compact scope is less of a drawback when it matches the planned session |
| Solo-only play | Wait or use Steam's refund window carefully | Solo exists, but every independent source reviewed here sees group play as the better version |
| Realistic fishing simulation | Skip | Weapons, physics and boss progression are the actual product |
| Long-term progression or live-service depth | Wait | The available evidence supports immediate fun more strongly than lasting depth |
| A technically settled co-op game | Check Patch 1.0.12 first | Several launch issues were patched, but old reviews and current build status must not be conflated |
What Steam alone cannot tell you
The 95.1% Steam result is useful evidence of broad player approval, but it cannot answer whether you personally have the right group, whether the solo balance fits you, or whether a launch complaint remains true after Patch 1.0.12. It also cannot be compared as if it were the same instrument as an 8.5/10 editorial score.
That is why the separate Steam player-review analysis publishes the dated population and its limits, while this page compares independent judgments and converts the agreement into a buying decision.
Review method
- Method: multi-source roundup and buying analysis; no Player Guidebook hands-on claim or numeric score.
- Platform scope: Windows PC. No verified console or mobile player-rating population was available.
- Player evidence: Steam all-language aggregate checked September 13. The reproducible 200-review theme sample captured September 12 is published on the separate player-review page rather than duplicated here.
- Editorial evidence: PC Gamer hands-on feature, Gaming.net scored review and SoulsGamer scored review, read independently.
- Version correction: official patch notes outrank older review copy for current lobby, save and balance status.
- Scoring rule: external scores remain separate; no arithmetic composite is displayed.
Sources & evidenceOpen the references used for this page
- How to Fish on Steam
- Read How to Fish player reviews on Steam
- PC Gamer hands-on co-op feature
- Gaming.net PC review — 8.5/10
- SoulsGamer review — 8.5/10
- Official Patch 1.0.4 — eight-player lobbies
- Official Patch 1.0.6 — save validation and crash behavior
- Official Patch 1.0.12 — Steam Cloud, balance, and current fixes
QUICK ANSWERS
Questions players ask next
Is How to Fish worth buying?
It is a strong fit for a group that wants a compact physics-comedy game with fishing, weapons and bosses. It is a weaker buy for solo players or anyone expecting a realistic fishing sim or a long progression game.
What scores did How to Fish receive?
Gaming.net and SoulsGamer each published an 8.5/10 verdict. PC Gamer published a positive hands-on feature without a numeric score. Steam's September 13 player snapshot was 95.1% positive across 61,514 all-language reviews. These measurements use different methods and are not averaged.
Is this a hands-on Player Guidebook review?
No. This is a multi-source review roundup and buying analysis. Player Guidebook does not claim a playthrough or publish its own numeric score.
Is How to Fish good solo?
Solo play is supported, but independent reviews agree that the game is stronger with friends. They differ on how severe the solo weakness is, so solo-only buyers should treat that as the main risk.
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