I do love me some quality pixel art, and it doesn’t get much better than this. Cast n Chill is a cozy side-scrolling fishing game by small indie dev team Wombat Brawler, with absolutely gorgeous visuals. It’s simple to play, and you you can dip in and out of it at your leisure, making it a fine addition to our collection of coffee break games.
Fishing mechanics show up all over the place these days, and there’s loads of examples of how to do it. Cast n Chill’s approach is akin to the sort of minigame you might find in a bigger title, but that works in its favour here. It’s not trying to simulate real fishing, but offers a stylised, serene collection of beautiful environments in which to casually explore at your own pace. There’s even an ‘idle’ mode if you want to simply sit back and watch. The tone is very hillbilly, with the fisherman storekeeper’s country bumpkin drawl and worldly knowledge of everything fishing making you feel as welcome as possible.
There’s a bunch of equipment to unlock, and a large range of fish to catch and catalog, but for me it’s the background art and animation that steal the show. I could happily sit and watch the water trickle down a mountainside, or the sun slowing setting on any one of the rivers, lakes and mountainous that have been lovingly rendered. Oh, and did I mention you have a dog companion who sits in the boat with you, and barks when he sees a fish? It’s adorable.
It’s available on Switch and Steam.
