Isle of Jura is an incredibly relaxing fishing simulator with relaxation and good vibes being its main selling point. With simplistic graphics and slow paced gameplay that helps you unwind after a long day, it’s a great purchase for somebody just wanting to be comfortable and fish for fun.
You’re a university student needing to collect data and do research for an assignment, and your family recommends you to go to the Isle of Jura, where there are plenty of fish to catch and catalogue, the perfect idea for you to get inspiration and info for your report. As you land on the island, there are a few characters waiting for you, all ready to support you and setting a warm environment for your work. You start off with a net but as you catch more and more fish, you’re able to sell them to the local restaurant for better upgrades and better rods in the future.
The gameplay is pretty simple, with a “click your mouse when the green zone appears” type of minigame when using your net, or “hold down the mouse button to reel the fish in without breaking the line” style when using the fishing rod. There are even different types of rods with a little variation between its effectiveness and styles to have somethign to work towards. It’s not too complicated and helps keep things calm and comfortable, which I really enjoyed. Because it’s nothing too difficult or complex, anybody is able to pick this game up and enjoy it without much barrier to entry. There are tons of different fish and marine life of varying sizes, spread throughout the island over its varying beaches, lakes, rivers, and ponds. Collecting them all will require you to traverse the entire island, while fossils and other collectables keep you hooked to fill out the local museum with their displays.
The soundtrack of the game is fantastic, it’s relaxing, soothing, slow, and sets the perfect tone for somebody just wanting to sit down and do some casual fishing. With a combination of instrumentals and slow guitar vibes, it really helps you forget about whatever is happening and focus on catching some big fish. The graphics are nothing to go crazy about, but they’re quite fitting for the game, with simplistic low polygon graphics and cute colours and environments to keep the atmosphere friendly. I did encounter a few graphical bugs here and there but they weren’t anything gamebreaking or experience ruining. One thing I do hope the developers improve upon though is the camera. I found it to be a little disorienting at times, and almost nauseating when trying to navigate through the island, even after figuring out where things were.
Overall, Isle of Jura is a great game for those looking for another relaxing small sim to play after going through the big titans like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing. I can wholeheartedly recommend this for those who enjoy fishing simulators and don’t want anything too difficult, or even a game to play casually while talking to friends.
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