Is it worth buying? Absolutely!
Pros:
- Immersive graphics with detailed textures and nice water/lighting effects. Great looking skybox with dynamic cloud system. Really nice interface.
- Nice ambient audio effects, random fish jumps, fish swarms, wind gust sounds, etc. The music fits the game well too.
- Large handcrafted lakes and other venues, different boats, and a great assortment of lures and gear. NOT LEVEL LOCKED :)
- No cash-grabbing microtransactions or 'free to play' garbage. You pay for the game and DLC, and you get quality.
- Total Cast Control manual cast system is excellent (feels like actual casting). It offers an easy-cast system too.
- No forced underwater view.
- Decent physics and really good fish fighting. The fish fighting is much improved upon since initial release. Great bass jumping. Each species of fish fights in a unique manner.
- Decent fish AI. You won't find bass wandering aimlessly about the middle of the lake in this one.
- Online and offline timed tournaments and challenges.
- Boating and trolling work really good. You can fish while trolling. Has a fish finder too.
- Supports keyboard/mouse and gamepad. Adjustable sensitivity settings and other configurable options (HUD, etc.).
- Terrific in-game video tutorials and Dovetail Live website with even more tips and info.
- The developers have been active in engaging with players and working to make positive changes to the game.
Cons:
- The fish fighting needs to be smoother, particularly for bass. The fish zoom all over the place wildly and the line tension jumps up and down like mad. The line tension should rise gradually, not from 0 to 100 instantly. The game doesn't seem to acknowledge the drag setting at times either, with the line snapping even with heavy-duty test line and low drag setting.
- Some annoying issues (sinking lures like spinnerbaits keep sinking when reeling, occasional casting glitches, lures and fish 'plop plop' out of the water, netting glitches, etc.).
- The fish finder doesn't show underwater cover (weeds, rocks, etc.). You end up focusing on above-water cover, therefore most of the lake is just open and boring. This ruins the challenge and thrill of locating big bass in those not-so-obvious places.
- The bass AI needs tuned (water temperature should affect bass behavior; big bass should be more scarce and challenging to catch; etc.).
- Lacks a few important bass fishing lures - the skirted jig and the in-line spinner.
- Lacks important features that would make it a truly great bass fishing simulation (wind, water current, water clarity, snags, emphasis on proper use of gear - certain lines work better with certain gear and lures for example, etc.). Trophy Bass 4, a classic bass fishing simulator from 20 years ago, had all this. 20 years later, why isn't this in any new games?
- Bass break the line too easily unless you have heavy-test (30+ lb.), even when properly handling the rod and drag.
- No adjustable difficulty. The game tries to satisfy both casual players and avid real-life fishermen, and falls short of both.
Wishlist:
- Live bait and float fishing for panfish, bass, catfish, etc. from boat or shore.
- Flathead catfish with fast-current river venue.
- Trout fishing with a scenic mountain venue.
- More ambience to keep the game interesting (flying birds, ducks, planes, etc.).
- Career mode.
Final thoughts:
This game had a rough start out the gates. After a few months of engagement with the developers, it's gotten much better. The fish fighting is FUN and even comedic at times with its little quirks. I feel an adrenaline rush when catching lunker bass in this one - they truly are monsters and will ruthlessly give fight. The livestreams on YouTube and such offer a way for players to engage with the developers; unlike my past experiences with other games, these folks listened and acted. Fishing Sim World has the potential to be THE definitive bass fishing simulation. It just needs those important little extras to get it there. Otherwise it's like a great cake without the icing.
I've been an avid bass fisherman for 20+ years and have played nearly every fishing game out there since the '80s. I can say that, even in its current state, Fishing Sim World is the best bass fishing game out there right now.