Steam's co-op game How to Fish has experienced a significant surge in popularity, attracting approximately 340,000 concurrent players over its launch weekend. This unexpected success has prompted developers Dazed Games to release several patches addressing game balance, bug fixes, and new features.
In How to Fish, players control unique "worm people" who travel to various islands to catch and battle aquatic creatures using an array of weapons, including golden sniper rifles. The in-game currency earned from these encounters is then used to purchase upgrades for weapons and gadgets.
Recent Updates and Improvements
Developers have been working diligently to support the game's large player base. Recent updates introduced support for up to eight players in lobbies and the addition of private, invite-only sessions. Measures have also been implemented to prevent griefing, a practice where players intentionally disrupt game sessions for others. Players can now change their session type in-game, though a restart is required for the change to take effect. To mitigate progress loss, the game now saves when players manually select "Save, Main Menu" or "Quit," in addition to an existing autosave feature that triggers every minute.
Further quality-of-life improvements include the option to invert the X and Y camera axes and a lowered minimum locked FPS, reduced from 50 to 30. These adjustments aim to enhance player comfort and accessibility.
Bug Fixes and Game Balance
The development team has also addressed several bugs. One fix resolves an issue that allowed players to access any island without prior unlocking, a change that may impact speedrunning strategies. Additionally, a visual bug where skins on slot machines would disappear when playing in 4K resolution has been resolved.
In terms of game balance, the Pufferfish and Whale have reportedly been nerfed. The developers have also stated they have made the path to the final island clearer. These adjustments suggest an effort to refine the game's progression and challenge.
The game's sudden popularity places it in a unique position, drawing comparisons in player numbers to concurrent figures seen during the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta, despite its likely smaller development budget. The game's unusual premise and aesthetic have contributed to its status as a "cursed co-op sensation" on Steam.