Whenever I think of Final Fantasy, my mind wanders to memorable battles against gigantic foes, getting to explore a fantastic world, and meeting a memorable cast of characters. One thing that never pops into my mind is the idea of fishing. Despite this, the debut Final Fantasy virtual reality title is all about fishing. It’s an odd direction, but it’s also one that is crazy enough to work.
I doubt Monster of the Deep is going to fulfill anyone’s Final Fantasy dreams (although going on a fishing date with Noctis is enough to make me swoon, at the very least), but some really impressive execution has me having a blast through the early stages. Since it uses the PlayStation Move controllers to simulate hands, virtual fishing becomes a very physical experience. Not only was I bringing my right arm back in order to cast my fishing line, I was also having to make circular motions with my left hand in order to reel in any fish that took my bait. On top of that, I had to resist the fish’s attempt at escape by moving my rod around. It results in a very realistic experience, even for a game that has players going up against monstrous demon fish. After managing to catch a few fish, players are treated to the first story sequence in Monster of the Deep. Yes, even in a fishing game, the grand story elements that players expect from a Final Fantasy game are very much included. A storm starts to occur, and suddenly the once calm lake is filled by a gigantic...