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River King – Mystic Valley is the next installment in the beloved River King series. Unfortunately for fans of the game who own a DS, River King -Mystic Valley is a disappointment. Take one mini game and turn it into an entire game, and that is what River King for the DS has become.
Basic RPG mechanics (battles, leveling up) have disappeared, leaving this edition barely recognizable. For those that enjoy fishing, River King will be a small diversion from the drag of daily life. For gamers looking for a game resembling the traditional River King, you will not find it here.
You are a young boy out fishing, when one of your friends meets you and agrees to meet you and your little sister at your house. Upon arriving, your little sister is still asleep, and you are unable to rouse her. Further investigation reveals that your sister has fallen into a deep sleep and will only wake up if given a potion made from the scale of a legendary fish – the River King.
Now, you must become the best fisherman possible in order to catch the River King. It will take all of the skill you’ve got. Do you have the patience and drive to do it? River King offers eight different playing areas in the forests of Mystic Valley. Between them, there are over one hundred different types of fish to catch. Your quest is to start catching the small stuff, trade those little lame fishes in for fish cards or better items, and then… you guessed it… keep fishing!
Fish cards are dealt by a friend of yours who wants to help you out on your quest. They provide detailed information about the type of fish you’ve caught, such as preferred environment, best bait and rod to use, etc. Items are usually sold by creepy people, and, in typical RPG fashion, you just upgrade the type of item you already have. Bait, lures, rods, so on and so forth.
Along the way your character meets some weird monsters. Mostly, they are helpful and offer clues and/or advice to help you in your quest. Some monsters can even be kept as pets that will follow you around and accept some fish for food, if you offer it to them.
All other elements of a traditional RPG have been removed from River King. There are no turn-based battles, and the only battles available are with fish. Although the battles utilize the DS stylus, in general the fishing mechanics are poor and inaccurate. Your character does have a HP of sorts; basically he gets tired after fishing for too long. To regain your energy, you need to make the trek back to your house and take a nap or each some highly nutritious food.
Like its Harvest Moon brothers, River King can be surprisingly addictive. Even with relatively few places to explore and a poor control scheme, it is always interesting to see what you will catch next.
This addictive quality wears off quickly after a few hours even if you enjoy fishing in real life. This is like a drawn-out Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Harvest Moon, or Animal Crossing fishing mini game stretched out into a full-length adventure.
Compared to Harvest Moon, River King has better graphics complete with more detailed characters. Your main guy has more than just a huge head and a squatty torso. I would also say that the environments look more detailed and cohesive, rather than some tufts of grass or flowers strewn carelessly over an environment.
For music, we have nature sounds. Do yourself a favor and just mute the game. If you are a fan of the River King series, the DS version may quench a portion of your thirst for a new game, but it won’t be satisfying. For a rental, this game is decent for a few hours. Do yourself a favor and just rent the old PS2 version or pick it up for ten bucks used at your local gaming store.
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