IGN are starting to get the feeling with River King that – like the Harvest Moon series – the fans are more excited about the franchise than the creators are, and the result is a recent list of sub-par experiences. For River King though, it's a bit more discouraging, as it has been years since we had a US release, and the current offering is as far removed from the original experience as we could imagine. The visuals are astoundingly basic, there's almost no music in the entire game, fishing is nearly automatic now compared to the challenge of previous versions, and the end result is a game that lacks the very core of what made River King so special in the first place.
Presentation - 5.0
Graphics - 4.0
Sound - 4.0
Gameplay - 6.0
Lasting Appeal - 4.0
Overall -
Daav from NoobFeed.com writes reviews at random as well. Here's one for Harvest Fishing, which expectedly revolves around fishing...a lot. The cutesy appeal isn't all that bad, but truly lacks definition to overcome its repetitive nature.
River King: Mystic Valley is a nice interlude from serious RPGs with heavy plotlines and frustrating mechanics. It definitely isn't a game for everyone, but for those looking for a change or fans of the series will definitely want to check this one out. It won't make any waves and it's much simpler than it needs to be, but thankfully its charm does overcome its flaws.
You'd be better off with River King's sister title Rune Factory, which has a little bit of fishing alongside a much better main RPG.
You'll love:
- Some cute creatures
- Babbling brooks and forest sounds
- Playing Rune Factory instead
You'll hate:
- Stylus confusion reigns
- Unimaginative fishing controls
- Graphics not up to usual DS standard
What's crazy is that a fishing rpg series has been around since the nes