Natsume River King Mystic Valley - Nintendo DS

This is the first game in the River King series that I have played. I finally decided it was time to give it a try since I enjoy the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory/Animal Crossing games and had heard the River King games were well liked among fans of those games. I have not been disappointed. River King Mystic Valley is a simple game yet very fun to play. It's very laid back, no threat of dying, no rush to get things done, just a game that can be played at your own pace and while the story is fairly linear, there's nothing pushing you to move on before you are ready. I find the game very relaxing to play.The graphics are decent for a DS game, nothing special but not bad. The art style of the game is actually pretty good with one exception. Too many of the fish look too similar, all a mix of blue, brown/black, silver, and maybe a little red thrown in. I get that most fish you'd find in a river probably aren't that different looking from each other and that they tried to make it fairly realistic, but this makes the fish look a little bland in my opinion. The characters and environments however are well done. The sound is also fine, fairly laid back and fitting for a game of this type.The story and gameplay are both fairly simple and straightforward but are still entertaining. The story isn't that deep or involved but it's enough to keep you wondering what will happen next and with interesting characters. The ability to have monsters as pets adds a nice bit of charm to the game. The game controls well and the fishing parts in particular make good use of the touch screen. There are times that I wish the fishing component of the game was a little more in depth since it takes up the majority of the time playing the game but it's intuitive and well done overall.I'm roughly 12 hours into the game so far so there's still a ways to go but at this point I would say that I would definitely recommend this game if you're into laid back games that involve fishing and the like. However, I'm not sure that I'll be playing another game in the series anytime soon because I'm not sure that I'd enjoy a game like this a second time but this play through has been very enjoyable.

I have only played some of this game-have other games on the go. I decided to buy this game as I had not seen it before. I am no good at fishing in Animal Crossing but seem to be better with this game. Took a while to get into and missed a few clues to start with but am enjoying it. It is about a young boy whose sister will not wake up and he must find the River King, the biggest fish in the area to find a solution to waking her up. Lots of people and creatures to meet and help and lots of different fish to catch and exchange for vouchers to exchange for goods (or I can feed my pet with them) - good fun. As I still have more of the game to complete my star rating is 4 stars but it could get better as I progress!!! At this point I would recommend it for entertainment value.

Game sucks

My 6 year old son is a fishing fanatic and a very good video game player so we were looking for games for the DS since most fishing games are for the big consoles. We got this one and like most of the reviews it is just ok. It is pretty complicated play, and not pure fishing. The kids aren't wowed by the graphics. I would only get it on a trade-in or sale defintely not full price.

Just like the rest of the River King games, you're sent on a quest to catch the River King to solve some problem with a family member (this time your sister refuses to wake up). It's just like the preceding games: catch fish, buy more bait, catch more fish, buy more bait, upgrade rods, etc. There are a few new twists, though. This time you get points for each fish you catch, you don't sell them, and trade these points for equipment. Also, you collect a certain number of fish, plants or bugs and you can get trading cards that can also be exchanged for points. Your combat with outside animals is also different in the fact that you now have a monster pet. As you feed it fish and talk to it, it grows and becomes more powerful as it follows you around.The DS controls add a new depth to your fishing experience, and it's a pretty good one. Rather than just cast, hook, fight and reel in, now you can control the casting direction and fighting directionals better. Your top screen shows a top-down view of your player and how far away the fish is in relation to your pole, while the bottom shows the interactive underwater screen. Pulling to the left or right edge will drag the fish in closer, while spinning the stylus on the middle of the touch screen will reel it in. Watching the two screens is important, because if you reel when the fish is too far away, line tension increases and you can lose your catch.There's a good amount of new content to keep the game different from the previous installments, and the DS controls are a good addition, but it's still really just the same game. Still, it was worth it in my opinion, being an avid Natsume fan.