Big Bass
Big Bass UK is one of those games that sneaks up on you. I opened it expecting a quick five minutes and ended up spending a whole evening casting into a misty reservoir. The core loop is simple: pick a spot, choose your tackle, cast, and read the water. What makes it click is how tactile the casting feels — a swipe forward with a little flick sends the line arcing out, and the tension bar during a catch keeps you leaning into your phone.
The tone is calm rather than flashy. Locations are modelled on recognisable UK settings, from canal stretches to open lakes, and the ambient sound design does a lot of heavy lifting. You unlock new rods and lures by fishing consistently, and each species behaves differently, so learning where and how to target them becomes the actual game.
It's not perfect. The menus are a bit fiddly and loading between locations drags occasionally. But as a relaxing companion for a train ride, Big Bass UK does exactly what it sets out to do, and the catch-reeling mini-game never got old for me.
What we liked
- Genuinely satisfying casting and reeling controls
- Calm, atmospheric UK water locations
- Deep enough tackle system to keep you learning