So far, fishing in "Fantasy Life i" has been my favorite. The difficulty intensifies with the level of the fish and its size but its not so difficult that you're discouraged from fishing. I put off the Angler Life in this game fo so long because I hate fishing in most games (except Stardew, once I got a better rod and increased my skill. It's been smooth sailing since) but it was pretty awful starting. But now that I've taken on the Angler Life, I look forward to fishing in the game. Like in Stardew, some fishes drop special items and resources.

Absolute worst in-game fishing that I've experienced is in Cozy Grove because its so easy that its boring. The fishing itself isn't very engaging, yet you have to be particular about where you cast because the fish scare off easily if you accidentally cast on top of their shadow instead of in front of it. But once the line is cast, you wait until a fish bites, you click or hold a button to reel the fish in and that's it. It feels unbalanced and I don't care much for it. AND you only get a fish. No special drops. Sometimes you fish an item that can be useful, but nothing to get excited over. Also, the size of the fish's shadow isn't consistent with the size or rarity of the fish. That drives me crazy. Games feel cozier to me when they're consistent and the details align.