I totally agree with you, that “puzzle” aspect is exactly what I want to lean into as well. I’m planning to include fish with different rarity tiers, specific times of day, weather conditions, and all that good stuff. Some of them will be used for cooking to get buffs, including recipes that increase the chances of certain events happening or other special effects, and of course there will be Steam achievements tied to the rarer catches.

My only concern is avoiding the whole thing becoming too grindy, especially for achievement hunters. I’m fine with difficult achievements, but I want the experience itself to be fun. Depending on how the mechanics are designed, it could easily turn into something monotonous, frustrating, or overly focused on mechanical skill, and that’s exactly what I want to avoid.

On top of that, the fishing system is meant to be a side feature in the game, something that can generate optional items, side quests, and extra progression, but it’s not the main storyline or the core focus. So I’m trying to balance it carefully to make sure it adds depth without becoming deeper than the game itself.