World of Fishing is perhaps the first fishing game á la MMO.

One can freely play with other fishers, or compete against others. There is also a quest system and character customization, which I have yet to find (at least to this degree) in any other fishing game, and which add some RPG elements.

There is a delay in doing just about any action, particularly when attempting to hook a fish. There also appears to be a calibration issue between where one's cursor is and where the player wants to cast. This is somewhat frustrating, although the developers are aware of lag issues on the servers and, at the time of writing this, are working on upgrading those respective servers.

These problems may be rectified shortly.

At least currently, there is also a lack of places to fish at; only one of the regions is available at the start of the game —and in that region, only two spots are available to explore, until one levels up, yet neither beginning area features a stream or lake. Thankfully, the player is in a boat and can explore the waters as much as he desires, as opposed to being stuck along the shore or even in one spot.

One can also sell fish, but this feature is not as straightforward as it could, and should be. Instead of going into the marketplace to sell your fish, you first have to place the fish into an aquarium and then sell the fish. If your aquarium is full, then it's a hassle.

Selling earns you money, you then use to purchase items. Some, such as bait, comes in limited supplies - it's not infinite. Slightly disappointing, as you will have to buy the same item over and over again, as opposed to focusing on having a wide variety of bait and other fishing equipment for just about any occasion, any location, and any fish.

You may also be discouraged by the bland mechanics to catch the fish.

It seems to border on being monotonous. Supposedly, different fish require different timing when it comes to setting the hook, but I haven't noticed any difference between fish; or, this difference is negligible enough not to matter (you can even catch fish that are a few levels higher than yours). How one particular fish is caught can, it seems, be used on any other fish you might encounter. This dissolves the need to learn fish behavior, thereby lessening difficulty that could have made World of Fishing interesting. At least there is a vast variety of fish, and they come in "grades", which one could view as quality; perhaps the differentiating behaviors of the fish are only apparent when dealing with the highest grade, or quality, of a given fish. This would make sense: if you know the fish on your line is rare, why not make it more difficult to catch? So that you get a sense of achievement when you do?

Then again is the risk of frustrating your player base. Catch dozens of the same fish, of the same poor quality, only to miss catching that rare one when it finally shows up. A double-edged sword.

You may also pay real money for a different type of currency (pearls), which is then used to buy certain items. Bear in mind that World of Fishing is Free to Play, and while the Pay to Play Better might discourage a group of friends, pearls can be obtained slowly, just playing.

As far as the quest system goes, there are both story-like missions and also daily missions. There's also missions that pop up unpredictably, which have a time component (such as catch this or that in the next half-hour). This quest system, combined with the implementation of an inventory and equipment system that boosts the character's personal stats, do offer some incentive to play—to get better equipment, to level up and reach other potentially exotic areas, to complete quests, and so on.

There are also too few achievements; a fully functioning version of this feature is something to look forward to.