Hot take: the fishing minigame in Stardew is the best part, not the worst, and I'm tired of pretending otherwise
Every time someone says the fishing is too hard or too slow, I think about how I felt the same way back in 2016 when I first picked up the game on a rainy Tuesday. I spent my first two in-game seasons ignoring the water completely, just farming parsnips and passing out in the mines at 2am like everyone else. Then my friend Sarah sat next to me at my kitchen table in Ohio and made me try the training rod she bought from Willy for 25 gold, and something just clicked after about 30 minutes. Now the fishing is the part I look forward to most, because it's the only thing in the game that actually makes me slow down and pay attention instead of just clicking through menus. I get that people want the cozy vibes without any friction, but a little resistance is what makes the rest of the game feel earned. Does anyone else find the slow parts of these games more relaxing than the easy wins?
The fishing minigame is honestly what kept me hooked after I almost dropped the game in year one. Once you get past that first frustrating week, the little bar and the movement become this weird rhythm thing that's almost meditative, way more than just watching crops grow. Slow parts always beat easy wins for me too, since a win you didn't work for just feels like clicking a button.