Yes, you read that title correctly!! Since the dawn of time, one question has been asked...

"Can we date the shopkeeper?"

The answer to that question has always been "no".

That is, until today.

No longer will Reel-istic Fishing players need to cry themselves to sleep, knowing they'll never get to date their beloved shopkeep. You can now fin-ally date the shopkeep.

Of course, not everyone likes dating games! Not everyone is comfortable dating a fish human. I made sure to make this as optional as possible. You can opt out of the date, and the date is by no means required to complete the game!

For the dedicated Bubbles fans, though, there is a special item that I think you'll like!

And this isn't all that's been added! I fixed a few bugs/annoyances, and added in a couple features! I'll list out the change log below!

• DATING!
  • A full-fledged dating minigame has been added, complete with a custom track composed by Rupert Cole, and some amazing character art from Rae!
    • This track is "Seashell Serenade" by Rupert Cole
  • A special tackle for doing your absolute best during the date
  • Finally, a purpose for the lighthouse! Not happy with how the date went? Replay it at the lighthouse
• New title card, launch animation, and exit animation! Thank you to Rae for all of this!
• Added two new settings
  • Fast Travel: Not a fan of paddling the boat? Enable this and arrive at your destinations at faster-than-lighthouse speeds!
  • Crazy Harpooning: Fish will move side to side depending on their underwater speeds. This is for those looking for a more engaging, more difficult harpooning phase! (You'll even receive a 15% boost to corals for this!)
• Relocated VeggieVision to the accessibility side of settings
• While using the crank, harpoon will now update instantly after the harpoon retracts back in place. No more needing to wiggle the crank to update it! (Thank you to Dr Gabe for suggesting this! Also, go buy Platform 10 and train your brain!)
• Locations will now instantly start moving again if the players sets course for a new destination while it's still animating in. I doubt this was really a common bug before, but with fast travel, it's very easily found!
• Changed the "Buy" button prompt to be more clear
• Added the date song to a certain musical companion.
• Added a romantic costume to a certain amphibious companion!
• A certain musical treasure can no longer be caught on every single level of the ocean in one trip. This same treasure also will not spawn anymore after being caught.
• Added spa-ghetti.
• Added shirtless Bubbles

So... how might one start this date? You'll need to bring a special treasure item to the shop! 👀

That's all I'll say! Good luck!

(Thank you ComfyCrow for this gif!)

Oh, and this update will be on Catalog as well, but we're waiting on Panic to make the update live! https://play.date/games/reel-istic-fishing/