Lofoten Catch for parents: what the fishing game is like
Lofoten Catch is a calm 3D fishing boat game in the browser for kids from about 8 to 12. The player steers a small fishing boat in a snowy Norwegian archipelago, sets a longline for cod, watches the crew bring the fish aboard and sells the catch at the quay. There is no fighting, no way to lose and no ads. This page lists the facts a grown-up may want before their child plays.
What does the player do?
- Steers a fishing boat with a speed control and left and right buttons, following a dashed line on a small map.
- Sets a longline at a fishing ground, waits 6 to 24 seconds and hauls it in.
- Watches two crew members bring the cod aboard and carry them to fish boxes.
- Ties up at the quay, where a buyer weighs and checks each box.
- Compares two offers, from a fresh-fish buyer and a fish factory, and picks one.
- Spends the game money on extra bait and three boat upgrades.
The thinking part is simple economics: waiting longer gives a bigger catch, fresh and big fish are worth more, and each buyer has its own rules. All the rules are explained on Selling at the quay.
Content notes
- No violence. No deaths, injuries, blood or weapons.
- Fish as a catch. Cod are hauled aboard, carried to boxes, weighed and sold. The fish are shown as the catch on deck and at the quay, with no gore.
- No way to lose. The boat cannot sink, break or run out of fuel. Bumping into land just stops it.
- Winter evening light. The game is set in a dark, snowy Nordic winter with warm harbour lights. Nothing jumps out or tries to scare the player.
- Made-up buyers and prices. The buyers and their prices are game rules, not real market prices.
- A real place. The fourth place, Reinefjorden, is built from real open map data of the fjord around Reine in Lofoten, Norway.
How much reading is there?
Very little. The main button always says the next step in a few words, like Set longline or Tie up and unload. The quay shows short lines such as Weight 8 kg · The buyer is checking. There is no voice acting and no long story text. A child who reads simple words and numbers can play alone; younger players may want help with the offers at the quay at first.
How long is a session?
One fishing trip, from the harbour to a sale, takes a few minutes for a player who knows the way, and longer at first. There is no story, no end and no time limit, so it is easy to stop after any sale. The game can be paused at any time, and it pauses by itself when the player switches to another tab or window.
Where is progress saved?
The game saves by itself in the browser on the device being used, every few seconds and after each action. There are three separate save slots, so siblings can each have their own boat. If the browser can't save, for example in a private window, the game says so. There is no cloud save: progress stays on that device and browser.
Ads, purchases and data
- There are no ads in the game.
- Real money can't be spent inside the game. The kroner are pretend money earned by selling fish. In the demo, the workshop button shows a Join panel that leads to the membership.
- The game checks with the Contenta Games portal whether the player is a member, and sends a few play events to the portal's own statistics: that the demo started or ended, that the Join button was pressed, or that an error happened.
- The models, music and map come with the game.
Devices, controls and languages
- Plays in a web browser on computers, phones and tablets, with no download. It needs a browser that can show 3D (WebGL).
- Keyboard and mouse, game controller or touch buttons. Every action has an on-screen button. On phones and tablets the game is played in landscape.
- Nine languages: English, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
- Settings has Volume, Music, Sound effects, a Sound on/off switch, Moving effects and Graphics. Set Moving effects to Calm for fewer moving effects, or Like my device to follow the device's own setting.
All controls and settings are listed on the controls page.
How to get the game
A fishing trip can be tried in the demo. The full game, with the boat workshop, is part of the Contenta Games membership, which opens every game on the portal. See what a membership includes, or browse the guides to all our games.
See also
- The guide's front page: what the game is about.
- FAQ: quick answers to common questions.
- Your first fishing trip, step by step: what the first minutes look like.
- Play Lofoten Catch together.
