Dace
Quick, silvery and everywhere. The first catch of most mornings.
- Waters
- River
- Size
- 10–20 cm
- Rarity
- Common
- Fight
How to fish
Cast. Wait. Reel.
Three steps, a lot of patience, and one decision that matters: when to let the line go slack.
Cast and watch the bobber
Face the water and press A. Little dips are only nibbles. When the ! appears and the bobber sinks, strike with A before the fish lets go.
Reel, but mind the tension
Hold A to reel in. When the fish fights, the meter climbs fast: let go before the line snaps, then reel again as it tires.
Land it and log it
Every catch is measured and goes into your fish log. Beat your best size for a new record; your log is saved on this device.
Fish log
Nine fish to find
Five live in the river, four in the pond. Strong fish fight harder and give you less time to strike.
Chub
Chunky and curious, it lingers by the bridge pilings.
- Waters
- River
- Size
- 15–40 cm
- Rarity
- Common
- Fight
Rainbow Trout
The river's namesake. A pink stripe that flashes when it turns.
- Waters
- River
- Size
- 25–60 cm
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Fight
Catfish
Lurks in deep water and pulls like an anchor.
- Waters
- River
- Size
- 40–95 cm
- Rarity
- Rare
- Fight
Golden Salmon
A legend. Some say it only bites at dawn.
- Waters
- River
- Size
- 60–110 cm
- Rarity
- Legendary
- Fight
Bluegill
A pond regular with a blue ear flap and a big appetite.
- Waters
- Pond
- Size
- 10–22 cm
- Rarity
- Common
- Fight
Crucian Carp
Round and golden, it nibbles before it commits.
- Waters
- Pond
- Size
- 12–30 cm
- Rarity
- Common
- Fight
Carp
Patient, heavy and stubborn. Don't rush the reel.
- Waters
- Pond
- Size
- 30–85 cm
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Fight
Snakehead
An ambush hunter that shakes its head when hooked.
- Waters
- Pond
- Size
- 40–90 cm
- Rarity
- Rare
- Fight
Controls
Pick it up and play
| Action | Keyboard | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|
| Walk | ←↑↓→ | D-pad or left stick |
| Run | hold Z | hold B |
| Cast, strike, reel | X (hold to reel) | A (hold to reel) |
| Fish log | Enter | Start |
| Advance text | X or Z | A or B |
On a phone, tap the console to bring it up and use its D-pad and buttons.
Under the hood
A 63 KB cart for WASMAD
Rainbow River is a single WebAssembly module for WASM-AD, a fantasy console with Game Boy Advance–style hardware. It draws by writing tiles, palettes and sprites into memory: the translucent text box is an alpha-blended background layer, the bite ripple a semi-transparent sprite, and the fish you hold up an affine sprite that spins into place.