River Legends

A Fly Fishing Adventure

Ratings

Age

4+

Roleplaying

Languages

English

Latest Version 1.2

Thu May 20 2021

Review feature added

River Legends is an indie fly fishing simulation that combines realistic fishing mechanics with beautiful 2D pixel art. Explore wild canyons, alpine lakes, and rushing rivers as you hunt for legendary species. Manage your inventory of flies, read the water to find the best spots, and enjoy a peaceful, high-quality fishing experience without the stress of in-app purchases.

Dinsun Expert Review

Our Expert Score

85/100

River Legends is a beautiful love letter to the art of fly fishing, presented in a gorgeous pixel-art style that evokes 16-bit nostalgia. Unlike many fishing games that are just fast-paced tapping fests, River Legends is actually a simulation that cares about things like water temperature, lure choice, and the physics of the cast. You have to carefully time your flick to land the fly in the right spot, and the fight to reel in a trophy trout is genuinely tense.

The atmosphere is incredibly tranquil; the sound of running water and the rustle of leaves make it a perfect 'zen' game. I loved the progression of unlocking new equipment and finding secret fishing holes in the Pine Canyon. It manages to be both a relaxing experience and a challenging sim that respects the actual sport of fly fishing. If you're tired of arcade-style fishing and want something more thoughtful and artistic, this is a must-play.

Dinsun reviewed on: Fri Feb 27 2026

Features

Realistic fly fishing physics

Dynamic weather and day/night cycles

Multiple distinct wilderness environments

No ads or forced microtransactions

Tips & Walkthrough

Reading the Water

Look for ripples or 'rising' fish. These are indicators of where the fish are feeding. Cast your fly slightly upstream of these spots to let it drift naturally toward the target.

Gameplays

The Hookset

Timing is everything. Don't pull too early when a fish strikes; wait for the splash, then flick the rod to set the hook. Keep the tension bar in the green to avoid breaking your line.

Screenshot

Q&A

Yes, you can catch Trout, Grayling, Pike, and several 'Legendary' species unique to specific rivers.

Ratings & Reviews

Thank you for making this game!

Sat Oct 09 2021 Spezaks Review

This game checks all my boxes: -Visually pleasing and retro (bringing back memories of games I have treasured), - Simple controls, - Fishing in my favorite method for my favorite fish (fly fishing for trout), -hidden secrets in the game have been fun to uncover. All in all this is a game I have never known I needed. Thank you! It is a favorite!

Initially inscrutable

Tue Apr 12 2022 BillyDupris123

Controls are sometimes virtual buttons, sometimes touch anywhere, leads to lots of confusion early on. Weird that menu is in your tackle box. No indication on map of whether or not a location is accessible. Once I realized the reeling tension choices were not virtual buttons but touch anywhere, I was able to actually see the gauge and the fishing mechanic started making sense. Every cast is jarring because you don’t see it fly through the air to its destination. Why did you decide to teleport the lure to its destination and skip an actual casting animation? Very weird decision. Just lots of strange interaction choices that imo present a high barrier to entry. Also, would really help with immersion if there was like a motivation for any of this. Quests? A story? Even a light intro that expresses a basic reason for wanting to catch a legend or whatever would have gone a long way to help me feel like there was a reason for any of this. Record of fish caught should be in like a journal and not outside the whole game in the start menu. Hey this journal sounds like a great place to move the menu and maybe a few settings. Maybe a shack we can put trophies in and upgrade? I get it you're a small operation and idk how the heck games are made and maybe it’s a testament to the game that it makes me think of all the other things I want here, but what is vs. what could be is a real distraction. River Legends 2 gonna be off the chain.

Few recommendations if you’re listening

Tue Apr 27 2021 AMINALpdcts

Playing the game a bit, a couple recommendations from a fly-fisherman. First, shouldn’t be able to see the fish at all times. Part of the excitement, often, is not knowing exactly what’s in the water, perhaps you need your polarized glasses to get a better look. Maybe add to the allure (no pun intended) by reducing visibility. Another thing, gotta be able to style your character. Is it some guy out there or is it me with some waders, my new Simms sun hoodie, and some orange shades? Lastly, a lot of the fun is the cast. Maybe it should be that the line follows exactly what you draw, so if you get the timing right, you get the cast you want, otherwise you get hooked. A start to a brilliant game. Just a few thoughts.

This is surprisingly fun!

Tue Apr 27 2021 Leilio

I preordered expecting a simple game to waste my time. However, the game play is really well thought, not too complex and not too easy. I have unlocked 7 out of 8 locations from pine canyon and will continue to play. Overall, a really fun game with nice pixel arts and smooth fishing mechanisms.

New Fav

Wed Apr 16 2025 Tree hood76

Been fly fishing for 20 years, now I can fish in my office at work! Love it! Great mechanics too if you actually fish. I have a question now after playing for a couple weeks… will I ever see the Bigfoot?!?!? Hahaha def keeps me coming back! Thanks for your time making this gem!

Great game but.

Fri May 14 2021 verycoolawesomeprosleader

It could use more content after the game ends. The gameplay also gets repetitive and always seeing the fish makes it less realistic. Also my biggest gripe is how the river legend was just a lake trout. I thought it would be something cooler at least I didn’t ever think that was the legend till I checked overalll great game

Fun past time

Fri Sep 09 2022 MeLlamoYorch

If your a fly fisherman you will dig this game. The scenery is beautiful and the fishing system is solid. I would have appreciated a tippet added to the fly line but that doesn’t change how fun this is to actually play

I loved this tiny adventure

Sat Jan 27 2024 oryxski

Thank you for making this. The way the joy of fishing is captured plus the nostalgia of of games like this makes this game truly special. Please make more just like this but more :)

News found!

The Flare Path: Fish Tanks

The following appraisal of the demo-equipped River Legends. Dantat Studios' delightfully curve- and polygon-free angling diversion is absolutely heaving with...

Rock Paper Shotgun Tue Oct 29 2019