App Name | Hooked Inc: Fishing Games |
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Latest Version | v.2.29.4 |
Last Updated | Nov 22, 2023 |
Publisher | Lion Studios |
Requirements | Android 5.1 |
Category | Simulation |
Size | 65 MB |
Mods | Unlimited Money/Gems |
Google Playstore |
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In Hooked Inc, players take on the role of a fisherman trying to build their fishing empire. The core gameplay loop involves tapping the screen to catch fish and earn money. This money can then be used to upgrade your boat, fishing rod, crew, and more. Upgrades allow you to catch rarer and more valuable fish, earning you more money to invest back into your fishing business.
While simple on the surface, Hooked Inc offers surprising depth through its upgrade system and incremental progression. There is always something to work towards, whether it’s unlocking the next boat, hiring a new crew member, or catching a rare fish. The simple, repetitive gameplay makes it easy to get into a zen-like flow state.
Fishing in Hooked Inc is as simple as tapping the screen. When fish swim by your boat, tap on them to catch them with your fishing rod. Each fish has a certain coin value, which gets added to your total funds when caught.
Early on, you’ll be catching common fish like tuna and cod worth only a few coins each. But as you progress, you’ll gain access to rarer and more valuable species. This provides a steady sense of progression as you work to catch every fish in the game.
Occasionally, you may catch a treasure chest or other item while fishing. Chests provide a big coin bonus when opened, allowing you to upgrade your gear faster.
The main way to progress in Hooked Inc Mod Apk is by upgrading your boat. You start with a small wooden raft but can eventually upgrade all the way to a fancy yacht. Each boat upgrade increases your passive income rate, meaning you earn coins over time even when the game is closed.
Upgrading your boat also unlocks new areas to fish in. Starting in a small pond, you’ll slowly gain access to exotic locales like the Arctic, Atlantis, and more. Each area contains unique fish to catch.
Boat upgrades don’t come cheap though. The higher tier boats can cost millions of coins to purchase. This gives you a long-term goal to work towards.
As your boat improves, you can begin hiring crew members. Each crew mate provides a unique bonus or ability to help you catch more fish and earn coins faster.
For example, the starting crew member Roderick increases your offline earnings rate. Other crew include Penny who finds treasures for you, Mr. Hippo who scares fish towards your boat, and more.
Crew can also be upgraded by spending coins. Upgrading improves their abilities, again helping you progress faster. Finding the optimal boat and crew combination is part of the strategy.
In addition to boats and crew, you can also upgrade your fishing rod. Better rods allow you to catch fish faster and even multiple fish per tap.
Special abilities can also be unlocked, like a laser lure that instantly catches all fish on screen. Rods get extremely expensive at higher tiers but are worth the investment.
Other miscellaneous upgrades are also available to purchase with coins:
Experimenting with different upgrades is key to maximizing earnings.
One of Hooked Inc’s strengths is its relaxing, casual gameplay. Once you get into a groove, fishing requires minimal effort or thought. It’s the perfect game to play while watching TV or listening to podcasts.
The repetitive tapping motion and soothing ocean sounds make fishing oddly therapeutic. It satisfies the human urge to find patterns and achieve small goals.
A major feature of Hooked Inc is the ability to progress offline. Thanks to your crew, you continue earning a steady income even when the app is closed.
This means you rarely feel like time is being wasted. You can check in for a few minutes, catch some fish, then close the app knowing your crew is still hard at work.
Offline progression makes Hooked Inc perfect for short play sessions. It respects players’ time while always giving a reason to check back in.
Most mobile games limit playtime by implementing an energy system. Hooked Inc deserves praise for avoiding this trend.
Rather than dealing with timers and limited energy, you’re free to play for as long as you want. The only limit is your own patience and interest. This makes the game much more rewarding to invest time into.
New fishing events are added to Hooked Inc every week. Events have unique goals like catching a certain number of fish or earning a set amount of coins.
Completing event goals earns you gems, which are the game’s premium currency. Gems allow you to progress faster by instantly upgrading gear or hiring crew.
Events add variety to the core fishing gameplay and give you short-term boosts in progression. They help keep the experience feeling fresh.
As a free-to-play mobile game, Hooked Inc makes its money primarily through optional in-app purchases (IAPs). Let’s break down how IAPs work and whether they’re required.
Gems are the premium currency used to purchase upgrades instantly rather than waiting to earn coins. For example, you can spend gems to immediately buy the next fishing rod upgrade rather than saving up coins.
Gems are obtained slowly through gameplay, but can be purchased in bundles costing real money. Prices range from $2 for 250 gems to $100 for 14,000 gems.
While gems speed up progression, they are completely optional. You’ll earn them naturally from playing over time. Patience pays off.
In addition to gems, certain crew members are only available as paid IAPs. They provide unique bonuses not found in free crew.
For example, the Great White Shark crew member costs $10 and instantly catches fish when tapping the screen. Again though, these IAPs are unnecessary to progress.
You’ll encounter ads from time to time while playing Hooked Inc. Luckily, they’re limited to short videos that can be closed after 5 seconds.
Ads may play when claiming offline earnings, after failing a fishing challenge, or when opening a treasure chest. They provide a quick break without being too intrusive.
There are no options to remove ads or limits on how many you’ll see. But they’re tolerable compared to many mobile games.
A $10 monthly VIP membership removes ads entirely and provides ongoing rewards. You receive daily gems, automatically open chests, and unlock VIP crew members.
The VIP subscription is great if you play daily. But it’s hard to justify the cost if you only play casually. It’s an added bonus, not a necessity.
Progression is steady in Hooked Inc but expect it to take weeks or months to reach the endgame. Here are some milestones you’ll hit along the way:
Expect to invest dozens of hours to reach the endgame, even with spending money. The long-term progression is part of the appeal. There’s always a new goal on the horizon to work towards.
Hooked Inc Mod Apk opts for a bright, cartoon art style. Environments and fish are colorful and cheery rather than realistic. This gives the game a relaxed, family-friendly vibe.
The environments start simple but become more detailed and exotic as you progress. Schools of fish swarm the waters, brought to life through fluid animations.
Visuals are smooth and polished, especially for a free mobile game. While not cutting edge, the art style has universal appeal.
Audio mainly consists of serene ocean waves and seabird calls. The peaceful sounds complement the laidback fishing gameplay perfectly.
Upbeat sea shanties also play periodically, adding flavor and keeping the experience from becoming too monotonous. Audio cues for catching fish and earning coins provide satisfying feedback.
Overall, the audio is subtle but enhances the atmosphere. It pulls you into the relaxing setting.
Hooked Inc incorporates social features that let you compete against friends or other players worldwide. Here are the multiplayer options:
Global leaderboards track a variety of stats like total fish caught, different fish caught, money earned, and more. You can compare your ranks against all players.
Leaderboards incentivize you to keep catching fish and earning money to climb the ranks. They give you something to compete for.
Daily and weekly fishing tournaments challenge you to complete goals within a set time period. For example, catch 200 fish in 30 minutes.
Tournaments provide fun distractions from the main game. They also reward gems for hitting milestones, encouraging participation.
You can view your Facebook friends that also play Hooked Inc. Comparing your progress with friends adds friendly competition.
Gifting friends gems and earning social bonuses for connecting provides small incentives to use the social features. But they’re completely optional.
Hooked Inc succeeds in making a simple but addictive fishing game with long-term appeal. The progression system and relaxing gameplay make it easy to get hooked. Just don’t expect to make major progress without a lot of patience or money.
Simulation