A cozy idle fishing desktop companion about quiet progress, handcrafted islands, and stories hidden beneath the waves. Discover new species, upgrade your gear, customize your gears and let your fisher work peacefully in the background.
Developed by: Nexent Games
Played on: Steam
Length: 8 hours
A review key was provided by Nexent Games.
If you really think about it, fishing is the OG idle sport. You spend hours just waiting around for a bite, and you pass the time mostly admiring the view or busying yourself with something else. When the catch comes, it’s a moment of euphoria, then you’re back to the starting line again. In that sense, Kernelbay is no different.
This tiny fishing game from developer Nexent Games is a relatively hands-free idle game. There’s no customization or “load out” that the player needs to prepare, and everything from your fishing rod to your boat is pre-determined by the game. All you have to do is choose a location, then leave your tiny avatar alone as it begins fishing and earning you money.
Much like actual fishing, most of Kernelbay is a waiting game. You can leave it in the background or in the corner of your screen, but there’s nothing to do until you collect enough money. Once you do, you can unlock licenses to catch more valuable fish, upgrade your fishing skills, and eventually unlock pathways to new locations and items that increase your fishing efficiency.
Where Kernelbay shines is its painterly art direction, which easily makes it one of the most beautiful idle games I’ve played in the past years. Every aspect of its visual and audio design is crafted with evident care, from the satisfying button clicking to its soothing nature ambience. Each new location, of which there are six in total, also unlocks a completely different scenery with its own soundtrack to match.
This attention to aesthetics also extends to the game’s UI, which comes in two main modes: A full screen mode that places the fishing front and center, designed for players with second monitors and streamers who want to screen capture the game; and a transparent overlay mode that allows you to adjust its size and drag it anywhere on your screen.
The game functions completely even while in overlay mode, which was a relief for me personally; there’s nothing more disruptive to an idle game than having to go back to full screen mode multiple times an hour.
That being said, Kernelbay hits its ceiling sooner than most idle games. The entire experience takes about eight hours to complete, including upgrading all of your items, maxing out your skills, and unlocking all the locations and fishing licenses. The game also doesn’t have any productivity features that might give it more longevity, such as built-in timers or to-do lists.
In that sense, the game feels like a stripped down version of Cast N Chill, functioning more like a beautiful interactive wallpaper more than anything else. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. For its low price and a promised eight hours of soothing sights and sounds with minimal distractions, there’s a clear merit in picking up Kernelbay as your next idle experience.
Verdict: A Beautiful, Background Idle Game
Kernelbay is the latest idle fishing game that promises at least eight hours of soothing sights and sounds with minimal distractions; the perfect companion to any worker or streamer seeking undisruptive companionship during their day. While more features might give it more longevity, this tiny experience is easy to enjoy while it lasts.
