If you’re familiar with Crazy Tooth Studio’s The Incredible Balloon Machine, you’ll know what to expect from Golden Hook. The game shares the same burst mechanic, math model, and similar features. However, Golden Hook stands out with its fishing theme, making the base game more exciting than just inflating balloons.
In each game round, players try to reel in fish, which happens on average about 41.08% of the time, to increase their value. There is always a risk that the line could snap at any moment. Multipliers may appear to potentially increase your catch, making it tempting to hit the Collect button. But beware, it can be frustrating if the line breaks. The Golden Hook bonus game triggers randomly when the Golden Fish bites.
The game starts by pressing the big red button set within the ship’s wheel in the center of the screen. If a fish isn’t caught, the round ends. But if you do catch a fish, the game becomes a thrilling battle of greed versus fear of missing out. To keep reeling in the catch, you need to hold down the button, and the fish’s cash value continues to increase. If the line breaks, however, you lose the prize and the round ends.
Randomly, a Multiplier Feature may trigger when you’ve hooked a fish. Multiplier values between x2 and x10 may appear across the water, and a random one boosts the fish prize when you hit the Collect button. A Golden Bonus Fish may also bite randomly, triggering the Golden Hook Bonus.
Despite our desire to enjoy this game, as big fans of the Fishin’ Frenzy series, we found it disappointing. The risk was too high to inflate the value for too long. It would’ve been more enjoyable with random values, particularly if they could be significant. A more predictable way of increasing the prize value would have been some kind of incremental gamble feature. The multiplier feature adds frustration when the line breaks, and the Golden Hook bonus rarely results in anything close to the 3,082x win cap.
For comparison, The Incredible Balloon Machine, also from Crazy Tooth Studio, is a similar greed vs. fear-of-missing-out style game. It’s about inflating balloon values while avoiding the inevitable ‘pop’. A bonus multiplier up to x10 can also benefit you, and it offers a pick’em bonus game with the same medium volatility and 3,082x potential.
1000x Busta by 4ThePlayer is similar to crypto/Bitcoin Crash games, made for regular casinos. The win multiplier races towards the 1,000x max win, but you can “go bust” at any time if you don’t cash out.
Aviator from Spribe is another similar ‘burst mechanic’ game. It allows you to interact and chat with other players and participate in tournaments. The curve crash format is visualized by a plane, and live stats are available at all times.
