Fishing (Final Fantasy XII)

Fishing is a minigame in Final Fantasy XII which can be acessed in the South Bank Village of the Dalmasca Estersand.

Unlocking
To being the Fishing sidequest, the player must have completed the Cactuar Family sidequest and the portion of the game's storyline at the Draklor Laboratory. After speaking with Ruksel a the South Bank village, the player must travel to Balfoheim and speak to the fishing enthusiast outside of the aerodrome. After leaving the area and then returning, the Muramata fishing rod can be obtained. Return to Ruksel to being the minigame.

Gameplay
When the minigame begins, a line of four to eight button commands will appear on the screen, moving in a random direction horizontally or vertically. The goal is to input the commands show correctly before the the line reaches the edge of the screen. Doing so sucesfully will cause Ruksel to make a catch.

There will be a total of six commands during each game. Each time a command is entered successfuly, either a fish or an empty bottle is rewarded to you at the end. Furthermore, by achieving a perfect score of all six commands, a bonus command will appear, and correctly entering it will award the player with a bonus item. (See the tables below.)

Fishing Areas
The minigame begins with only one area, Downstream, being available. By completing certain conditions, an additional four river sections can be unlocked. Each area has an increasing level of difficulty and a different variety of Perfect Fishing rewards. Note: Every fishing spot will produce the occasional "Empty Bottle" instead of a fish.

Matamune Sidequest
A different fishing rod is required to gain access to the last two fishing spots. Acquiring it is almost another sidequest in itself. To be able to begin it, you must first defeat Gilgamesh both times.

After defeating him, when you fish, the occasional Empty Bottle that you catch will turn out to be one of five coloured bottles. Each will contain a cryptic message leading to a specific spot in the game. After visiting every spot, the bottles will then form one last message, leading to the location of the Matamune.

After finding each location and deciphering the clues, the player will be lead to the Barheim Passage. The Matamune is found in a section of the Zeviah Span, but bu looking at the map, it's clear that it can only be reached via the West Annex. Gilgamesh appears here and presents you with the fishing rod.