Farming Simulator 25: Highlands Fishing Edition Review: A Gorgeous Map Ruined by Broken Features
The map is breathtaking, the onions are fine, but the fishing? It's a joke.
I really wanted to love this expansion. The idea of trading my tractor for a fishing trawler in a moody, Scottish-inspired town called Kinlaig sounded perfect. And visually? It nails it.
The map is genuinely stunning. It has rolling green hills, rocky coastlines, and a moody, overcast sky that makes you want to wear a wool sweater. The details are incredible, from the ancient castles to the rough grass swaying in the wind. It might be the best map Giants Software has ever made.
But then you try to actually play the "Fishing" part of the Highlands Fishing Edition.
The "Fishing" is a Mobile Game Minigame
Calling this an "aquaculture expansion" is generous. You get two boats. One is a slow cargo barge that handles like a brick, and the other is a smaller boat that has a nasty habit of flipping over if you look at it wrong.
The actual act of fishing? It's shallow. You aren't battling the high seas. You are playing a minigame that feels less complex than something you would find in a Facebook game from 2010. There is no depth, no real challenge, and very little reward for your time.
If you were expecting Deadliest Catch, you are going to be sorely disappointed. It feels like a modder's first attempt at adding boats, not a $30 official expansion.
Onions: The Silent Killer of Joy
Then there are the onions. A new crop! Exciting, right?
Well, it would be if the equipment worked properly. The new onion windrower has a bizarre bug where hired AI workers refuse to use it on contract fields. This means you can't complete certain contracts unless you do the manual labor yourself, which defeats the purpose of being a "manager."
There are also reports of gates not opening on fields you don't own, locking you out of jobs entirely. It feels rushed. It feels untested.
The Verdict
Farming Simulator 25: Highlands Fishing Edition is a tragedy of wasted potential. The map is a 10/10 masterpiece of atmosphere. I love just driving around Kinlaig.
But the gameplay additions… the fishing, the boats, the new crops, are buggy, shallow, and frustrating. For the asking price, it feels like a rip-off.
If you are a hardcore fan who just wants a beautiful new location to park your tractor, maybe pick it up on sale. But if you actually want to fish? Go play Dredge instead.
5/10 A stunning Scottish vacation ruined by bad boats and broken onions.
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way.
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