Moonglow Bay Beginner Guide

Moonglow Bay is a charming fishing sim by Bunnyhug. The game places you in control of an old fisher who lost their partner three years prior. Motivated by your child, you decide to once again take up your partner’s dream of having a successful fishing business. To do this, you must make friends with the locals, catch a large variety of fish, and learn to cook a large variety of dishes to sell to the townsfolk. The game has dozens of hours of gameplay and a long list of side quests to accomplish.

Getting Started in Moonglow Bay

Once you start the game, you will be given a rundown of the basic gameplay mechanics like fishing and cooking. Once you are done with the starting tutorial, though, you are set free to do as you please, whether it be collecting fish species or trying to make your way through the story. To make things a little easier, we suggest you start with the following tasks:

• Visit The Aquarium: The Aquarium is on the far side of town and ran by a woman named Marina. Speaking with her unlocks the ability to donate fish to the aquarium; the more fish you donate, the more shells you can make from selling food.
• Chat With the Locals: Almost every NPC you pass by has a story to share with you about a unique fish around the bay. Speaking with them regularly will update your log with new information.
• Acquire Your Fishing Boat: The first part of the story will help get you back on the water. Go ahead and pick up your boat so that you have access to a wider range of fish. You will need 100 shells for the repair costs, which can be earned by just cooking a few dishes.

After doing these simple tasks, you can begin to really get into the meat of the game. The next step is to prepare yourself for making shells, friends, and finding all the unique varieties of fish.

Preparing for Your First Fishing Expeditions In Moonglow Bay

Before you start going on long expeditions, there are a few quick tasks you can do around the town to make your time at sea easy. You will want to spend a small amount of time catching fish close to the shore and then fixing them into dishes to sell. To begin with, you should aim to make 240 shells to go shopping with. After you make the shells head to:

• Abi’s Scraps: Pick up four lobster traps; these are 10 shells apiece.
• Goto Tech: Pick up a sonar for 200 shells; this will show you the location of nearby fishing spots.

While you are near Goto Tech, chat with Haru Goto. He will request an order of fish and chips. In exchange for bringing it to him, you will get a free vending machine that offers you more space to sell your items.

• Quick Tip: If the shops are closed, you can sleep in your bed to skip to the morning or sit in your living room chair to move the day along quicker.

After you have your shopping done, stop by the beach down from Abi’s Scraps and catch a surplus of Rhino Sand Fleas to make small bait with. Each Sand Flea makes three bait, so be sure to get at least ten or so.

Managing Your Fishing Boat in Moonglow Bay

While upgrades won’t be available until later in the game, there are still quite a few things you will want to be aware of when using your boat. For starters, it’s easy to catch a large sum of fish by using your net, but you will miss out on some of the rarer fish by not using your rod to fish in the open ocean. There are also different areas that you can fish in, and they all offer a diverse pool of sea critters for you to catch.

The fishing boat itself can be damaged by running into objects. Once the boat gets damaged badly enough, it will break down on you. Towing the boat back to shore will cost shells, as will performing the repairs once it’s back in the shop. Accidents are bound to happen, so try to shave off minor damage by buying the smaller repair option at the boat shop every few trips.

Remember that you can check your fishing guide to learn the location of fish the townsfolk have mentioned to you. If you have caught a fish before, you will also be able to see the needed lure type, needed rod type, weather requirements, and depth the species can be found at.

Cooking and Making Shells in Moonglow Bay

Cooking can be a bit tricky, so you will want to get some practice in making easy dishes. The dishes that are available from the start of the game are cheap or free to make and are an excellent way to practice the various mini-games associated with cooking.

Remember that you can cook in batches and that you can use the Sand Flea’s mentioned above to make bait for free. By using the fish you catch near your home in Moonglow Bay, you can practice the cooking mini-game while making a surplus of food to sell in your new vending machine. You will be able to see the cost and sell price of each dish in the recipe book before making it. By winning the mini-games, the quality of your dish is increased, and this will make it sell for slightly more than the quoted value.

• Quick Tip: Make notes of what dishes the villagers like to be gifted and set a few aside to increase your friendship with the town residents.

While there won’t be a lot to spend your money on at the beginning of the game, some future expenses like boat upgrades, new recipes, town renovations, and tow fees will add up quickly. This will give you a nice nest egg to start the game with; just be sure to donate any new fish you find to the aquarium first before turning them into fish cakes.