Call of the Wild: The Angler™ - Spain Reserve (DLC)

Call of the Wild: The Angler is an open-world fishing sim where you explore large reserves, cast lines, and build up your angler skills across solo or co-op sessions. The Spain Reserve DLC drops you into Iberian terrain with new bodies of water, local fish species, and scenery distinct from the base game's other locations. If you've put time into the core loop and want more geography to fish across, this is the straightforward pitch. From a systems perspective, The Angler is a mid-weight sim. It asks you to pay attention to fish behavior, bait selection, tackle setups, and time-of-day patterns rather than just casting and waiting. The Spain Reserve carries all of that into new surroundings, with species profiles you won't find in earlier zones. For players who care about completing species logs or optimizing tackle for regional catches, that variety matters. The co-op side still works as it does in the base game, letting you fish the reserve with friends across shared sessions. Here is where the numbers become relevant: 63% positive across over 7,000 Steam reviews is a Mixed rating, and for a paid DLC that signals something worth understanding before purchasing. Common criticisms across the base game and its expansions point to AI fish behavior that can feel inconsistent, environmental bugs that break immersion, and a sense that the reserve maps don't always justify the asking price against the content density you get. The Spain Reserve in particular has drawn comments about feeling underpopulated relative to earlier zones, which matters if you're fishing primarily for the discovery and variety loop. As someone who generally cares about whether paid content delivers decision depth proportional to its cost, I'd frame this DLC as best suited for players already invested in The Angler's rhythm who want a change of scenery with legitimately different species targets. If you're still evaluating the base game, start there first. The mod ecosystem for The Angler is not a significant factor here the way it might be for a Paradox title, so what you see in the base package is largely what you get. There is no tutorial gap for returning players since the mechanics carry over directly. The Spain Reserve is a competent geographic expansion for an audience that already knows what The Angler delivers. It does not fix the mixed underlying reputation of the game, and if you bounced off the base experience, this DLC will not change your mind. But if you've logged hours and want new water to read, new species to chase, and Iberian landscapes to fish through, it adds what it promises, within the limits of a sim that remains a work in progress. Diego, Scout Team