scary + fishing = gr8. -1 star cause it made me anxious abt fishing irl 😭
Good fishin'. Don't mind the depths!
This review contains spoilers
Halfway through playing this I realized how remarkable it was that the camera follows your hook into the lake. Instead of viewing your character and waiting for water ripples like many fishing games, you watch your hook sink and see the full life of the fishes in this lake.
This also emphasizes the lake as a character. It's where much of your game time is spent, waiting for fishes to hook on, sometimes just vibing to see a new angle or corner of the lake.
This makes sense for the ending too, when your hook sinks deeper and deeper. you are viewing the lake from a different perspective that your character cant. I wish that had gone on longer actually. Just floating, falling down.
The music is wonderful too, nice ambient tunes that I wish played a bit more often.
This also emphasizes the lake as a character. It's where much of your game time is spent, waiting for fishes to hook on, sometimes just vibing to see a new angle or corner of the lake.
This makes sense for the ending too, when your hook sinks deeper and deeper. you are viewing the lake from a different perspective that your character cant. I wish that had gone on longer actually. Just floating, falling down.
The music is wonderful too, nice ambient tunes that I wish played a bit more often.
While it doesn’t quite hit the highs of Fatum Betula, I think this is still an exemplary work of art. It’s more gamified than its predecessor, so instead of a surreal walking simulator, this time it’s a surreal… fishing game?
It’s an Ocarina of Time fishing minigame game that successfully captures the creepy liminal atmosphere of gaming’s early 3D-era. People expecting an all-out horror thing are going to be disappointed, as it’s more of an eerie vibe-piece. I’d say it strikes a pleasant balance between relaxing and unsettling.
Unfortunately, the wrap-up seems pretty hastily thrown-together, and it isn’t as complete of an experience as Fatum Betula. Still, it’s a standout little game from one of my new favorite devs.
It’s an Ocarina of Time fishing minigame game that successfully captures the creepy liminal atmosphere of gaming’s early 3D-era. People expecting an all-out horror thing are going to be disappointed, as it’s more of an eerie vibe-piece. I’d say it strikes a pleasant balance between relaxing and unsettling.
Unfortunately, the wrap-up seems pretty hastily thrown-together, and it isn’t as complete of an experience as Fatum Betula. Still, it’s a standout little game from one of my new favorite devs.
Another banger from Bryce Bucher. The fluctuation between chill fishing game and horror is such an interesting combination. Really wanna know how they got all the claymation stuff in game.
Unimpressive mechanically, entering into being both frustrating and tedious when you need to really start grinding for money to buy the equipment necessary to see the abrupt, non-sequitur ending. Outstanding aesthetically.
Manages to create an enticing fishing experience while also carrying a unique aura of dread and some sadness. Would love to see the developer or someone else expand on the concept to make a more feature length fishing experience, since fishing games are seriously missing this level of exploration and mystery.
A tiny indie fishing game. Normally I wouldn’t play one, but it has a charming artstyle and some horror elements. It's fun but the latter feel a bit underdeveloped.
абсолютлі лавкрафтовська хуйня. йду на рибалку, а натомість риби ловлю галюни!!
Cute little game, kinda slow to start but once you unlock some better fishing gear and can start digging into the mystery a bit more it really picks up. Don't go in expecting the world but it's a great way to kill a few hours.
Ain't no damn mystery here except for who thought adding horror was a good idea.
I'll give the game credit where credit's due and say that it does successfully establish a chill & peaceful environment for fishing. Does it go much further than that? Not really! Gameplay is OK, progression is ALRIGHT, and all attempts at horror fail in an unbelievable magnitude.
The day & night cycle quite nicely establish a change in mood and tone as your worries start to slowly creep in as darkness arrives and perish when morning comes. Funnily enough, this immediately stops having any and all effect on the player once you realize that this system has 0 actual impact on the player aside from existing to respawn fish. The only NPC in the game makes note of entities that supposedly exist but are actually nothing but shallow attempts to cram in the horror aspect of the game. Creatures in the woods? Nothing comes of them. Figures that are said to be lurking about? Nowhere to be found. His dialogue subtly coerces the player into believing the existence of such creatures that are preying upon them, but truthfully, they never have any impact on the game in the first place.
None of that quite compares to the absolute snooze fest that is the story, rather, the ending. The cited “mysteries” in the title don't actually exist, and the only mystery is found at the game's ending. It's an incredibly vapid attempt to appeal to people with boners for VHS style horror. The use of trypophobia bears no real relevance to anything whatsoever, and is incorporated for the sake of shoehorned horror once again. Truthfully, removing all appearances and attempts at horror that this game has, and you've successfully created an exponentially better game.
It's an ok fishing sim that ends up falling very short on the horror aspect, both in content and execution, while simultaneously somehow managing to shoehorning it in for the sake of having it exist. If the fishing aspect was further developed, I honestly believe that this could have been a truly magnificent fishing game.
I'll give the game credit where credit's due and say that it does successfully establish a chill & peaceful environment for fishing. Does it go much further than that? Not really! Gameplay is OK, progression is ALRIGHT, and all attempts at horror fail in an unbelievable magnitude.
The day & night cycle quite nicely establish a change in mood and tone as your worries start to slowly creep in as darkness arrives and perish when morning comes. Funnily enough, this immediately stops having any and all effect on the player once you realize that this system has 0 actual impact on the player aside from existing to respawn fish. The only NPC in the game makes note of entities that supposedly exist but are actually nothing but shallow attempts to cram in the horror aspect of the game. Creatures in the woods? Nothing comes of them. Figures that are said to be lurking about? Nowhere to be found. His dialogue subtly coerces the player into believing the existence of such creatures that are preying upon them, but truthfully, they never have any impact on the game in the first place.
None of that quite compares to the absolute snooze fest that is the story, rather, the ending. The cited “mysteries” in the title don't actually exist, and the only mystery is found at the game's ending. It's an incredibly vapid attempt to appeal to people with boners for VHS style horror. The use of trypophobia bears no real relevance to anything whatsoever, and is incorporated for the sake of shoehorned horror once again. Truthfully, removing all appearances and attempts at horror that this game has, and you've successfully created an exponentially better game.
It's an ok fishing sim that ends up falling very short on the horror aspect, both in content and execution, while simultaneously somehow managing to shoehorning it in for the sake of having it exist. If the fishing aspect was further developed, I honestly believe that this could have been a truly magnificent fishing game.
Esse é o primeiro jogo do Bryce Bucher que joguei depois de muito ler/ouvir sobre sua reputação em atmosfera focada no horror, o que fez minha expectativa ir às alturas.
Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia realmente tem uma atmosfera incrível, mesclando a nostalgia low poly misturada com a sensação desconfortante de estar sendo observado.
No jogo você é um garoto sozinho nos arredores do Lago Ophelia, apenas equipado com uma simples vara, uma boia de pesca, e um livro de peixes. No começo já se nota um game design bem construído pois o cenário apresenta diversos locais com água e variadas dificuldades.
Minutos depois aparece outro personagem que é uma espécie de loja do jogo, oferecendo diversos upgrades em troca do dinheiro obtido através dos peixes.
A partir daí é só grinding pra aperfeiçoar o seu equipamento e explorar novas profundidades do lago. O tal mistério se desenvolve com as histórias que o vendedor te conta e com a estranha luz submersa que ás vezes surge no meio do lago quando anoitece.
A gameplay é fortemente inspirada no minigame de pesca de The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time e o livro de peixes que se atualiza ao pescar as diferentes espécies lembra bastante a série Animal Crossing.
No geral, é um jogo muito gostoso de se jogar mas o que peca pra mim é o título, que reforça muito a ideia de algo horripilante quando na verdade 99% do jogo é aconchegante e apenas 1% é realmente terror.
(Detalhe para a camiseta do protagonista que faz referência ao Dreamcast.)
Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia realmente tem uma atmosfera incrível, mesclando a nostalgia low poly misturada com a sensação desconfortante de estar sendo observado.
No jogo você é um garoto sozinho nos arredores do Lago Ophelia, apenas equipado com uma simples vara, uma boia de pesca, e um livro de peixes. No começo já se nota um game design bem construído pois o cenário apresenta diversos locais com água e variadas dificuldades.
Minutos depois aparece outro personagem que é uma espécie de loja do jogo, oferecendo diversos upgrades em troca do dinheiro obtido através dos peixes.
A partir daí é só grinding pra aperfeiçoar o seu equipamento e explorar novas profundidades do lago. O tal mistério se desenvolve com as histórias que o vendedor te conta e com a estranha luz submersa que ás vezes surge no meio do lago quando anoitece.
A gameplay é fortemente inspirada no minigame de pesca de The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time e o livro de peixes que se atualiza ao pescar as diferentes espécies lembra bastante a série Animal Crossing.
No geral, é um jogo muito gostoso de se jogar mas o que peca pra mim é o título, que reforça muito a ideia de algo horripilante quando na verdade 99% do jogo é aconchegante e apenas 1% é realmente terror.
(Detalhe para a camiseta do protagonista que faz referência ao Dreamcast.)
Great game! It has a little unsettling ambience, but at the end, the experience is really cozy, i missed more meat in the plate, because completing the game can take quite some time, but it´s more of a experience, you don´t have to play the game, you chose in your own free will to play it, so enjoy, don´t think to much and fish. Didn´t understand some mechanics like the cooking and the ending... well.. It´s complete asscheeks but I know that almost all of this type of games have these sort of endings.
A pretty neat short fishing that is a little confused as to whether it wants to be a horror game or a fishing game which it does not fully succeed in either.
From the idea of it just being a fishing game it almost accomplishes this by having a wide variety of fish to catch and there being a satisfying loop of catching and earning money. The routine of strategically catching certain type of fish in order to upgrade your lure to go to deeper depths in an inherently satisfying concept. The first time I fished in the large part of the lake and I saw a dark hole in the middle I was motivated to get the upgrades needed to see what fish are there. It's honestly pretty satisfying to meander around the lake looking for fish. The soundtrack really adds to atmosphere with there being a few looping ambient tracks that either put me at ease or made me tense. The fishing was the best aspect of the game for me as it was relaxing to just have something on tv while I depleted the lake of the fish.
The other angle the game tries to go for is horror which is not nearly as successful. Going into this game I knew it was a horror type game but this really only occurs at the very end. The game does a good job of building up the feeling of isolation with some of the ambient tracks making it sound as if you are not alone on this lake. As you continuing playing though you realize that there is no danger and that all the uneasy elements is just set dressing. I really think there was a missed opportunity from having the horror stem from the fishing being more messed up the further down you fish as for the most part the fishing is pretty normal. The game builds up to an ending that while it is unnerving does not really feel that earned and feels like it goes from a 0 to 100 on the horror scale.
I enjoyed my time with this game but I was disappointed with how little actual horror there was. If they fleshed out the fishing more I could easily see this be a pretty fun fishing game. Like what if instead of just buying new lures and rods you could also change the look of your tent or buy items that help catch fish quicker. From a horror angle, having more messed up fish was the bare minimum.
PS: I think having to wait for the final door to open is bad design. I just barely missed it then I had to wait two in game days for it to open again which is just annoying.
PSS: I absolutely adore the clay animation art for the marketing and I kinda wish they had more elements like that in the game.
From the idea of it just being a fishing game it almost accomplishes this by having a wide variety of fish to catch and there being a satisfying loop of catching and earning money. The routine of strategically catching certain type of fish in order to upgrade your lure to go to deeper depths in an inherently satisfying concept. The first time I fished in the large part of the lake and I saw a dark hole in the middle I was motivated to get the upgrades needed to see what fish are there. It's honestly pretty satisfying to meander around the lake looking for fish. The soundtrack really adds to atmosphere with there being a few looping ambient tracks that either put me at ease or made me tense. The fishing was the best aspect of the game for me as it was relaxing to just have something on tv while I depleted the lake of the fish.
The other angle the game tries to go for is horror which is not nearly as successful. Going into this game I knew it was a horror type game but this really only occurs at the very end. The game does a good job of building up the feeling of isolation with some of the ambient tracks making it sound as if you are not alone on this lake. As you continuing playing though you realize that there is no danger and that all the uneasy elements is just set dressing. I really think there was a missed opportunity from having the horror stem from the fishing being more messed up the further down you fish as for the most part the fishing is pretty normal. The game builds up to an ending that while it is unnerving does not really feel that earned and feels like it goes from a 0 to 100 on the horror scale.
I enjoyed my time with this game but I was disappointed with how little actual horror there was. If they fleshed out the fishing more I could easily see this be a pretty fun fishing game. Like what if instead of just buying new lures and rods you could also change the look of your tent or buy items that help catch fish quicker. From a horror angle, having more messed up fish was the bare minimum.
PS: I think having to wait for the final door to open is bad design. I just barely missed it then I had to wait two in game days for it to open again which is just annoying.
PSS: I absolutely adore the clay animation art for the marketing and I kinda wish they had more elements like that in the game.
O final desse jogo me fez melar as minhas calcinhas ai ai ai ai ai mamãe socorro! Gritei feito uma menininha vendo aquilo ui ui ui ui ui, meu papis já me disse pra largar de mão de ser menininha, que é só um joguinho, mas eu não consigo dormir sem abraçar meu ursinho bilu bilu.
A simple fishing game until it isn't. Don't take trigger warnings for granted.
This review contains spoilers
this is probably one of the most relaxing fishing games i've played with this graphical style, and i'll probably never play anything like it again. the actual mechanics are pretty well implemented and it's one of the rare cases where the fishing was not annoying to do, i knew exactly what to do without any guidance and was able to catch fish by instincts alone.
the only thing i'd probably include (if it was there i didn't see it) was a guide for the controls and maybe some general tips and tricks, as i only figured out near the end of the game that i could instantly call back my line after about 2 hours of playtime (not really detrimental it's just a QoF improvement).
event spoiler:
there was a part on my second day where i ran into a flatwoods monster cryptid of some sort, which didn't have any bearing at all on the story or mystery of the game, kinda just felt like "something creepy" that could happen. which is fine but maybe something else could have come of it as it felt kinda shoehorned in.
in conclusion for the general side of the game, the visuals were very nicely crafted and good to look at. the music and sounds were quite honestly one of the best parts and added to the tension when nothing was even happening.
for the ending, SPOILERS AHEAD
i will say that a confusing ending is par for the course of these types of games but it was still very interesting visually to look at and i kinda got the idea. i was unsure what exactly happened at the end whether our fisherman fella drowned after being pulled in or it was some kind of hallucination? i was not confident. i will say though the game is very calming and fun to play up until the depths made me shit myself.
the only thing i'd probably include (if it was there i didn't see it) was a guide for the controls and maybe some general tips and tricks, as i only figured out near the end of the game that i could instantly call back my line after about 2 hours of playtime (not really detrimental it's just a QoF improvement).
event spoiler:
there was a part on my second day where i ran into a flatwoods monster cryptid of some sort, which didn't have any bearing at all on the story or mystery of the game, kinda just felt like "something creepy" that could happen. which is fine but maybe something else could have come of it as it felt kinda shoehorned in.
in conclusion for the general side of the game, the visuals were very nicely crafted and good to look at. the music and sounds were quite honestly one of the best parts and added to the tension when nothing was even happening.
for the ending, SPOILERS AHEAD
i will say that a confusing ending is par for the course of these types of games but it was still very interesting visually to look at and i kinda got the idea. i was unsure what exactly happened at the end whether our fisherman fella drowned after being pulled in or it was some kind of hallucination? i was not confident. i will say though the game is very calming and fun to play up until the depths made me shit myself.
INCREDIBLE experience that i will likely revisit regularly. this is so my shit it's insane
Let me start off by saying that I did not enjoy Fatum Batula; surreal/psychedelic walking simulators are not my thing. This, however, is rather different from FB and I'm glad for that.
I really enjoyed my time with this game. It's really cozy for the most part, but also kind of unsettling and eerie at times; it strikes a good balance. The sound design is pretty nice and I'm a fan of the music being barely there. These things really make a big part of the experience. I will admit though, I had to look up a guide to find my last three fish and one of the secret lures, but discovering everything else on my own up to that point was a blast.
I'd absolutely love to see a sequel (or see another dev make a similar game) add more fish to catch, another fishing hole or two; maybe even make the lake so big you need a a cute little motor boat to scoot around in to reach the deepest parts. Hell, throw in some hats to wear too, just as a treat. I think those things would be pretty swell in a game with this style and tone.
I really enjoyed my time with this game. It's really cozy for the most part, but also kind of unsettling and eerie at times; it strikes a good balance. The sound design is pretty nice and I'm a fan of the music being barely there. These things really make a big part of the experience. I will admit though, I had to look up a guide to find my last three fish and one of the secret lures, but discovering everything else on my own up to that point was a blast.
I'd absolutely love to see a sequel (or see another dev make a similar game) add more fish to catch, another fishing hole or two; maybe even make the lake so big you need a a cute little motor boat to scoot around in to reach the deepest parts. Hell, throw in some hats to wear too, just as a treat. I think those things would be pretty swell in a game with this style and tone.
fishing sims are not exactly my thing, but this one was pretty decent
the atmosphere and the overall vibes felt great but i really did not expected fishing to be so tedious and methodic (despite being literally born in a village near the river lol).
but i liked it, the only problems i had were the technical issues that caused the videos not to play for some reason. dont wanna spoil the ending, but it was a nice touch too.
nice little game
the atmosphere and the overall vibes felt great but i really did not expected fishing to be so tedious and methodic (despite being literally born in a village near the river lol).
but i liked it, the only problems i had were the technical issues that caused the videos not to play for some reason. dont wanna spoil the ending, but it was a nice touch too.
nice little game
This review contains spoilers
man a fishing sim/horror game? that sounds cool ! oh it's just 5 hours of kinda boring and tedious fishing gameplay with the last 30 seconds of the game being a kinda unsettling cutscene. that was kinda lame
full disclosure i do think my lack of enjoyment for this game comes from the expectations i put on it beforehand, but still this game literally put me to sleep
full disclosure i do think my lack of enjoyment for this game comes from the expectations i put on it beforehand, but still this game literally put me to sleep
I think this is nice for what it is but I would’ve enjoyed a bit more of the unsettling aspect. I think Fatum Betula really hit that sweet spot. Nonetheless, I can’t say much bad about this game because I loved it and I still do.
I like the vibe, but i was playing it for like an hour and a half and thought it was pretty boring. Im sure it gets cool, but im just not enjoying fishing.
I appreciate that it asks if you'd like to view content warnings.
I appreciate that it asks if you'd like to view content warnings.
love this game and I love this dev but I think the horror implemented in this game brings the overall experience down and I kinda wish the dev committed more to making a pure charming fishing sim rather than an admittedly cool but completely unnecessary final scare.
really half assed attempt at analog horror that goes nowhere. beyond lazy and unimaginative
This review contains spoilers
This game has very cool graphics and a very fun and relaxing gameplay. I enjoyed my time playing it but part of what kept me going was the supposed mystery under the lake, which turned out to be not a good or satisfying mystery at all, but a cheap and cryptic screamer.
This review contains spoilers
Fun short game, i love fishing games especially if it has horror elements :>
main character looks like if orel puppington wore fucking jnco’s 💀💀💀
relação muito forte entre o tranquilizador confortável e suspense, ambiente de floresta, afastado do seu acampamento que é onde tem outra pessoa, evoca essa sensação de que tudo pode acontecer e as regras entre o mundo humano e o sobrenatural são quebradas, junta isso com as maiores profundezas de um lago nessa floresta.
bastante fã de pescaria que tem como objetivo o colecionador enciclopédico, descrições e imagens dos peixes pra mim são tudo.
bastante fã de pescaria que tem como objetivo o colecionador enciclopédico, descrições e imagens dos peixes pra mim são tudo.
This game had a very promising premise, aesthetic and atmosphere. Unfortunately, the gameplay is rather boring and repetitive --and this is coming from someone who loves fishing games-- with very little payoff.