Indie development duo Mallorian and FloralNoise are dipping their toes into the horror fishing subgenre with Hookeye, their upcoming shortform psychological horror game that’s coming to Steam later this year.
Players will step into the sodden boots of The Fisherman, who sits alone locked in a desperate battle with the ocean. He has nothing but a couple of beers, his dwindling fishing gear and a burning, all-consuming fixation with his trade.
Set on a damp and foggy dock just off the Californian coast, Hookeye tells a tragic, twisted tale of obsession, loss, sacrifice – and questionable bait. The beautiful, yet maddening call of the legendary siren rings out from beneath the waves – but if players have any hope of reeling in the prize, they’ll need to sacrifice more than a couple of hooks and experience a surreal and meditative descent through one man’s psyche.
Rendered with the now-familiar PSX-inspired aesthetic, Hookeye invites players to perpetuate the thrilling cycle of risk and reward: bait their hook, cast their line out into the salty sea, then reel in their prize. Each fish they land can be used to bait bigger fish as they work towards the illustrious siren.
However, as the obsession takes hold, your resources dwindle and sanity begins to falter, what will you be willing to risk to keep fishing?