The sky takes on an orange hue as the world’s favorite fire giant awakens from its slumber, rising to heaven until it comes upon you, big and bright. A strong wind directs a refreshing stream of sea air straight down your nostrils, as the wind ruffles your hair and the cold clings to your cheeks. On all sides, the waves shimmer, formed by a silver tide of salt and froth.
Considering the above description, it’s no surprise that people often associate fishing with peace and quiet – which is why fishing towns, somewhat ironically, are a place for elderly horror. Ideal location.
sprinkle Three out of four members of Black Salt Games’ team have described to me as a “Lovecraftian fishing RPG,” a concept that, when you stop to think about it, looks like it’s done so far. Should have gone Much of Lovecraft’s work deals with the depths of the ocean, as opposed to the endless expanse of the universe often considered by modern science fiction writers – one of his best-known stories, The Shadow Over InsmouthThere is proof of this.
While there have been games like this Cthulhu. call of And sinking city – hell, sum bloodborne‘s old hunter The DLC includes a location called Phishing Hamlet – sprinkle There’s a difference. It specifically opts to accept Lovecraftian tropes and ideas, but applies them in its own unique way. Of all the games I saw at Gamescom 2022, this was by far my favorite.
sprinkle Begins as you, a lone fisherman lost at sea, stumble upon a small sea village. You are welcomed by the local mayor and the pair of you make a deal: you are allowed to live here on the condition that you provide for the city, and you can take out a loan to buy a basic boat that will enable you Will do it. A few days pass, during which you catch simple fish like cod and mackerel, both of which can be sold for good money.
Image: Black Salt Sports/Team17
You do this through a simple yet elegant fishing minigame that employs light rhythm mechanics, while managing your inventory in a manner similar to a Tetris grid, with fish, boat parts and other cargoes of various shapes and sizes. occur in. On one occasion, I spent 10 minutes trying to rearrange all the fish I caught to fit another cod on board – it was very satisfying.
On the other, I spent even more time trying to carve out a place to hang out. It was less satisfying, but not because of the game’s technical systems—I was just annoyed that the moral demanded that I sacrifice half of my life. In the end, maybe it was the right thing to do.
Throughout the game, there are approximately 125 different creatures to catch, as well as many treasures and trinkets to retrieve from the depths of the ocean. As you become familiar with all this, it seems that everything is going well – maybe a little very Well.
It quickly becomes clear that not everything in the village is as it seems. The mayor is shady, avoiding questions and insisting you focus on your work. The local trader is also a bit odd, though it’s hard to figure out why in the beginning, let alone explain it. It isn’t until you start adventure into the night that you begin to realize that something is definitely not right.
Image: Black Salt Sports/Team17
After exploring the archipelago during the day, it’s only natural for you to be curious about what happens after the sun sets. Once dusk comes, depending on what type of fish you can catch, this means that sometimes there will be some requests that demand you to venture into the dark. But along with the fish, there are also monsters lurking beneath the waves. Some of these slip on the board and infect your haul. Other, larger creatures will simply try to destroy your hull, which not only damages your boat and causes you to lose cargo, but also increases how nervous you are.
When Your Panic Level sprinkle As it rises, you become more prone to being ridden by monsters. The rocks will also begin to appear randomly as you sail, with the explanation that because it’s dark and you’re not thinking straight, you can’t see them until the last minute. You can mitigate this by turning on your boat lights, but obviously it makes you more visible to the monsters. All these little systems are cleverly intertwined to craft an experience that oscillates rapidly between peace and chaos, drifting calmly to terror as if it were nobody’s business.
The safest bet is to avoid night time altogether – but as you start meeting characters who are also suspicious of the city’s relationship with monsters, you have no choice now. As you progress through the game, you’ll start catching fishy fish that have apparently been mutated by some sort of larger force. No matter how disgusting it looks (most fish rot if you don’t sell it appropriately soon after you catch it, but this contaminated fish lasts indefinitely), the local merchant will pay top dollar for it. It was around this time that I was able to figure out how I knew he was already so weird.
It’s all baked into the game’s mechanics, which are very intriguing from a narrative standpoint. Sure, you have the main quest to follow and a bunch of side quests to experiment with – but it looks like you face the mystery associated with this place when you start catching funky fish and Mysteries begin to dredge up the trinkets, especially as the game refuses to explain why this is happening. It informs you that your suspicions aren’t misguided, that you’re right to call attention to the fact that there’s something sinister at play – but it’s handled with enough brevity that it’s a matter of going out, fish every day again and again. Doesn’t scoff at the speed of catching up some Cod, selling your haul, grabbing some Z’s, and doing it again.
Image: Black Salt Sports/Team17
So sprinkleWhat’s So Compelling: It’s slow-burning, focused on inimitable examples of strange fish, strange strangers, and strangeness associated with a lingering sense of a slowly debilitating fear. Its intensity often only increases at a glacial pace, though it has the potential to be far more effective than anything more rapid or easily detectable – as Margaret Atwood once wrote, “slowly In a bathtub that’s heating up, you’ll starve to death right in front of you. Knew it.”
sprinkleIn development for Nintendo Switch and Windows PC, One of the hottest games on the horizon right now. It has gorgeous art, thoughtful systems, and a charming premise that feels like it should have been done years ago – at least it is being done now.
