The comeback of the Silent Hill franchise has been nothing short of incredible, as it’s gone from being on ice to delivering back-to-back hits. Silent Hill 2 remake gives an absolute classic a fresh coat of paint, while Silent Hill f and Townfall are top-notch, brand-new entries in the storied horror franchise. Plus, another movie is on the way, and this time it involves one of the producers behind the recent Resident Evil film. And with Silent Hill being a household name once again, it’s no surprise that games inspired by it are showing up more often on Steam, including Hookeye, a spooky fishing game.
Obviously, fishing and horror are a rare combination. Sure, there are games like Steam’s Dreadmoor that will see players jump-scared by post-apocalyptic creatures as they do their fishing, but they’re not proper horror titles. On the other hand, Hookeye is a completely full-on psychological horror game. It features a tortured protagonist who is seemingly tortured by the world around him because of something he did in his past, and if that sounds similar, it’s because it is. Hookeye is essentially a horror experience built entirely around fishing and sacrificing fish, with every catch talking back to the protagonist and telling players about the character’s crimes.
Check Out Silent Hill-Inspired Hookeye on December 9
- EXPERIENCE a creepy story where talking fish punish the protagonist and floating eyes leave both the character and player uncomfortable.
- MANAGE increasingly scarce resources, improvising to continue fishing—run out of bait, and the protagonist may have to use a finger.
- CHOOSE which fish to sacrifice in the hopes of snagging a larger creature.
- HUNT for a mythical siren, catching bigger and bigger fish until you encounter this legend.
It’s the end of the line. Resist the madness and use questionable bait to just keep fishing. Sacrifice everything for a bigger catch. It has to be worth it.
How Hookeye Makes Simple Mechanics Terrifying
Hookeye is only developed by two people (Mallorian and FloralNoise), and its premise is simple: players control a character obsessed with catching bigger fish. After each set of catches, they’ll have to choose a fish to sacrifice, and if they successfully choose the right one, then they’ll be on the path to continue catching larger sea critters. Their ultimate goal is to find a legendary siren that’s calling the protagonist, but reaching this mythical creature will be easier said than done.
For one thing, as the fish are put on the chopping block and are being prepared for sacrifice, they’ll start to talk to the player character. They’ll ask whether the “dishonor was worth the cost for your pride,” tell the protagonist that “their desperation is delicious,” and so forth. This doesn’t just humanize the fish, making it harder to complete each sacrifice, but it allows the backstory of the main character to be unveiled bit by bit. And if the speaking fish are the stand-ins for iconic Silent Hill creatures like Nurses and mannequins, then the creepy, shifting fishing spot makes for a good (unofficial) representation of the foggy town.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
Alongside hallucinating talking fish, the drunk fisherman will see floating eyes in the sky or piles of falling fish occasionally, adding environmental horror to the experience. Like Silent Hill, resources are limited, with the main character already having a low supply of bait at the start of the journey. When they run out, they’ll not only use smaller fish as bait—putting a hook through their eyes in the process, explaining the game’s name—but they may even have to use the main character’s finger once they’re fully traumatized. Like many Silent Hill protagonists, the fisherman is utterly obsessed with their goal of finding the Siren, but they’re clearly traumatized as well.
How Hookeye’s Visuals Add To Its Horror
Hookeye’s premise would already be interesting enough on its own, but the game also stands out a bit thanks to its visual style. Numerous indie games have proven how well retro, PS1-era graphics work with horror concepts—there’s just something extra uncanny and disturbing about low-poly models and environments—and Hookeye seems poised to join that group. Its character models, such as the mysterious woman who questions the protagonist about killing something, look straight out of the original Silent Hill. However, there’s also a painting-like quality to the ocean that players get their fish from, adding a strange sense of beauty to the experience.
While Hookeye launching in December means it will miss the Halloween hype window where gamers binge entries in the horror genre, those curious about the game and hoping to play it soon are in luck. Hookeye has a free demo available to download on its Steam page right now, giving players a taste of this passion project. With psychological horror-focused fishing games hardly common, Hookeye will surely remain one of a kind for the foreseeable future.
