Mysteries under Lake Ophelia is a creepy Lo-Fi Fishing Game
One of my favourite games in 2020 was Fatum Betula. It’s a disturbing, first-person lo-fi adventure by Bryce Bucher. When Mysteries under Lake Ophelia appeared on the Switch eShop, I couldn’t resist checking it out. The game’s charming style and simple mechanics won me over, even though I am not a big fisherman.
Mysteries under Lake Opheliaisn’t anything that resembles a fishing sim. It’s reminiscent of fishing minigames like The Legend of Zelda : The Ocarina of Time. Imagine yourself as a child fishing in a strange lake for fish. To cast your line, you need to press a button. Then, you reel it in by holding the button. After they bite down on the hook, fish will pull at the hook so it’s a matter timing your button presses to reel it in. It’s simple enough to do, but it is complex enough that you need to pay attention.
You start the game with a line and lure that you can cast far, or sink deep. However, you can upgrade your gear by selling your catch to a man who is sitting at the camp fire. This is the basic Mysteries under Lake Ophelia loop: fish a lot, make money, then get access to deeper and further reaches of the lake. You might start to notice a strange glow in the middle of the lake. I won’t tell you what it is, but suffice to say this isa Bryce Bucher-type game and that visually sensitive people might want to look at the warnings when the computer first boots up.
Mysteries under Lake Ophelia has it all. To increase your luck, you can cook fish and find hidden lures in the lakes and nearby ponds. You can also chat with the stranger who sells gear. This is all there is. This is all it really needs. It was able to get me across the country, and although I wish there had been more buildup or withheld the ending, it still strengthened my appreciation for Bucher’s work. I cannot wait to see his next projects.
