
The loan shark is coming for you. Catch enough fish to repay your debt before it is too late. Go fish.
Modeled estimate, not a reported figure. How we estimate →
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About
You are an angler haunted by huge debts. In the midst of yet another night working at sea, you catch something different: a fish which talks, and promises to make you rich... but at what cost?
A brief (around 30 minutes) fishing horror game about debt and hopelessness. Enjoy a twisted cautionary tale in one sitting.
Underwater eye-cam. Watch the fish biting the lure, then retrieve it as fast as you can. Be careful though: something else may be watching you as well...
Fish and gut. Fly-fish like a pro, then gut your catch to keep 'em fresh. Be careful with the knife though: you don't want to cut yourself.
The talking fish wants a deal. Consider the alluring promises of this mysterious being through surreal dialogues and twisted choices.
The loan shark is coming. This is no relaxing cozy fishing experience. Your time is running out, and something horrible lurks in the water.
Stats
All-time low is the lowest price we've recorded for this game since we started tracking it.
Engagement
Reviews
Themes across 45 recent reviews and how positive each mention is. A keyword signal, not full sentiment analysis.
Reviews
[h2][i]Loan Shark – Hooked on Bad Decisions[/i][/h2] Went in expecting an unsettling little game about eldritch fish and questionable business practices. Walked out with some surprisingly memorable life lessons. The underwater sound design is excellent, and the game uses silence and sudden audio cues to create some genuinely unnerving moments. Rather than relying on constant scares, it builds tension through atmosphere. I'd describe it as psychological horror more than traditional horror, and I think it's much stronger because of that. The game also has a great sense of humor despite its unsettling atmosphere. What really surprised me was how much going for every achievement added to the game. I ended up using a guide to find everything, and I'm glad I did. Discovering every ending completely changed my perspective on the story. Each one left me with something different to think about, making the whole experience feel far richer than a single playthrough. The controls can feel a little clunky, the fish gutting is occasionally janky, and the game feels surprisingly demanding to run for an indie title. None of it was enough to take away from the experience. Considering how much it left me thinking afterward, the price feels more than fair for what you're getting. One small thing to note is that increasing the UI scale also increases the subtitle size, so you may want to adjust it on larger displays. I came for the fish. I stayed for the existential crisis.
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Trends
Concurrent players on Steam, sampled daily since tracking started.
Languages: English, Italian
Hours played at review time, across 45 reviews with recorded playtime.
positive critical· bar length = how often the theme comes up
Something about being on that little boat at night with Italian music on the radio, looking up at the beautiful moon whilst having my fishing skill criticised by an ugly, tough talking fish really charmed me. The music and visuals were my favourite things about the game. The storyline is quite short but there are a variety of different outcomes to encourage a few more playthroughs. Really can't complain about the length of the game at such a low price. Catching the fish involves a bit of well timed button mashing but the gutting of the fish feels a bit awkward movement wise. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Alsooo, das Spiel ist echt super Wired aber mega! Mochte es und wollte unbedingt alles sehen und alle Achievements haben. Daher die ca 5 Stunden Spielzeit. Muss man nicht machen, aber ich wollte es. Das Spiel ist leider recht kurz wenn man nur einen Durchgang spielt ist man ca 45 min durch. Aber da es verschiedene Enden gibt finde ich den Preis ok, ich hab es allerdings im Sale gekauft. wer mal was anderes sehen möchte und sich gerne in tiefen Gewässern vor unbekanntem Gruseln möchte, hier wäre was dafür :)
Certainly worth the 30-40 minutes. Tells a simple but salient story that all that glimmers isn't gold
морская гопота не дает рыбачить.
Jesteśmy wędkarzem, który wypływa w morze swoim kutrem nocą, bowiem musi uregulować olbrzymi dług, więc pracuje non stop. Wkrótce wyławia gadająca rybę. Ta, choć nie przypomina złotej rybki, ma dla niego układ i spełni jego życzenia związane z połowem. Musi tylko jako przynęty użyć oka tej ryby. I faktycznie oko na haczyku przyciąga rzadkie i drogie okazy. Jednak dalsza historia komplikuje się i wędkarz ma dylemat, co do swojego losu, który może powiązać z dziwną rybą. Gra to przygodówka symulacyjna w klimatach horroru. Wykonujemy te same czynności, które przeplatane są wyborami gracza podczas rozmowy z rybą i nie tylko, doprowadzając go do jednego z kilku zakończeń. Łowimy ryby, patroszymy je i wrzucamy do skrzyni, racząc się od czasu do czasu piwem. Odczuwamy też, że ów przygoda nie skończy się dobrze, co jest dość częste w tego typu produkcjach. „Loan Shark” ma fajny klimat, historyjka jest ciekawa. Ukończyłem ją dwa razy, ale pomimo wybieraniu innych wyborów, drugie podejście doprowadziło mnie do tego samego zakończenia. Domyślam się jakie może być trzecie, ale jak spojrzę na osiągnięcia do zdobycia, to chyba ciężko zdobyć niektóre, bo rozgrywka niezbyt sugeruje w jakim momencie możemy zrobić coś innego. Z jednej strony dobrze, że nie jest w ten sposób nachalna, ale z drugiej już odrzuca od kolejnych podejść. Audiowizualnie jest w porządku. Dźwięk jest nieco podstawowy i ubogi, choć spełnia swoje zadanie. Graficznie jest stylizowana na gry sprzed lat, ale przez to też czytelna, pozwalająca graczowi na wyobraźnię. Fabularnie znajdziemy też odniesienia do kapitalizmu. W końcu nawet ryba może być biznesmenem. 6/10
At first, this game is about organized gang activity. Then, it's about making a deal with the devil. At last, it's revealed that the game was about capitalism all along. The men had fish and were fed for a day, but then "the smell of their fish rose to the noses of the great men - they scented some profit in it, and let the sea-shore to the great fishmongers of London" (Karl Marx). [spoiler]Technical details: Proton Experimental, a few glitches warranting a restart (for instance, the Captain's wagecuck pact offering and the eye expropriation events can be triggered too soon to each other breaking the scripting).[/spoiler]
Lovely little game. Enjoyed the journey a lot.
short and sweet game, will be replaying all the different outcomes in the future
Loved it. Brilliant idea, brilliant execution. Definitely worth your time.
Audience
Estimated from the language of this game's reviews — a proxy for where players are, not official Steam demographics.
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