Game title: Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia
Franchise: Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia
Developer: Bryce Bucher
Publisher: Bryce Bucher
Platform: Nintendo Switch (played on Nintendo Switch 2)
Original release date: December 22nd 2021

What is the Game?

Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia is a fishing game with horror elements. The game follows a young boy who has been dropped in the middle of a forest next to Lake Ophelia with no explanation, with the only activity in the area being fishing or fishing adjacent.

What are my thoughts?

Last year, I decided to pick this game up because it was on sale for just 90p on the Nintendo Switch eShop and the horror elements looked interesting to me, I decided to play this game finally today considering that my physical games are stacked up while my games room is renovated and I wanted to play something on my Switch 2. I'd have to say that this game was pretty good, but I unfortunately wasn't able to find any horror during the hour I played of it. There's definitely more to discover in this game considering that I only managed to slightly increase the distance and depth I could fish, so I'll have to keep a look-out for it when I continue. I'd have to say that the controls are really good, it took me a bit of getting used to since I don't play that many fishing games, but they felt nice when I got used to them. The graphics were clearly made to match games from the 5th generation of gaming, and I'd have to say that the aesthetic was matched perfectly, I can definitely see this being a game for the PS1, N64 or Dreamcast. I also liked the choice to have minimal music and have more nature sounds as it definitely helped to sell this as a relaxed game. I also really liked the secrets in this game, they felt clear enough to find them pretty easily, while also not being too easy. I would say that it'd be nice to have a bit more guidance on the cooking element, but I can tell that it's definitely meant to be something you figure out for yourself. Overall, I enjoyed the hour I played of this game and I hope that I'll be able to find some of the horror stuff the next time I play it.

My score: 7.5/10
Will I play it again?: Yes

Gameplay video: (Screenshots coming soon)

Previous game: Mini Ninjas
Next game: TBC