Three years ago, Adrian lost his partner in a drowning accident — except that it wasn’t an accident, and his partner didn’t drown.

Nearly missing his train to Brighthaven, Adrian is helped on board by Juri, a traveling folklorist fascinated by religious and supernatural stories from rural areas. To repay his kindness, Adrian agrees to recount the events of the supposed drowning of Lysander Burnett three years ago: the strange art commission that started it all, the reason-defying circumstances that would end their stay at the Brighthaven in a tragedy, and the desperate hunt for answers following these events.For the first time in his life, Juri feels the gaze of another as he glimpses into the memories of the grieving man.

ABOUT

But before I tell you my tale, you must know one thing.
At the end of this story, Lysander Burnett does not drown.

FISH HOOK is a visual novel that began its development as a solo project in 2025. My aim is to make a free game dedicated to a very niche audience consisting of me, my friends, and the three other people on the internet who like this kind of stuff.It draws its main inspiration from cosmic, gothic and supernatural horror filtered through the lens of my background in posthumanist studies. I have also been greatly inspired by 90s and 00s point-and-click games.

PROGRESS

   SCRIPT      2/10Currently focusing on finishing the first draft of the story script, while simultaneously building up a music and sound effect library.

Q&A

Q: Does the game have an estimated release date?I'm working on it during my free time, so at minimum it'll take a few years. I don't have any precise estimates as of right now.Q: Will Fish Hook be released in chapters?No, it will be made available as a completed game. I will, however, be uploading a demo or two before its final release.Q: Has Sinfonia (previous VN project) been dropped?No, but it has been put on an indefinite hiatus. I do want to finish it at some point as the script has existed since 2019 and I had roughly 80-90% of it done, but I want to do something else for the time being. You can read more about it from here.Q: What's this talk about a companion game to Fish Hook?Fish Hook is actually the backstory to another story I was originally writing in a novel format, but thought it'd be fun to turn it into a visual novel. It'll be more experimental and probably a bit more abstract, and will serve as sort of an "other side of the coin" type of story in relation to Fish Hook and elaborate more on certain characters.Q: Is the title written "Fish Hook" or "FISH HOOK"?Whichever looks cooler in any given situation :)

CHARACTERS

Click the image to view the full portrait.
More characters will be added later.

   JURI WILFORD     

   AGE      33
   HEIGHT      165cm
   OCCUPATION      FolkloristA folklorist interested in stories of paranormal and supernatural, particularly from rural areas. His symbiotic relationship with a creature called “Key of Asrak” allows him to recall every moment of his life, as well as glimpse into the memories of others when recalling events from their own lives. A private man more interested in listening to others than talking about himself, but rarely one to stay a mere spectator.

   ADRIAN LANCHESTER     

   AGE      34
   HEIGHT      178cm
   OCCUPATION      AccountantA man haunted by the passing of Lysander Burnett, Adrian was never convinced of his partner's death. For the past three years, for a reason no-one can quite understand, he has worked feverishly to try and uncover details of Lysander’s final commission and the enigmatic client behind it. This hunt for answers has changed him, gaze growing more intense by the day.

   LYSANDER BURNETT     

   AGE      Deceased (?)
   HEIGHT      180cm
   OCCUPATION      Painter | IllustratorA promising young artist who tragically lost his life in a drowning accident three years ago. Prior to his death, Lysander had been commissioned to illustrate a book about deep-sea fish, the completion of which culminated in the artist’s nightmare-filled burnout. Lysander was described as kind, hard-working and earnest; well-liked both by his colleagues and clients. He always found beauty in unexpected places.

   TOTALLY NOT SHADY WOMAN     

   AGE      33
   HEIGHT      165cm
   OCCUPATION      Fiction AuthorA folklorist interested in stories of paranormal and supernatural, in particular from rural areas. His symbiotic relationship with a creature called “Key of [NAME]” allows him to recall every moment of his life, as well as glimpse into the memories of others when recalling events from their own lives.

   MARIA ALVARO     

   AGE      51
   HEIGHT      161cm
   OCCUPATION      NoneMaria Alvaro has always lived at Brighthaven — or at least that’s how it feels. Twenty years ago she abandoned her old life and moved there, never to speak of who she was or what she did prior to it. She refuses the call of the depths, yet can never avert her gaze from it.

   MATTHEW WILLIAMS     

   AGE      53
   HEIGHT      168cm
   OCCUPATION      GroundskeeperTen long years Matthew Williams has worked at Brighthaven as the local resort’s groundskeeper, taking care of the premises and welcoming new visitors. This place is where his wife died a decade ago, and so this is where he stays.

EXTRA

FISH HOOK is a visual novel that began its development in 2025. It draws its main inspiration from the intersection of cosmic, gothic and supernatural horror filtered through the lens of my background in posthumanist studies.It is dedicated to me, the three other sickos on the internet who are into this specific kind of thing, and my friends who are not into it but support me regardless.