Pickupa “sinister fishing adventure” in which players seek fish and fortune, but encounter something, well, rather fishy on their journey, will be released on March 30, developer Black Salt Games and the Team 17 editor. Pickup is heading to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Switch owners can expect a free demo for Pickup in the next weeks.
Black Salt Games’ horror fishing RPG casts players as a fisherman exploring a remote archipelago in search of a variety of fish and hidden treasures. Players will encounter islanders who give quests and learn about their past, while upgrading their ship, learning new skills, and encountering increasingly unusual sea life. In true Lovecraftian fashion, players will need to have strong mental toughness to withstand the horrors that await them at sea.
As noted in Polygon’s hands-on preview of Pickup from last year’s Gamescom:
Alongside the fish, there are also monsters lurking under the waves. Some of them slip on board and infect your transport. Other larger creatures will simply try to smash through your hull, which not only damages your ship and causes you to lose cargo, but also increases your panic.
When your panic level in Pickup increases, you become much more susceptible to being accosted by monsters. Boulders will also start appearing randomly as you navigate, the explanation being that because it’s dark and you’re not thinking straight, you can’t see them until the last minute. You can mitigate this by turning on your ship’s lights, but that obviously also makes you more visible to monsters. All of these minor systems are cleverly interconnected to create an experience that quickly oscillates between calm and chaos, veering from tranquility to dread as if it were nobody’s business.
Check Pickuplaunch trailer for a taste of things to come.
