The Night Fisherman
A downloadable visual novel for Windows and macOS
FOUR MILES SOUTH OF DOVER
You're a night fisherman, and you spot a boat approaching. You bait your rod and steel yourself, ready for interrogation. Once he arrives, the man on the opposite deck is calm, civilised, and has a shotgun slung across his back.
How's this gonna go down?
“Deals with some difficult subject matter in a thoughtful and captivating way”
Free Game Planet
“Far Few Giants are changing the game of interactive cinematography”
Re:Bind
“A powerful execution of micro-fiction”
The Escapist
A SHORT GAME BY DE FAULT & CHARD
The English Protection Group keep a watchful eye on the Smuggler's Run, a renowned crossing for vessels bound from Calais containing illegal immigrants.
When faced with an armed man, his voracious appetite for conversation, and nobody else for miles, can you safely get rid of him?
This is a single, film-like scene. You direct the fisherman's actions, as well as directing the camera shots between the cinematic angles available.
The first of twelve small, experimental narrative games to be released monthly.
FEATURES
- Intense maritime story set in the English channel.
- Surreal, beautiful seascape.
- Choose your fate: will you get out of this alive?
- Cinematic experience where you direct the camera.
- Surging orchestral soundtrack by Richard Campbell.
- An homage to one of cinema's greatest scenes.
- Roughly 5-10 minutes in length.
OTHER GAMES IN THIS SERIES
CONTROLS
Keyboard & mouse only
Left & right arrows / A & D - change camera
Mouse left click - progress text, select dialogue option
CONTENT WARNING
Racism, off-screen violence
Far Few Giants is supported by our Patreon subscribers. If you'd like to follow our journey, we'll be posting one narrative game a month on Patreon, Itch & Steam.
de Fault: @antony_de_fault || Chard: @animtree
Richard Campbell: @ziggidybang
Special thanks to our advance testers.
For youtubers, streamers & press - Presskit
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- SEQUEL OUT NOW: The Outcast LoversJul 17, 2020
- 11k downloads, Steam launch, and a new game from us!Jun 30, 2020
- 5,000 Downloads UpdateJun 17, 2020
Comments
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good story
Hmm, yeah, I'm smuggling a lone migrant, lemme just fish for a bit.
Genius
Great experience! I was on the edge of my seat!
It was cool and short experience. Loved it.
Here is my playthrough of it and if you like check my other videos too :)Oh, this took a turn for the worse all of a sudden. What an amazing way to portray emotions and this certain dillemma
Interesting sort of game. Not a lot to it but it is all about the story.
An interesting story you need to watch
very pretty visually and haunting thematically but some of the dialogue felt ripped word for word from the beginning of Inglourious Basterds lol
Yeah, I was very disappointed that they basically copied the entire Inglourious Basterds first scene..
Good story, I liked the amount of interaction with the game 👍👍👍
Well, I already comented on Steam about it.
It's a great and gripping short story to discover.
Semi-linear.
I see a lot of people here made some kind of video about this short story; well, I didn’t, I just went for it because I needed a short distraction before playing a longer game that is for me, in fact, another distraction before playing an even longer game while still waiting for “Cyberpunk 2077” to finally come out. Needles to say, I wasn’t disappointed: “The Night Fisherman” is minimal gaming at its best – in under 10 min it delvers all that the creators promised on this page and proofs that someone out there is a rather skilled writer (the racist metaphor of lions and pigeons was a great one, it really made the moment, and in fact, the whole game, maybe hand in hand with the endings). Glad it made it to the Racial Justice Bundle.
Thanks for the kind words! It means a lot :)
I really enjoyed this game, and am excited for the rest of the game in the series to see where the story goes. a great example of world building in a very short amount of time
I played this game alongside a much nicer family friendly game and the juxtaposition actually made me feel REALLY WEIRD.
The only reason this video existes is because of this game a few others. Great game and BLStillM
It was so relaxed and chill. Then, out of the blue BANG...
I tried playing it one more time, picking different answers and hoping for another ending.
Still, enjoyed it. Nice one!
I'm not sure if there was a more light-hearted way to end the game, rather than the devastating ending I received, but holy sh*t! Is this based on true fact, was this a thing? The game is short, but for sure runs DEEP. The environment design is beautiful, and the sound design is smooth and on point! Sometimes it's nice to take a step back and allow something other than horror premiere on my channel!
Great work!
Thank you for making this series. We can't wait for the next game. We loved playing and talking about The Night Fisherman and The Outcast Lovers last night on our live show #IndieGameClub!
You can watch it here!
Facebook: https://facebook.com/watch/live/?v=453317698965514…
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/videos/709455526…
YouTube:
this was a rollercoaster of a game. really thought provoking and a refreshing change to what i usually post on my channel. will be covering more of the sacrifices soon!
Oh my, this visual novel made my heart lose a beat. It was so hard to accept the ending! Wow! It's wild how much this game can express in 7 minutes. Unforgettable.
This is a story I'm already sympathetic to, and playing it to the end did not somehow make my sympathy run deeper... It just made me sad, something I feel often enough regarding the situation. Without spoiling, I don't think anyone already sympathetic to the fisherman and his plight have much insight to gain here, and I'm not sure anything except direct interpersonal experiences can change the mind of someone on the other side. People are heavily polarized today, and the hearts of many are hardened beyond repair.
It's nonetheless well made. I love the music and art and the writing is quite good, even if the other man's rhetoric is a bit too on the nose at times.
This was an incredibly uncomfortable experience, but also a completely necessary one. When I fired up this game I didn't really know what to expect (I try to go into a lot of games that catch my eye as blind as possible), but as the story ticked along I became sickeningly aware of what was happening.
Of course, that lump in my throat and queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach only got worse as time went along.
Honestly, this was one of the most harrowing gaming experiences I've ever had. I don't know if the themes explored here will reach anyone it needs to (I hope it does), to change any minds about anything (I hope it will), but I think the devs have done an amazing job conveying some pretty real and raw emotions right here.
I hope they keep up the great work, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else we'll be seeing from them!
Wow, exactly what we were going for, thank you so much for the kind words! Next one's just come out too: https://farfewgiants.itch.io/the-outcast-lovers
after the ending that i got, i don't really know what to feel man. but when it comes to the atmosphere of the game, the sounds, the plot, the graphics it is simple yet effective!
p.s game starts at 11:18
This game is not what it seems 👀
wow
I love the atmosphere created by the combination of the art and the music.
It feel calm and creepy at the same time. Can't wait for your next piece of art :D
Thanks so much! Next one's out now: https://farfewgiants.itch.io/the-outcast-lovers
Started playing, and it looks very good, Im just so fatigued by real world racism and dehumanization of the powerless that I don't think I really have the stomach to continue. I see in a comment that the ending is unexpected. If this really does go very differently than I expect, I think I may finish it now after all. Thoughts??
Did not see that story going the way it did, nice job.
Thank you! Great playthrough, btw.
Hey, is it possible, to add this free game to my Steam library?
Hi, we'll be coming to Steam very soon!
But yes, you can, follow these instructions
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2219-YDJV-5557
Hi there! Great to hear it's coming to Steam.
Thanks for answering my question. According to these instructions, I need to download and install the game, so I can add it to Steam, right? Kinda looking for a way so I DON'T have to install it, because I don't want all games installed all the time.
In that case, maybe look into the Itch desktop app?
https://itch.io/app
That's not Steam, though :D But thank you anyway :)
Yeah, sorry, It's impossible within steam to generate keys for free games, the only option is to wait for release.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1340810/The_Night_Fisherman/ It's up there now ;)
you don't install it, you just download and unzip it, then add it to steam, if that makes a difference (does to me, most the games here work this way, so adding them to steam really isn't *that* meaningfully different from downloading them from steam
I was not expecting such a beautifully told story in such a small package. I loved being able to choose what my camera was looking at and how that assisted the storytelling.
I really enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you release next
Hi Melitree, sorry we had to hide your comment as it contains spoilers, thanks for your rating though!
In answer to your question, it's open to your own interpretation.
Perfect game when you just want to relax.It's a nice text-based game and it surely brings some nostalgia from the good ol' times.Good job!
Catch anything good?
^.^ It got out of the hook and swam away
I really liked the soundtrack. Nice game.
Thanks! I'll tell Richard :)
I loved the appealing art style of this game. It’s beautiful, yet something seems off. It’s a mysterious vibe. Really well done on the twist as well. I was not expecting it! The writing is great, and the simplicity of the design makes it an eerie yet calm atmosphere. I highly recommend for anyone who wants to experience a short, yet gripping, high tension tale. https://youtu.be/XrT99nRQ7yA
Thanks for playing! Your face when you saw the thing... we got you!
Very well read too, would have loved to have heard more of your thoughts about the game and what you thought it meant :)
(I know the devs but) This is a very short interactive fiction with a twisted soul. Really effective overall design carries a deep political game <3
<3
absolutely loved this one! Deep topics!
Thanks for the play! I'm glad you appreciated it! Would have loved to hear a deeper exploration of your response to it at the end there :)
Thanks for playing, I'll let Richard know you loved his audio work :) Follow for next month's game!
wasn't expecting much but i played it and was intrigued by the story. Great game!!
Thanks for playing! It was great to hear you squirm when things started to heat up, haha. I'd have loved to have heard more of your opinions on the game at the end of the video, like what worked for you, what didn't etc. Anyway, very well read! :)
Thanks for playing, I'm very glad you loved it! You have such a soothing voice haha