Loan Shark

About

Loan Shark is a single player role playing game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by Studio Ortica and was released on August 8, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

The loan shark is coming for you. Catch enough fish to repay your debt before it is too late. Go fish.

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 444 reviews

story46 positive mentions

stability5 negative mentions

Unique psychological horror experience blending fishing sim with a moral tale about debt and desperation.
Strong atmosphere and sound design effectively evoke tension and existential dread without relying heavily on jump scares.
Multiple endings and dialogue choices encourage replayability to discover different narrative facets.

Very short gameplay duration with limited content and mostly one true ending, reducing replay value for some players.
Fishing mechanics, especially gutting fish, are clunky, awkward, and sometimes buggy, impacting gameplay enjoyment.
Several technical issues including bugs, crashes, poor optimization, untranslated text, and broken UI detract from the experience.

story
95 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
49%
3%
The story is generally praised for its atmospheric, simple yet meaningful narrative that combines horror and existential themes with some moral lessons. While some find it engaging and well-delivered with multiple endings and plot twists, others feel it is short, repetitive, and could benefit from more depth and replayability. Overall, it’s considered a compelling, albeit brief, interactive story experience with a unique setting.
- “Loan shark's different endings and main route all use the game's given mechanics to their fullest potential (without being absurdly detailed), both in storytelling and visuals (and in spooking the player).”
- “One of the coolest and most unique horror experiences I’ve played in recent years, wrapped in a story that runs far deeper than you’d expect at first glance – way beyond the usual “evil spirit hunts you” cliché.”
- “The game did a great job building out the story through both dialogue and small hints at things like fish descriptions.”
- “The fishing mechanics are awfully tiresome, the few scares feel cheap, and the story is a messy tangle that fails to make me care.”
- “My biggest complaint is the story and choices.”
- “Various plot holes that you learn after playing it a second time become glaring.”
gameplay
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay is generally simple, with fishing and gutting mechanics that many find repetitive, buggy, and sometimes frustrating, particularly the fish gutting system. While some users appreciate the game's relaxed, narrative-focused experience and atmospheric moments, others feel the mechanics lack depth, polish, and meaningful engagement. Overall, the gameplay suits the game's short length and low price but leaves many wanting more variety, refinement, and content.
- “Loan shark's different endings and main route all use the game's given mechanics to their fullest potential (without being absurdly detailed), both in storytelling and visuals (and in spooking the player).”
- “The fishing mechanics are very simple, but still satisfying.”
- “Gameplay is very simple, but more than enough ingenuity for the length of the game.”
- “The gutting mechanic is used every single time you catch a fish but sometimes it just doesn't work and you have to move the knife to the fish multiple times before it highlights red and closes the gutting screen.”
- “Gameplay/controls are clunky and slow moving.”
- “The gutting mechanic is straight up terrible and frustrating.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
65%
12%
The game features a minimalist, haunting art style that effectively emphasizes mood and narrative tension, creating a cohesive but not highly detailed visual experience. While some players praise the graphics for matching the game's atmosphere and storytelling, others report significant technical issues, particularly with AMD graphics drivers, causing crashes and visual glitches. Overall, the graphics are considered good for the game's price and intent but lack immersive fidelity and polish.
- “Interesting premise and I love the art style.”
- “Visually, the game adopts a minimalist aesthetic that emphasizes mood over graphical fidelity.”
- “This game's graphics match exactly what the aura of the game is; simplistic, haunting, and cohesive.”
- “Visuals and audio aren't well designed enough to create an immersive atmosphere or be aesthetically pleasing.”
- “Dev won't fix graphical bugs; it looks like my character is having a mid-epileptic stroke whenever I try to play.”
- “At time of release, there was a problem with AMD graphics drivers requiring a downgrade, which was a hassle.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
16%
12%
The game excels at creating a strong, eerie atmosphere that combines dread, suspense, and subtle horror without relying heavily on jump scares. Its unsettling setting and pacing evoke tension and unease, enhanced by thoughtful storytelling and occasional dark humor. Despite some simple visuals and brief gameplay, the atmospheric experience is widely praised as immersive and impactful.
- “Each twist and revelation adds to the atmosphere of growing dread, and choices must be made where the outcomes may be appalling or unthinkable.”
- “The game is a spiraling descent into desperation and madness, all wrapped within a short-but-sweet package with great atmosphere, surprising humor, and a dread that ebbs and flows with the tide.”
- “This is an incredibly short game that manages to create a truly wonderful atmosphere of deep sea suspense.”
- “If you want a simple quick game with a horror creepy atmosphere this isn't great but will do.”
- “The uneasy atmosphere of fishing scenes would probably work more if navigating the rod wasn't such a weird mechanic.”
- “There is a horror element with the atmosphere alone but really no jump scares; what really sucks is there’s basically one ending where you die no matter what.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is a mix of genuinely funny moments and unexpected, surreal scares that some find amusing due to their contrast. While opinions vary, many players appreciate its quirky and darkly humorous tone, making it an entertaining and memorable experience.
- “I may have been biased at first, watching someone I find funny playing it, but now playing through it myself, I still enjoy the game pretty much the same.”
- “The game is a spiraling descent into desperation and madness, all wrapped within a short-but-sweet package with great atmosphere, surprising humor, and a dread that ebbs and flows with the tide.”
- “Super short, but pretty freaky and most definitely hilarious as well.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Replayability in the game is generally limited due to a focused story with few endings, though some players appreciate exploring different dialogue choices. The game offers a short playtime of around 40-50 minutes, providing modest replay value but less than games with more varied outcomes.
- “Buy Vampire Survivors for a dollar less and have days of replay value.”
- “Replayability ♾ 5”
- “Good price for what the game gives you along with replayability to see how other dialogue choices may play out.”
- “However, the focused structure also means limited replay value once the story’s primary outcomes have been seen.”
- “The story is good, but could have done with multiple endings to help add some content and replayability.”
- “Its somewhat replayable and takes roughly 40-50 minutes to beat.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably problematic, with frequent bugs affecting gameplay mechanics such as the fishing mini-game, knife interactions, and camera control. While these issues are somewhat expected in a low-budget title and not overwhelmingly frustrating, they do detract from the overall experience.
- “However, it was very buggy, and the design of the fishing mini-game as well as the linear progression is a bit faulty.”
- “Its a bit buggy and has a lot of issues, plus the gameplay and story is pretty mediocre and boring.”
- “However the camera is horribly buggy and won't stop spinning; I'm not touching my mouse at all, it just keeps going like that.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a deeply emotional experience, with moments that genuinely moved them to tears, particularly during key achievements like paying off debt. However, some technical issues, such as a problematic, erratic camera, can detract from fully immersing in the game's emotional impact.
- “This game made me cry 10/10.”
- “I've gutted pixelated tuna with more emotional investment than I've put into real life relationships.”
- “When I finally paid off my debt, I cried.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Grinding in the game is somewhat tedious due to the lack of save states, especially when restarting multiple times for different endings, but it remains manageable and not frustrating. The experience is generally charming, encouraging replay without causing significant annoyance.
- “It should go without saying, but having no save states in a game where you have to restart four or more times to achieve different endings feels, in the kindest terms, tedious.”
- “It is tedious, it is basic, and there's nothing immediately scary to speak of whatsoever.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is appreciated for complementing the overall vibe and atmosphere, particularly enhancing the feelings of loneliness and tranquility. While not overly complex, the soundtrack is beloved by players and contributes significantly to the immersive experience.
- “I genuinely love the story, the vibe, the loneliness, the silent night, our little boat, beer and companion, and the lovely music. I wish I could stay here forever.”
- “The game has lovely music that perfectly complements its atmosphere.”
- “The music enhances the overall vibe and feeling of loneliness in the game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has some optimization issues, with users noting minor performance drawbacks and bugs being addressed through patches. Overall, optimization is considered subpar but improving.
- “Poorly optimized.”
- “Only drawbacks are just the minor optimization others are requesting and the bugs being patched up, but still, great game.”