"What was meant to be a fun and relaxing day with friends ended up being a nightmare I doubt any of us will able to forget."
— Zachary
Otter Island is an RPG Maker horror game created by Mizzen (who also made the Yume Nikki fangame Silent Infinity).
Three friends, Zachary, Connor, and Jeremy, travel to Connor's summer cottage on Otter Island for a weekend of fun and relaxation. However, it isn't long before unsettling things begin happening. There is something on the island with them and it doesn't want them to leave...
Otter Island was released in September 2021. It can be downloaded here
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Tropes found in Otter Island include:
- Big Bad: A shapeshifting monster is haunting the titular island and is out to kill the three friends, stalking them throughout the game and growing increasingly aggressive.
- Bittersweet Ending: The bad end, definitely leaning more towards the "bitter" side in tone. Zachary and Jeremy escape the island, but Connor is never seen again and his friends — especially Zachary — have to live with the knowledge that they abandoned Connor to a grisly fate.
- Chekhov's Gun: Some innocuous items around the island — including parts of the decor — are actually key to solving a puzzle late in the game. Counting the numbers of steps on the ladder into the lake, the number of family photos in the cottage, the number of beds, and the number of yellow lines on the sleep-out rug gives you the combination for the gun safe.
- Childhood Friends: Zachary states he and Connor have been friends since childhood; their years' long friendship is a big reason Zach does what he can help Connor when he goes missing and makes it all the more tragic if he chooses to leave Connor behind to save himself and Jeremy.
- Chiaroscuro: In an aversion of Hollywood Darkness, after night falls, it's almost pitch black outside and you need a flashlight (either a handheld one or the one on your phone) to navigate properly in unlit areas.
- Closed Circle: When the friends realize they need to get off the island, they discover that someone has taken the oars for the rowboat, their only method of transportation. Zachary tries to find something to replace the oars so they can escape, eventually finding a motor and gasoline to power it.
- Darkness Equals Death: The creepy stuff actually starts happening during the day, although it's more subtle at first and not overtly threatening. It's not until night falls that the horror kicks into high gear and the characters really start to grasp that they're in danger; it's also only at this point the player character runs into situations where they can be killed.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Getting the good ending requires you to stay on the island longer, find more items, and solve more puzzles. It results in all three friends making it off the island, with Connor getting away with some lacerations and broken bones which the doctors say will heal.
- Extremely Short Timespan: The entire game takes place over several hours; the trio of friends arrive on Otter Island in the afternoon and after a Time Skip to sundown, the rest of the game takes place in a single night. The monster really didn't waste any time trying to hunt the friends down and they don't waste any time trying to escape.
- Face-Revealing Turn: Zach thinks he sees Connor — who has gone missing — standing beside the cabin, facing away from him. When he approaches 'Connor', though, the figure turns around to reveal it's someone trying to imitate Connor.
- Fair-Weather Friend: Jeremy gets along with the other two just fine, but when he learns about the monster, he refuses to help Zachary search for Connor out of fear for his own life and presses him to escape without Connor. Interestingly, Zachary doesn't hold it against him, saying he understands his fear. To Jeremy's credit, he also doesn't abandon Zachary if he chooses to stay and continue looking for Connor after the boat is set up.
- Foreshadowing:
- While looking for a lighter, Zach passes by the cottage's porch and sees Jeremy sitting there, with the boys briefly exchanging greetings. When Zach gets back to the grilling area, though, Jeremy comes walking in from the direction of the outhouse, which is to the west of this area, while the cottage is to the north. Zach is confused by this and by Jeremy's claim he doesn't remember speaking with Zach. It's later revealed that the creature can shapeshift into other people.
- Paying attention to what Connor says just before he leaves the cabin to check on things can help save you from a game over: Connor mentions he's taking his key with him. As a result, not opening the door to whoever is knocking is the right decision, because as Zach points out to Jeremy, why would Connor be knocking if he already has a key?
- In an early conversation, Zach mentions he likes to play shooter games. In the good ending, he ends up wielding a revolver and puts two bullets in the creature, driving it off long enough for he and Connor to reach the boat.
- From Bad to Worse: Around the midpoint, Connor insists that the other two need to lock themselves in the cottage while he goes to check on some things after realizing the monster has arrived early on Otter Island this year. Half an hour later, Connor hasn't returned and left his cellphone behind, so not only is one of the group missing, he's also the only one who really knows what's going on. Then when Zach goes out to look for Connor, he discovers that the rowboat oars are gone, essentially leaving them stranded on the island.
- The Ghost: Connor's dad never appears physically, but gets mentioned several times, and has left behind various notes for Connor, which Zach can find and use to help him and his friends escape.
- Guide Dang It!: Defied, as the game's download page is kind enough to provide the players with their own walkthrough document.
- Minimalist Cast: Only four characters make a physical appearance: Zach, Jeremy, Connor, and the main antagonist. There are other characters mentioned, such as Connor's family (specifically his father and some cousins) as well as the doctors who treat Connor in the good ending, but they don't show up in person.
- Monstrous Humanoid: The monster on the island is humanoid in shape but clearly isn't human; its standard form (as far as we can tell) has pitch black skin, bulging eyes, and an abnormally-wide mouth with sharp teeth. It shrieks like an animal, but is also capable of human speech, if not always perfectly. It can also change its shape to make itself identical to other people, right down to their clothing, though it's unclear if it can physically change its form or uses some kind of glamour.
- Multiple Endings: Two; one bad ending, one good ending. Choosing to abandon Connor leads to the bad ending where Zachary and Jeremy leave the island without him, while going back for him leads to the good ending where all three friends are safe.
- Nice Day, Deadly Night: Otter Island appears to be a peaceful and pleasant place to relax during the day, although Zachary does get the feeling of Being Watched by someone. Once night falls, the island looks a lot less comforting; the woods are shrouded in darkness unless you bring your own light source and what's lurking in the darkness isn't friendly.
- Nightmare Face: The monster's face could probably give Jeff the Killer a run for his money.
- Nothing Is Scarier: We don't know what the creature is or what its motives are — it just is.
- Oh, Crap!: When Zach mentions finding a rather large dead animal near the outhouse and Jeremy swears he didn't encounter Zach outside the cottage earlier despite Zach insisting they spoke to one another, Connor goes from confused to visibly panicked as he pieces together what's happening.
- One-Hit Kill: Getting caught by the creature in chase scenes or if you made the mistake of opening the door to who you thought was Connor results in an instant game over; you have to start over from when you last manually saved the game.
- Perpetual Frowner: Zach looks consistently glum throughout the game, even when he's having a good time with his friends. You could probably count on one hand the number of times he smiles even a little.
- Player Character: The player controls Zachary throughout the game, who also serves as the narrator.
- Press X to Not Die: After collecting the handgun in one pathway, when confronted by the creature, you must complete a quick-time event, pressing the keys specified on the screen to fire the gun. Failing results in instant death and returns you to your last save point.
- Riddle for the Ages: Just what is the creature on Otter Island and what is Connor's family's connection to it? It's obvious that they know something about it, but Connor refuses to divulge more information.
- Run or Die: When you eventually come face-to-face with the shapeshifting creature, your only option is to run (as the game prompts) and find shelter, as you have no weapons or other means of defending yourself. You have to be speedy about it as well, because the creature is almost as fast as you are and changes direction quickly to try and cut you off.
- Schmuck Bait: Whatever you do, do not open that knocking door. Seriously. Zach's life will thank you for it.
- Shout-Out:
- In the sleep-out, you can find a drawing of a young girl, with Zach commenting he gets the impression she likes the sea. This is a reference to Mizzen's previous game, Silent Infinity.
- During one cutscene, Connor is discussing Bloodborne with the others, who then proceed to cite their favourite video games (Jeremy likes Minecraft, Zach likes Fallout, Doom, and Half-Life).
- Skinwalker: It's implied that the creature might be this, given its ability to change into other people. It's not confirmed, though, and Mizzen is also vague on the creature's exact identity.
- Slasher Smile: The creature sports one constantly, especially when it tries to mimic Connor.
- Uncertain Doom: In the good ending, Zach shoots the monster twice with a gun, prompting it to run off into the woods. The protagonists understandably don't stick around, so it's uncertain what became of the creature; while the bullets clearly hurt it, we don't know if it was able to recover or if bullets would even be capable of killing it (given its supernatural nature).
- The Unreveal: In both endings, it's never explained what the creature is. In the bad ending, Connor is dead, while in the the good ending, he survives but refuses to tell his friends anything, merely saying it's "old family stuff". It's also never explained why the creature has emerged now, as Connor states it usually doesn't appear until autumn.
- Video Game Caring Potential: Even after collecting all the items needed to get off the island, you can choose to delay your escape and go look for Connor; rescuing Connor leads to the good ending.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: Once you have the motor and gasoline, you can choose to escape the island with Jeremy and leave Connor behind. This leads to the bad ending, as although he and Jeremy escape, Zach is consumed with guilt for abandoning his friend to a gruesome fate.
- Wham Line: Connor confirming that not only is there definitely some kind of dangerous creature on Otter Island, but that he and his family have been aware of its existence for some time."But nothing should be wrong, at least not until fall. We specifically don't come here in fall because of this."
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: It's never specified where in the world the game is set. The ending credits include photographs revealing that Otter Island was based on a real location; when asked about this, Mizzen was intentionally vague for privacy reasons (and so players can make their own theories), but stated the game's setting is intended to be somewhere in Northern Europe. It's mentioned raccoon dogs are sometimes seen on the island, which are native to East Asia but also widely present in parts of Europe due to being introduced there in the early 20th century.
