Critical Reflex and developer Monumental Collab are inviting players into the shadowy forests of Brazil with the first public playtest for Drowned Lake, now live on Steam. The atmospheric, found-footage-style horror game made its latest appearance during the OTK Winter Games Expo, debuting a new trailer that highlights its eerie blend of isometric exploration and first-person terror.
Inspired by the dense folklore of Brazil’s coastal regions, Drowned Lake transports players to a secluded, myth-laden forest where missing persons and sinister legends intertwine. A vanished university student sets off a multi-perspective investigation, leading players deep into dark waters where every sound risks drawing out something dangerous.
A Horror Story Told Across Three Lives
Rather than following a single protagonist, Drowned Lake unfolds through the eyes of three different characters:
- A firefighter searching for the missing student,
- A journalist chasing the truth behind the local legends, and
- An elderly fisherman who knows far more than he lets on.
Each perspective brings its own motives, narrative threads, and choices, allowing the story to shift as players navigate conversations, danger, and the haunting truths beneath the lake.
Fishing, Puzzles, and Found Footage Fear
Exploration happens across multiple modes, including rowing across murky waters and casting a fishing rod to pull up evidence hidden beneath the surface. Throughout the story, players will enter claustrophobic first-person investigative segments that blend escape-room design with classic horror pacing. These scenes bring players up close with the region’s chilling folklore, shifting between wide-angle paranoia and intimate dread.
But noise is your enemy. Every movement increases a hidden noise meter, and disturbing the waters too much can quickly draw the attention of the creatures lurking nearby.
Brazilian Folklore Takes the Spotlight
While many horror games pivot toward familiar Western tropes, Drowned Lake leans heavily into Brazil’s unique cultural and mythological heritage. The result is a world that feels unfamiliar, layered, and deeply unsettling, with entities and legends rarely seen in mainstream horror.
Players can dive into the public playtest now, offering a hands-on first look at what Monumental Collab first explored in their earlier horror project, Teleforum, also available for free on Steam.
