A horror fishing survival game set in the Deep Woods of the lost frontier.

Feed the fire. Feed the beast. Feed yourself.

Dreadcast is a single-player horror fishing game where survival hangs by a thread — or, rather, a line. Stranded deep in the forgotten woods of the lost frontier, with nothing but your rod, your dog Rufus, and a chained wagon that groans in the dark, you must make it through the night one catch at a time.

But you can’t feed everyone.

Every fish you pull from the black river is a choice:

• Feed yourself, and stave off the creeping madness.

• Feed Rufus, and he’ll keep the forest things at bay.

• Feed the Being, and maybe the wagon will hold a little longer.

Survive the full 3-minute night cycle, and you'll see another sunrise. 

Everything Has a Price — Cause Jam 2025

Created for Cause Jam 2025 under the theme “Everything Has a Price,” Dreadcast asks a simple question with no simple answer:

What are you willing to give up to survive?

In Dreadcast, every bite of fish comes at a cost.

Every decision to feed one soul means another goes hungry.

Do you protect the innocent? Buy yourself time? Contain the being in the wagon?
You can’t do it all.

The river offers you fish, relics, and fleeting hope — but the bill always comes due. 

Gameplay Features

• Survive 3 minutes in one eerie, fire-lit camp nestled deep in the woods.

• Catch fish using a tense, reflex-driven fishing mini-game.

• Ration each catch between three mouths:

  • You — Let your hunger drop, and you'll lose yourself to the dark.

  • Rufus — Neglect him, and the monsters close in.

  • The Being — Ignore its growls, and it’ll rip through the wagon.

• Relic Fishing – Haul strange and valuable trinkets from the river’s depths.

• Wandering Curio Shopkeeper – Spend your relics each morning at his twisted camp. Buy gear to survive longer, keep the darkness at bay, and glimpse deeper truths.

Controls

• WASD – Move around the campsite

• E – Interact with fire, Rufus, the wagon, fishing, and shop

• Left Mouse Button – Cast and reel: hold to move the indicator into the box, then keep it there until the fish is caught

What's Next (Post-Jam Updates)

• Full Voice-Over System – Fragments of memory, regret, and cryptic truth — spoken aloud during the night

• New Fishing Locations – Push further into the river’s reach and discover deeper horrors

• Expanded Lore & Worldbuilding – More secrets, more characters, more dark corners of the Deep Woods

• Idle Fishing Mode – A calm, daytime experience to fish, collect, and reflect — without the night pressing in

Credits

Made in a handful of days by a solo dev at Inqdrop Studios for Cause Jam 2025