Instruction Booklet1–4 Players
The Hook Horizon title screen: the signpost menu on the boardwalk at dusk
A fishing-line platformerStory · Brawl · Party · Pool Party

Welcome aboard

Page 1

Thanks for picking up Hook Horizon. This booklet covers the story, the controls, the crew, the seven zones and every way to play. Have a read before you cast your first line.

  1. The Story2
  2. Controls3
  3. Moves & Gifts4
  4. Reading the Screen5
  5. The Crew6
  6. The Seven Zones7
  7. Ways to Play8
  8. Keeper's Secrets9

The Story

Page 2

For forty years the Horizon Lighthouse swept the sea once every eight seconds. Then came the storm. A wave took the lamp, the beam went dark, and that same night the stars fell into the sea.

Wherever a star landed, something strange grew around it: a crane yard that boxes up everything it finds, a carnival dragon that has to be the brightest thing in the sky, a forest that won't let anything change.

On the pier, the lamp's last spark landed on a little fishing float. That float is you. You are Bobber, and with the ghost of the old lighthouse keeper beside you, you'll cast your line zone by zone, win back each star and reel it home into the sky.

Bobber on the pier at Crate Harbor, with Cap'n Crate standing nearby and cranes behind
Crate Harbor, where it starts. Cap'n Crate is waiting on the pier.

Old MarlaSeven stars, little float. Seven places that went wrong. And something at the bottom of the sea, counting. Let's go and see.

Controls

Page 3

Play with a gamepad, or with keyboard and mouse. Your line goes where you aim: the mouse, or the right stick. Anything you can hook shows a fish tag over it.

ActionGamepadKeyboard & mouse
MoveLeft stickAD or ←→
Aim the lineRight stickMouse
JumpASpace W ↑
Cast · reel (hold)RTLeft click (hold), or F
Tug the lineX or RBRight click, Shift or E
Ground-poundY, or stick down in the airS ↓ in the air
Let goBX or Q
PauseMenuEsc

Friends drop in any time: a second gamepad joins by pressing Menu and leaves with View. On a computer, F2 hands the first gamepad to player 2. On a phone or tablet, the on-screen buttons appear on their own.

Moves & Gifts

Page 4

What every float can do

Cast & reelHook a fish tag and hold to reel. Light things come to you and become platforms: rafts, logs, jellies, little moons.
The Big PullSome things are too heavy to reel. Hook them anyway and the line drags you across the water, even out to islands on the horizon.
Wall jumpJump at a wall, then jump again to kick up and off it.
Ground-poundPress down in the air. Smashes crates, stuns enemies, and bounces you high off jellies.
TugA sharp yank on the line. Pulls a catch in faster and bonks thieving gulls.
Air dashPip's trick. Cast at nothing in mid-air and you fly toward your aim.

Gifts from the crew

Each time a star comes home, a friend hands you something new, and you use it before you leave.

Cap'n Crate
Swing HookCap'n Crate rigs a swivel off his crane cable. Hook a ring, swing, let fly.
Pip
Long CastPip's grandma's kite string. Reaches the far things out in the dark.
Lumen
Double LineLumen's second lure. Hold two catches at once.
Professor Orbit
Power ReelProfessor Orbit's moon-tether. Haul in the heavy things that used to drag you out.
Puff
Spore KiteFound in Spore Hollow. Hold jump while falling to glide.

Reading the Screen

Page 5
Bobber in Lantern Trench, with Lumen, glowing jellies and rock stacks
Lantern Trench. A fish tag marks anything your line can catch.
♥Hearts. A hit or a fall costs one. Run out and you're back at the last bell buoy you rang.
◆Sea glass. Three pieces hide in every level, often where only a trick reaches.
★Stars. Seven fell. A ★ only ever means a star you've brought home.
📜Starlogs. 21 pages of the old keeper's log, three per zone, each up a side room.
🪝Lures. Dropped by crates and fights. Spend them at the Tackle Shop on hearts, a quicker reel, a bigger slam or a new coat of paint.
🔔Bell buoys. Ring one to save your place and refill your hearts.

The world map

Each level's card asks a question before you play it, and you answer it by playing. As stars come home the map changes: storms clear, lighthouse beams start sweeping, and your crew stands on their islands.

The Crew

Page 6

Each friend joins once their zone's star comes home. Playing alone, they'll even stand on a pressure plate for you. Some doors only open for company.

Bobber, a red and white fishing float with an antenna
BobberYouA little fishing float carrying the lamp's last spark on its antenna. Says very little.
Old Marla, a pale ghost in a keeper's cap holding a lantern
Old MarlaGhost guideThe lighthouse keeper. Warm, dry, and still says “light's on” out of habit.Ring a bell buoy and I'll remember where you were.
Cap'n Crate, a wooden crate with a captain's cap and a moustache
Cap'n CrateCrate HarborA dockhand who is, himself, a crate. Fired from his own crane by the Admiral.If they box you up, kick!
Pip, a kid in goggles with a kite
PipKite CarnivalA kite kid in goggles, fast and loud. Teaches you the air dash.Cast at nothing in mid-air and fly!
Lumen, a round blue fish with a glowing lure
LumenLantern TrenchA lanternfish who is afraid of the dark. Follows your lamp all the way down.I can do this. Stay close to me.
Professor Orbit, a little astronomer in a pointed hat with a brass telescope
Prof. OrbitMoon BeltA lonely astronomer with a brass telescope and a lecture for every occasion.Hungry things never stop at one.
Puff, a round green spore with a sprout on top
PuffSpore HollowA spore with very big ambitions and a sprout on top.Bounce, then dash at the top. Pfff!
Glitch, a creature made of pale blue and pink cubes
GlitchNeon ArcadeAn arcade sprite made of glowing blocks. Talks in capitals. Counts in eights.JUST LET THE COUNT RUN OUT.

The Seven Zones

Page 7

Each zone asks a question, and each star made someone's wish far too big. Every zone has three levels, a boss, a ★ challenge and three Starlog pages. They're listed here in the order you'll play them.

1

Crate Harbor

Where are all the crates going?
Crate Harbor: a sunny pier, stacked shipping crates and yellow cranes

A crane yard where everything gets boxed and shipped. Big Pulls, crate smashing, and stevedores who pack you up if you stand still.

Admiral Crabbox: a crate-cab on red crab claws, at night on the docks
Admiral Crabboxwanted to keep everything.
2

Kite Carnival

Why are the carnival lights going out?
Kite Carnival: a boardwalk with balloons, Pip, and kites over a golden sea

Rings, fans and a ferris wheel. The spotlight finds you, and the crowd wants tricks.

The Gale Dragon's arena: a striped stage, a kite tail across the sky and a sweeping spotlight
The Gale Dragonwanted to be looked at.
3

Lantern Trench

Who keeps turning the lights off?
Lantern Trench: mint ledges, glowing jellies and stacked dark rocks

A descent into the dark. Glow coral, jellies, and a lamp somebody keeps biting.

The Gloom Angler, a huge dark fish with a glowing lure, above Bobber
The Gloom Anglerhid the light so no one could take it.
4

Moon Belt

Who's taking bites out of the moons?
Moon Belt: Bobber and Professor Orbit on a ledge under a dusky sky of floating rocks

Low gravity, little moons to hop between, and a trail of crumbs. Your world curves under your feet.

The Moon Eater's sky: Bobber and Orbit on a small moon among ringed planets
The Moon Eateris never, ever full.
5

Spore Hollow

What does the forest remember?
Spore Hollow: a pink path through a forest of giant pastel mushrooms

A giant mushroom forest that blooms in two colours. Glide, bounce, and listen to the roots.

The Mycelium Queen: a tall crowned mushroom in a magenta skirt
The Mycelium Queenwon't let anything be lost.
6

Neon Arcade

What happens at GAME OVER?
Neon Arcade: glowing grid lanes, wireframe mountains and a big sunset

Inside a cabinet. Hop between two lanes, slide the high-score table, and ride a room that turns.

The Arcade Core: a spinning neon cube over the grid
The Arcade Corewon't let the game end.
7

Abyss Wall

What has been counting at the bottom of the sea?
Abyss Wall: the whole crew together on a coral ledge under an orange sky

The standing sea, the undertow, and the Deep Stair. Everything you've learned, all at once, with the whole crew along.

A dark, empty ledge with a lantern. Something is out there.
? ? ?is waiting for the light.

Ways to Play

Page 8
Story mode in Spore Hollow
Story1–4 co-op
Bring the seven stars home, alone or with up to three friends on one screen or online. AI partners can fill empty seats.
  • 21 levels and 7 bosses
  • 7 ★ challenges
  • 21 Starlog pages
Hook Brawl: floats on floating docks over the harbor
Hook Brawl2–4 versus
Lines out, anglers in. Hook your rivals, yank them off the stage and out to sea. Couch or online.
Party mode: the island game board with cranes, a ship and a lighthouse
Party1–4 board game
A board game across the islands with 20 minigames, from Ring-Out Rumble and Moon Putt to Last Lantern and Lighthouse Relay.
Pool Party: a float drifting under strings of coloured lights
Pool Partychill
Just fish. Find fish and hats while the DJ plays. Hang out at a public lagoon, or invite friends with a code.
Couch Partyphones
Everyone's phone becomes a controller. Scan the code on the big screen and you're in. Works for Party and Hook Brawl.

Keeper's Secrets

Page 9

The old keeper wrote these in the margins of her log. They're the tricks the ★ challenges are built on.

A note from the Keeper

Back cover
Bobber

Take a break every so often. Look at the real sea, or the real sky, if you have one nearby. Then come back. Someone down there has been waiting a very long time for the light to come on again.

Keep the light on