Timesville secret

Endacopia Fishing Guide: Fish Key, Lost Key, 18 Fish & VHS

Updated August 23, 2026 18 fish Ending C

Verification Community-converged / replay pending

Last checked August 23, 2026

Evidence Recent player route plus independent walkthrough; current-build replay pending

Next proof target Capture Black Rose, VHS Projector, VHS playback, and Lost Key proof

Quick Answer

Lost Key and VHS are separate routes. For the Fish Key / Lost Key search, unlock fishing, catch 18 unique fish across six time slots, then inspect the completed Fish Paper and follow the hidden two-room route. If you caught every fish and cannot find the key, recheck the completed paper before leaving Timesville. In Act 3, finish the Paisley/Dollhouse reference-room chain for the VHS Tape, then follow the Black Rose chain for the VHS Projector. The Lost Key does not create the VHS.

Steam 1.08 build note: The official Steam update notes say a bug was fixed where the Metal Detector could stop beeping even when an item was still buried. If your detector appears silent, confirm the game is updated before assuming either Timesville route is blocked.

Fishing Answer At A Glance

Question	Exact next step
How do I unlock fishing?	Find Catthew at the three route locations, complete the cemetery encounter, then meet the real Catthew and speak to the diver.
How many fish do I need?	The Telescope route has a reported 6-fish gate; the separate Lost Key collection requires all 18 unique fish across six time slots. Do not substitute one threshold for the other.
How do I get the VHS Tape?	Reach Act 3, finish the investigation and reference-room states, then collect the VHS Tape from the completed room chain.
I got the “For U” tape. What do I do next?	Take it to the TV House route: place the VHS Projector on the large television, connect it, then insert the tape. If the Projector is missing, follow the Black Rose chain below.
How do I get the VHS Projector?	Follow the Black Rose chain through the nighttime Cabin, Metal Detector, Nibbles, Beartha and the leftmost grave before entering the underground route.
How do I get the Lost Key?	Inspect the completed Fish Paper after the 18-fish requirement, then use the separate two-room/windowed-mode route. It does not unlock the VHS.
I caught all fish. Where is the key?	Leave the fishing interaction, inspect the completed Fish Paper again, and then return to the two-room route. The key is not a direct fishing-rod pickup.
Where does the Lost Key go?	Use it in the completed small-room / large-room hidden sequence; switch to Windowed Mode with `Alt + Enter` when the lock interaction will not register.
Why did the Fisherman achievement not unlock?	Exit the fishing interaction first, then recheck the Steam overlay and Fish Paper. If it still does not appear, compare your six time-slot checklist for a missing third catch.
How do I match the two Timesville rooms?	Use the photograph as the room-state target; a recent player report says the puzzle resets each day cycle and that the nighttime beach hole can reveal the missing clue.
Why can I not pick up the globule?	Do not assume the globule is a normal pickup. The current community report points to a separate nighttime clue route and remains replay pending.

Jump to the unlock steps or jump to all 18 fish times.

Need a fish checklistTrack all 18 catches by time slot Telescope routeCheck the 6-fish report, Yellow Party and Shed timing Trying to open the secret routeContinue the Stay and Ending C checks Everything is complete, but no endingRun the Ending C trigger audit

Timesville Mirror Room and Globule: Community Report

If the two rooms do not seem to match, treat the photograph as the target state rather than trying to pick up the globule directly. A recent player discussion reports that the puzzle resets with the day cycle and that checking the beach hole at night can reveal the missing clue. This is a Community report / Replay pending, not a confirmed universal trigger.

Compare the room against the photograph and re-check each interactive object.
Leave the room and return during the next relevant day cycle if the state does not update.
Check the beach hole at night before assuming the globule is permanently stuck.
Record the clock slot, room state, build, and whether the clue appeared after reload.

Evidence status: Community report only. Source: recent Timesville stuck discussion. Awaiting a second independent confirmation or current-build replay.

Official Steam Media Reference

Official Endacopia Steam screenshot showing the fishing minigame — Official Steam store screenshot showing fishing gameplay. Replace with the completed Fish Paper and Lost Key proof when captured.

Official Endacopia Steam screenshot showing Mellow inside a Timesville room — Official Steam store screenshot used as a Timesville room reference for the hidden shack route.

These are official Steam store screenshots used as temporary visual references. Replace them with your own route-specific screenshots after capture.

How To Unlock Fishing

Find Catthew. Play hide-and-seek with the red cat at the mysterious cabin, to the left of the village prison, and behind a cemetery tombstone.
Survive the cemetery encounter. The cemetery location leads to a monster instead of Catthew. Run toward the upper part of the village to meet the real Catthew.
Take the Fisherman License. Finish the conversation with Catthew, then speak to the diver on the beach deck. This is the step that unlocks the fishing minigame.

Community route note: xixi's updated Steam guide lists these three Catthew hiding spots and the diver handoff. This section is source-backed but still marked replay pending.

VHS Route: Tape to Projector

Do not use the Lost Key as a VHS prerequisite. The Act 3 VHS route depends on story flags, room states and the Black Rose trigger chain.

Enter Act 3. Give the selected Saw to Roger and begin the late Timesville investigation.
Finish the reference-room chain. In Aquarium, speak with Whiskers and obtain the Paisley party password Yellow. During the day, recreate the Dollhouse reference room completely: table position, microwave state, prepared food or bowl, thermometer, bird image, light and ceiling-fan sticker.
Trigger the VHS Tape. At the first night period, enter the Lodge upper-right room, give Paisley Yellow, then go to the TV House left of the village entrance. The VHS Tape should appear after the required conversation and room state are complete.
Follow the nighttime Cabin chain. At the third night period, use the Telescope on the inaccessible Cabin, solve the four-fossil and rope interaction, then collect the Metal Detector.
Collect the route tools. Use the Metal Detector at the beach to find the Lockpick and Camera. Use the Lockpick on Nibbles' room, investigate the hidden area with the Camera, and complete the Nibbles conversation.
Get the Black Rose. Use the Metal Detector to find Beartha's PGD, return it to Beartha, and place the resulting Black Rose on the leftmost grave in the cemetery. Sources disagree on the grave's character name, so use the position rather than the label.
Take the VHS Projector. Enter the underground route opened by the grave interaction and follow it to the right to collect the VHS Projector.
Play the VHS. Return to the TV House at night, place the VHS Projector on the television, connect it, and insert the VHS Tape. Record the five-position code before leaving.

VHS evidence state: The Act 3 split and room-state checks are supported by the current walkthrough and boss-route references; the Black Rose/Projector chain is supported by community route material and remains replay-pending on this site.

Got The “For U” Tape But Stuck?

The player report behind this query describes the post-AI handoff: the tape is a route clue, not a standalone item to use at the beach. Go back through the Timesville TV House route and make sure the VHS Projector is installed before inserting the tape. If you only have the tape, recheck the Black Rose and Projector steps rather than restarting the save.

Evidence state: Community report plus the existing VHS Projector help route; wording and item placement remain replay-pending.

Lost Key Route: Separate Hidden Room

This is the fishing-based hidden room route. It does not produce the VHS Tape or VHS Projector.

Get the Fishing Paper. Use the Metal Detector on the sand after the Timesville route gives you access to the beach search.
Catch all 18 unique fish. The key route needs the complete six-period collection, not only the normal aquarium progression.
Inspect the paper again. The Fishing Paper awards the Lost Key only after the full collection is complete.
Complete the two-room puzzle. Return to the pair of nearly identical rooms and finish their shared-room interaction before attempting the hidden lock.
Use the smaller room. Enter the smaller room and wait for the reversed voice clue.
Switch to windowed mode. Leave, press Alt+Enter, return to the same room, and use the Lost Key on the revealed lock.

Lost Key evidence state: The 18-fish, two-room and windowed-mode sequence is supported by the current Lost Key walkthrough. Keep a backup save because the site has not yet replayed this route on the current build.

Have Lost Key but no VHS?

That is expected. Lost Key is not a VHS prerequisite and will not create the VHS Tape or VHS Projector. Use the VHS Route above to diagnose an Act 3 VHS blocker. Use the Lost Key Route only when your goal is the separate hidden room.

Route correction: Do not restart a save just because the Lost Key did not make a VHS appear. First check Act 3, the Paisley/Dollhouse reference-room chain, the TV House trigger, and the Black Rose/Projector chain.

Fishing vs Secret Requirements

Goal	Required Fish	Why
Aquarium progression	6 fish	Enough to move the normal Timesville route forward.
I Want To Be A Fisherman	18 fish	Steam achievement for catching every fish.
Timesville Lost Key secret	18 fish plus key	Separate hidden-room route using the completed Fish Paper and windowed-mode lock.
VHS / Chameleon route	Act 3 story flags	Reference-room state, VHS Tape, Black Rose chain and VHS Projector; do not substitute the Lost Key.

18 Fish Timing Table

The community guide groups the fish into six in-game time periods. Entering a building or another village location can advance the Timesville time slot, so check the clock before changing screens.

In-game time	Fish or catchable item
Day 1 / upper right	Nautilus, Colisa Lalia, Jantic Fish
Day 2 / upper center	Peter Panini, Seahorse, Singin' Fish
Day 3 / upper left	Eel, Reddest Fish Ever, Sea Man
Night 1 / lower left	Pirate, Skele-Fish, RC Ship
Night 2 / lower center	Crab, Starfish, Big Worm
Night 3 / lower right	Drawing Of A Fish, Jelly, Crate

Evidence label: Community-reported timing table from xixi's Steam guide. Confirm the exact slot in the current build before presenting it as personally tested.

Fishing Not Unlocked?

Symptom	Check first	Next action
The diver does nothing	Fisherman License	Finish all three Catthew hide-and-seek encounters, survive the cemetery monster, and speak to the real Catthew.
The fish list looks incomplete	Time slot	Use the six-period table above and revisit the village locations to advance the clock.
VHS does not appear	Act 3 flags or room state	Check Saw/Act 3, Whiskers and Paisley, Dollhouse object states, the correct night period, and the TV House.
VHS Projector is missing	Black Rose chain	Recheck the Cabin fossils/rope, Metal Detector, Nibbles, Beartha's PGD, the leftmost grave and the underground route.
Lost Key secret does not open	Fish Paper and 18 fish	Complete the two-room puzzle, wait in the smaller room for the reversed clue, switch to windowed mode, then use the key.

Proof Shots To Capture

VHS TapeCompleted Act 3 reference-room chain and TV House trigger.
Black RoseBeartha's PGD returned and leftmost grave interaction.
VHS ProjectorUnderground route after the grave trigger.
Fish PaperMetal Detector find and the completed paper state for the separate Lost Key route.
18 fishThe full catch list or achievement unlock screen.
Lost KeyThe moment the paper rewards the key.
Windowed lockThe shack window/lock before using the key.

Fresh Fishing Blockers

Finished fishing but no key or Ending C flag? Exit the fishing interaction, inspect the completed Fish Paper, and separate the two routes before restarting. The Telescope route is reported at 6 fish; the Fish Paper/Lost Key and achievement route requires all 18 unique fish. These thresholds are not interchangeable.

Symptom	Safe next check	Evidence
All fish caught, no key	Leave the rod interface, inspect Fish Paper, then follow the separate small-room/windowed-mode route.	Source-backed route; replay pending
Fisherman achievement missing	Compare all six time slots, exit the fishing screen, then recheck Steam achievements.	Community report
Fishing bug blocks Ending C	Keep the save and record the fish count, time slot, build, and Fish Paper state before changing route order.	Needs verification

Sources Used

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