Lake

Lake is an adventure game with an open world, which, although it tells a story that raises important issues, is primarily intended to provide players with a bit of relaxation. The game was developed by the independent Dutch studio Gamious and published by Whitethorn Digital.

Plot

The action of Lake starts on September 1, 1986, when the main character of the game, a woman in her forties named Meredith, decides to take a break from making a career in the big city. The protagonist arrives in her hometown, Providence Oak, Oregon, to replace her father as a local courier for the next two weeks. This will allow her not only to look around and meet new people and problems, but also to refresh old friendships. How it goes on depends largely on our decisions.

Mechanics

In Lake, we observe the action from the third person perspective (TPP). When travelling (on foot or behind the wheel of a van) around Providence Oaks and enjoying the picturesque landscapes, we deliver packages and talk to the characters we meet. Among them we find both strangers and old friends of Meredith. Conversions allow us to make new acquaintances and refresh the old ones, as well as to get to know and get involved in solving the problems of the local community. From time to time we also make decisions that are never black and white. Interestingly, if we make a mistake at a given moment, soon afterwards the game gives us the opportunity to make corrections. This is all the more important because our choices determine which of the three ends of the story we will see.

Technical aspects

Lake has high quality, colourful graphics; the lush vegetation that grows on the sites visited is particularly notable. The graphics has been maintained in a cartoon style, which can evoke associations with selected animations of the Pixar studio.