A video game with a middle-aged woman protagonist, complete with crow’s feet. I sat for ages trying to work out if I’ve ever encountered that before.
Until Lake, a leisurely new narrative adventure from Dutch indie studio Gamious, and publisher Whitethorn Digital, I hadn’t. Much like the game overall, it’s a welcome change, although Lake is clearly speaking to a certain kind of player, in a certain kind of mindset, and therefore won’t be for everyone.
Leave the heavy drama at the door
In Lake, the year is 1986 and fortysomething Meredith Weiss takes a break from her big city life and career as a pioneering software developer. While her father enjoys a long-overdue vacation, Meredith is filling in for him as her hometown’s mail carrier. That task takes her to picturesque Providence Oaks, Oregon, a place she evidently hasn’t returned to in twenty years. Over the course of her two-week stay – condensed into six hours of playtime – Meredith reconnects with old friends, makes new ones, and reassesses what she really wants from life. Oh, and she delivers a van-load of mail.
Nominated for Best Story Game and Best Game overall at gamescom’s Indie Arena Booth Awards, Lake is a complete gear shift. That applies even if you compare it to something like Life is Strange, another story-driven game with a small town setting. Narrative tends to be high-drama in the Life is Strange series, with consequences from your choices carrying over as you build to a chest-punching climax. If Life is Strange comes across like an interactive movie, Lake feels more like you’ve actually packed your bags and headed to rural, rustic Oregon for a few weeks.
One part postal worker sim and one part slice of life, Lake sits among the most reality-grounded games you could ever play. In some ways, anyway. Lake skips the emotionally charged drama – the continual heightening of stakes – we have come to expect of fictional entertainment. Instead, the game keeps things low key and mellow. Like Downton Abbey, you get the sense early on that, no matter what, everything will work out in the end. And that’s exactly what some players may be craving given the tumultuous state of the world over the past few years.
A better way to think of Lake is that it’s like Firewatch, but without the mystery component, and with even more tedious chores. More about that in a minute.
Slow down and smell the fir trees
An important thing to note about Lake is that it’s hell-bent on getting the player to slow down, be in the moment, and appreciate their postcard-perfect surroundings. You can’t skip through conversations, and if you must deliver mail on the other side of the map, there’s no fast travel option to return to the post office. In fact, you can’t even run. The speediest option for Meredith on foot is a fast walk.
You also can’t cause chaos in Providence Oaks no matter how hard you try. It’s tempting. With long stretches spent in “the Goose” – the cumbersome postal delivery van – where the radio blares, and you consult a minimap strongly reminiscent of GTA, you may feel the urge to shake up the sleepy town. The game won’t let you, though. Collisions with other vehicles are without damage (or even reaction from the drivers), and Meredith will stop you from delivering the wrong packages to the wrong addresses.
Lake is positioned as a soothing escape, and that objective carries through the game. If social asks start to pile up, you can even blow off the invitations to instead stay home in the evening, reading or watching TV.
Made for life crises
Lake is the ideal game for anyone at a crossroads in their life. As the game makers have stated, “there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers or endings, simply what you want to happen.” Players who are paralysed with anxiety over a big decision in real life will find reassurance in fictional Providence Oaks.
Lake is a gentle tale as much about looking back fondly – emphasised by the nostalgic but never heavy-handed 80s setting – as looking forward. “Time marches on” is a mantra repeated several times, and ultimately choices must be made, by Meredith and the characters she meets. However, you never face pressure or ire from those affected by your decisions. Even conversations are without the strain of a countdown timer. It’s encouraging, empowering stuff that lets you put your wants first, and gives you the space and time to make a choice.
Fleshed out characters, sketched other elements
As a mail carrier, Meredith encounters all kinds of Providence Oaks residents. There’s the cynical, chain-smoking general store owner, the STEM-savvy teenager suffocated by small town life, the reticent lumberjack, the mamma bear who runs the local diner, the crazy cat lady with empty nest syndrome, the anti-authority stoners at the campground, and more.
One of the greatest pleasures in Lake is seeing these character clichés become more credible people as you interact with them, and uncover multiple layers to their personalities. While the banter is not nearly as witty as in Firewatch, and Meredith doesn’t have much of a base personality to build on (this despite her maturity), strong vocal performances bring the cast to life. A particular standout is Cassie Ewulu as Kay, Meredith’s bubbly former best friend.
For the record, there are two optional romances to pursue in Lake. The same-sex relationship is especially cute and satisfying. Both it, and the other platonic connections in the game, enjoy an extra shot of realism because Lake doesn’t insist on nice neat ends for its narrative threads or character development. While you receive a sense of what the NPCs will do after the two weeks are over, their lives are just brushing against Meredith’s in the short period. As in reality, timing can be just that little bit off, preventing a deeper connection between individuals.
There’s no question that the characters and general world of Lake have been lovingly designed. There are no cookie-cutter, un-lived-in houses here, and the town’s video store is an especial delight to browse. Sadly, though, that attention to detail doesn’t extend to other aspects of the game. Lake feels thinly sketched and lacking in several key areas.
As already mentioned, the mail delivery gameplay is monotonous. There’s very little variety, paired with zero interaction outside of the supporting cast. Just having other townsfolk appear to sign for the parcels would create a greater sense that you’re contributing to the community instead of moving around a pretty but otherwise dead space. As it stands, mail carrying in the game is so unfulfilling that it’s a deterrent to staying in Providence Oaks.
Meanwhile, there are only a handful of songs on the radio station – although, in a sign of developer awareness, Meredith does complain to the local DJ about the lack of variety. Also, you can only interact with the primary NPCs when you’re making a delivery. Pop in at any other time and they’ll instantly dismiss you. Choice is such a key component of Lake, and these limitations undo the sense of immersive credibility, and good vibes, that the game otherwise establishes so well.
It’s still worth making the trip to Lake if you’re in need of a laid-back, feel-good, and just generally lovely gaming escape. It’s a pity, though, about the shortfalls that become increasingly distracting as the game progresses.
Lake is available now for PC and Xbox. It will be heading to other platforms in the future as well.
| Lake review | |
Lake is a relaxing and soul-soothing gaming escape that has loads to offer, especially for players struggling with major life decisions. It’s just a pity that the lovely, lovingly crafted world, characters and story aren’t consistently matched with gameplay that’s as fulfilling. |
7 |
| Lake was reviewed on PC | |