Lake – Review

There is a very specific atmosphere to small American towns in the middle of forest scenery. Especially in fiction, we’ve seen this setting used a lot, either to induce fear in horror movies or as a picturesque backdrop for daytime television romcoms. Lake by indie developer Gamious falls into that second category, managing to encapsulate all those small-town feels of autumn charm and 80s nostalgia perfectly. And all of that is packed into what is basically a mail delivery simulator!

Story

The game takes place in the ‘distant’ past of 1986; when computers were just on the rise. The main character, Meredith Weiss, happens to be one of the people working in this rising field as a programmer, though she is taking a two-week-long break from her job. She’s not taking a simple vacation however, Meredith is spending two weeks in her hometown of Providence Oaks, a stunning place in the mountains. Her parents are out of town, so Meredith is housesitting for them and simultaneously picking up her father’s job as a mailman for the two weeks she’s staying there.

The game sets up the premise with a cutscene that dumps a lot of information on you at once. Luckily, after that, the narrative becomes better paced as you deliver mail throughout the town. Every encounter you have with the locals provides you with information about them, the town, or even Meredith herself. The story will also change slightly depending on your choices.

Graphics

Visually, Lake is a hard game to pin down. You can’t always expect the most up-to-date graphics from an indie title, but the curious thing about Lake seems to be the discrepancy between the character models and the game’s environments. Since location is pivotal to the game, it’s no surprise that Providence Oaks looks absolutely stunning, making it a joy to drive through in any weather. Meanwhile, the characters tend to look rough in comparison, especially when viewed up close. This is an impression that isn’t helped by their lack of proper lip-synching or how their facial expressions almost never change. The game also suffers from significant visual glitches, such as NPCs randomly disappearing or textures not loading properly.

Sound

Lake has a nice and relaxing soundtrack, completely in tune with the game’s atmosphere. Your mail van comes fitted with a radio which plays delightful 80s music as you cruise around town, and even though you can’t skip tracks, there was enough variety to keep us entertained. The soundtrack is up on Spotify too, making a perfect road trip playlist. The game also has voice acting that – while maybe not quite professional in quality – was more than decent enough to listen to throughout the length of the game.

Gameplay

In terms of gameplay, Lake is a very casual experience. Technically categorized as an adventure game, it functions a lot more like a walking simulator, since you will be spending most of your time walking or driving across the map to deliver mail and parcels to the residents of Providence Oaks. It’s as simple as driving your van to the various locations shown on your map, getting a package from the back of the van if you need to, and walking up to the mailbox or front door. Often, these deliveries will go accompanied by a short interaction with the local you’re delivering to, allowing you to build relationships and get to know them and the town over the course of the game.

Lake has a repeated formula for each day, starting out at the post office to do your delivery jobs. Once you’re done with that, it’s afternoon and you might have a get-together planned depending on if anybody asked you to meet up. At night, you’re also free to indulge in a hobby of your choosing. The delivery round remains relatively the same, with the occasional detour to perform a side quest or favor for the townies, while the other two activities can change drastically through your choices on who to befriend or even date. It’s also these choices that will shape the game’s ending.

It’s all pretty easy stuff, but the game is prepared to make it even easier for you. As you explore the town, fast travel locations become available, making it easier to get around. Driving the van goes very smoothly in terms of controls, but if you do hate it or just want to enjoy the scenery for a while, the game also offers an autopilot mode where it automatically drives to your desired location while you only control the camera. These are all nice touches, though we personally wished the game implemented a proper sprint button instead. Right now, pressing shift-key only makes Meredith go from a lazy saunter to a casual walking speed, and it can be frustrating to see her move ever-so-slowly.

Conclusion

Lake offers a change of pace from most other games you’ll play, transporting you directly into small towns and winding roads in the mountains. You’d be surprised at how fun something as mundane as postal delivery can get. On top of that, a cast of colorful characters awaits with their own stories to uncover. Overall, we’d say Providence Oaks is worth a visit.

Jessica

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Games are my escape and writing is my passion.

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