Lake

Lake is, like the waves that break on its rural American Northwest shore, soothing and peacefully regular in its routine, making it ideal for those seeking a break from a hectic life.

Lake amazes for its coherence and compactness, for its essential and at the same time deep and melancholy nature.

There is no question Lake is rather ordinary, but it’s precisely that ordinariness that lets it shine despite its flaws. Delivering mail and driving around the same familiar streets can easily get monotonous, and a few design choices ruin some of the relaxation that comes from the job, but it makes up for it in the unique interactions between Meredith and other characters. Their outcomes may not be groundbreaking, but it serves to tell a story about the normalcy of life and the choices we make to find happiness in what we are doing.

A fantastic feat of storytelling and character building in relatively short time, Lake demands to be played. Compelling narratives and characters unfold beautifully and organically in an adventure game that lets the player cobble together their own tales of Providence Oaks.

Lake has a message and it knows how to communicate it. The real problem is Lake has a videogame: it would have benefited from a major complexity.

A charming journey into the American countryside. It's not the most original gaming experience and there are a few bugs that still needs solving, but thanks to its rich atmosphere and interesting characters Lake still manages to provide half a dozen hours of good entertainment.

Personal grievances aside, I think Lake succeeds in its aims, and that’s the important thing. It set out to be a slice of small-town life, and that’s what it is. I think there’s a rather narrow audience for that kind of thing, but it will be perfect for those who know what they’re getting into. If you think you’d be into a narrative about escaping the city life, then here it is. The writing is solid, the production values are decent for its asking price, so it’s worthwhile to check out of that’s your thing. As for me, I’m just eager to get back to the city.