I was always interested in Lake after finding out about it as it has a very relaxing vibe to the videos and previews I've seen which is often a nice change of pace between larger games. Finally playing it though I just had a constant nagging thought rattling around in my skull from almost the start to finish.
Do games need to have a point?
Initially I felt it doesn't matter. Lot's of arcade and action heavy games you just play without a point. After assessing more though I thought increasingly that that isn't true, the gameplay and challenge is the point. Beating your previous score, getting through in 1CC. They absolutely do have a point, it just is different to a more narrative focused game where the story and characters are the point or a game like journey where the experience, visuals and music produce feeling in people that a normal game may not. Nearly every game has a point, purpose or direction the creators are pushing for in some form and most are identifiable if different to each other.
Does Lake have a point?
I could think about this so much because of my lack of investment in Lake as a game allowed my mind to wander off in search of it's own direction. Unfortunately this game whilst not bad is just unsatisfying in it's gameplay and narrative to the point I don't feel it had a direction. I saw all 3 endings and don't feel a single one of them resolved the story in a satisfying or most importantly, meaningful way. The game focuses on Meredith Weiss in 1986 who after finishing helping create a new computer software package takes two weeks to go to her tiny town to cover for her dad delivering mail. I think Jamesbuc's review covers the premise best describing it as a daytime Hallmark movie plot and frankly they arn't wrong. The thing is Lake's story needed to be strong to carry it and it unfortunately isn't. dialogue and characters just fall flat, many encounters seem pointless, are completely optional and are superfluous to the ending. There are two romance options but neither felt really convincing and some of the dialogue just didn't flow well or naturally. I will give the developer credit though for being able to make so many choices who you hang out with and talk to but when it comes across as so meaningless by the end it doesn't really matter. there is one sub plot with your co-worker that seemed absolutely pointless but that could have been due to my choices and I have no desire to replay it to find out.
The reason this needed to be strong is the gameplay side of Lake is somewhat lackluster. You are delivering mail, literally. I know people enjoy the train, car mechanic, farming and Bowser cleaning simulator type games for mundane jobs they don't actually enjoy but this just doesn't work. I found it interesting initially but having to stop and slowly walk to a mail box and put envelopes in, climb into the van then repeat for two weeks in game time with nothing to spice it up really drags by the second week. The van music radio and pretty aesthetics are nice, I enjoyed driving through listening to country pop type music but with only 5-6 songs and visual pop in and minor bugs even that got repetitive after a while so I turned the radio off in silence.
By the end I was happy for the game to finish and I didn't care what happened to Meredith. The idea of the game is good but it meanders in what it wants to be and the elements don't come together. It needed stronger character development on fewer cast members with a point to it all to make it an overall more engaging experience because there is little suggested here to actually give Meredith a reason to stay in the town, go back to her job or run off in an RV.
Lake just doesn't have a point.
Do games need to have a point?
Initially I felt it doesn't matter. Lot's of arcade and action heavy games you just play without a point. After assessing more though I thought increasingly that that isn't true, the gameplay and challenge is the point. Beating your previous score, getting through in 1CC. They absolutely do have a point, it just is different to a more narrative focused game where the story and characters are the point or a game like journey where the experience, visuals and music produce feeling in people that a normal game may not. Nearly every game has a point, purpose or direction the creators are pushing for in some form and most are identifiable if different to each other.
Does Lake have a point?
I could think about this so much because of my lack of investment in Lake as a game allowed my mind to wander off in search of it's own direction. Unfortunately this game whilst not bad is just unsatisfying in it's gameplay and narrative to the point I don't feel it had a direction. I saw all 3 endings and don't feel a single one of them resolved the story in a satisfying or most importantly, meaningful way. The game focuses on Meredith Weiss in 1986 who after finishing helping create a new computer software package takes two weeks to go to her tiny town to cover for her dad delivering mail. I think Jamesbuc's review covers the premise best describing it as a daytime Hallmark movie plot and frankly they arn't wrong. The thing is Lake's story needed to be strong to carry it and it unfortunately isn't. dialogue and characters just fall flat, many encounters seem pointless, are completely optional and are superfluous to the ending. There are two romance options but neither felt really convincing and some of the dialogue just didn't flow well or naturally. I will give the developer credit though for being able to make so many choices who you hang out with and talk to but when it comes across as so meaningless by the end it doesn't really matter. there is one sub plot with your co-worker that seemed absolutely pointless but that could have been due to my choices and I have no desire to replay it to find out.
The reason this needed to be strong is the gameplay side of Lake is somewhat lackluster. You are delivering mail, literally. I know people enjoy the train, car mechanic, farming and Bowser cleaning simulator type games for mundane jobs they don't actually enjoy but this just doesn't work. I found it interesting initially but having to stop and slowly walk to a mail box and put envelopes in, climb into the van then repeat for two weeks in game time with nothing to spice it up really drags by the second week. The van music radio and pretty aesthetics are nice, I enjoyed driving through listening to country pop type music but with only 5-6 songs and visual pop in and minor bugs even that got repetitive after a while so I turned the radio off in silence.
By the end I was happy for the game to finish and I didn't care what happened to Meredith. The idea of the game is good but it meanders in what it wants to be and the elements don't come together. It needed stronger character development on fewer cast members with a point to it all to make it an overall more engaging experience because there is little suggested here to actually give Meredith a reason to stay in the town, go back to her job or run off in an RV.
Lake just doesn't have a point.
É comum dizer que jogamos videogame para relaxar, e de fato, é uma maneira de fugirmos dos estresses do cotidiano.
Dito isso, certas vezes, o "jogar para relaxar" é literal, e Lake baseia toda a sua experiência no propósito de ser um jogo relaxante, um jogo tranquilo, onde você dirige por uma pacata cidade fazendo entregas, conhecendo e se tornando mais próximo de personagens que têm o seu charme e cativam o jogador.
Alinhado a uma trilha sonora imersiva, que transmite muito bem o clima de uma vida longe da cidade grande, Lake acerta muito, e mesmo que tenha problemas principalmente de performance, como quedas absurdas de FPS ou até mesmo crashs repentinos, vale muito a pena.
Dito isso, certas vezes, o "jogar para relaxar" é literal, e Lake baseia toda a sua experiência no propósito de ser um jogo relaxante, um jogo tranquilo, onde você dirige por uma pacata cidade fazendo entregas, conhecendo e se tornando mais próximo de personagens que têm o seu charme e cativam o jogador.
Alinhado a uma trilha sonora imersiva, que transmite muito bem o clima de uma vida longe da cidade grande, Lake acerta muito, e mesmo que tenha problemas principalmente de performance, como quedas absurdas de FPS ou até mesmo crashs repentinos, vale muito a pena.
A nice idea executed poorly. Slice of life stuff combined with a slow pace was something I knew I was signing up for (and was actually looking forward to) and while the town itself looks really quite nice, I don't think there was a single interesting or believable character in Provincial Oaks.
I did however quite enjoy driving my van directly into the lake every day to fast travel back to the post office to end my shift. Probably not intended design, but it never got old.
I did however quite enjoy driving my van directly into the lake every day to fast travel back to the post office to end my shift. Probably not intended design, but it never got old.
one of the most frustrating games i've played in quite some time. at a glance, this could've been one of my absolute favorite games. the wonderful setting, relaxed gameplay loop, town of characters, and more all appealed to me heavily. sadly there were massive issues with the performance and some iffy execution elsewhere.
the daily schedule of delivering mail/packages while interacting with townsfolk was wonderful. getting to know everyone was a joy even if some of the voice acting and development were both lacking at times. there wasn't much to the game beyond this so even with the short length it started to feel stretched thin. attempts were made to diversify the gameplay with the camera and photography contest but it was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. a bit more to do, even if they were little mini-games slotted in during interactions with the neighbors or when doing things at home could've went a long way.
i won't speak for the other platforms but playing this on Xbox Series X was shockingly rough for performance. i'm not particularly sensitive to things like framerate or draw distance (unless it's bad or all over the place) but this is one of the recent times where i felt the performance was detrimental to my experience with the game at large. tons of pop in of things when driving around, not even that far away from you. the more heavily wooded areas (there's no shortage of them given the setting lmao) had the worst of it with plants disappearing while right next to the mail van it felt like. elsewhere there were problems with flickering lighting and when it was time to pick my photo for the photo contest everything was just blacked out.
extra polish, time, and probably budget along with some more to do could've made this a big favorite. as it is, it can sit with some of my more frustrating almost but not quite faves. hope it won't take me long to find something like this again whether it's another game from this dev, a sequel, or something else entirely.
the daily schedule of delivering mail/packages while interacting with townsfolk was wonderful. getting to know everyone was a joy even if some of the voice acting and development were both lacking at times. there wasn't much to the game beyond this so even with the short length it started to feel stretched thin. attempts were made to diversify the gameplay with the camera and photography contest but it was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. a bit more to do, even if they were little mini-games slotted in during interactions with the neighbors or when doing things at home could've went a long way.
i won't speak for the other platforms but playing this on Xbox Series X was shockingly rough for performance. i'm not particularly sensitive to things like framerate or draw distance (unless it's bad or all over the place) but this is one of the recent times where i felt the performance was detrimental to my experience with the game at large. tons of pop in of things when driving around, not even that far away from you. the more heavily wooded areas (there's no shortage of them given the setting lmao) had the worst of it with plants disappearing while right next to the mail van it felt like. elsewhere there were problems with flickering lighting and when it was time to pick my photo for the photo contest everything was just blacked out.
extra polish, time, and probably budget along with some more to do could've made this a big favorite. as it is, it can sit with some of my more frustrating almost but not quite faves. hope it won't take me long to find something like this again whether it's another game from this dev, a sequel, or something else entirely.
Night in the Woods, Three Fourths Home, Firewatch, Eliza... En algún momento de los últimos años ha surgido una tendencia en el panorama independiente como resultado de lo que yo entiendo es un cambio en la sociedad, que viene a reflejar (al menos en Occidente, entre los considerados millennials e incluso X tardíos) una brecha generacional profunda entre los adultos jóvenes de ahora y sus (nuestros) mayores. Estos videojuegos que cito y a los que seguro pueden sumarse otros que no recuerdo o no he jugado tienen en común el abordar una etapa de transición vital. Centrados en períodos de pausa (del trabajo, los estudios o una relación), nos sitúan en tiempos muertos de la vida de sus protagonistas y cuentan historias de jóvenes perdidos en busca de un camino que guíe su futuro. Mae de Night in the Woods y Kelly de Three Fourths Home vuelven a casa de sus padres tras una etapa universitaria fallida, deprimidas e inseguras de cómo encauzar sus vidas a continuación; Henry de Firewatch adquiere un trabajo de guardabosques como escapatoria a su situación conyugal, que tarde o temprano deberá afrontar; Evelyn de Eliza deja su trabajo y empieza otro como entretiempo mientras decide hacia dónde orientar su futuro. Y a ellos se une ahora Lake, quizá el título que más directamente aborde el tema de la transición.
Lake da comienzo con el primer día de vacaciones de Meredith, desarrolladora de un software diseñado para ayudar a organizar tu vida, que decide volver a su pueblo natal 22 años después. Una vez allí, en sus botas, ocuparemos un empleo temporal como repartidores del servicio postal. El juego se desarrolla durante nuestras dos semanas de estancia, con las rutinas laborales pertinentes, y termina dándonos a elegir cómo continuar nuestra vida.
La cosa va así: día a día, entre entrega y entrega, vamos tomando contacto con la gente del lugar, viejos conocidos y caras nuevas por igual, y charlando con ellos se nos presentan oportunidades de acercamiento. Tal vez nos pidan un favor o nos inviten a alguna parte, y de nosotros dependerá (hablándoles con mayor o menor amabilidad, interesándonos o no por sus asuntos, aceptando o rechazando sus invitaciones y favores) el estrechar lazos y descubrir qué ha sido de sus vidas. Nuestra mejor amiga de la adolescencia, por ejemplo, rehizo su vida en el pueblo después de fracasar en sus estudios y tuvo que salir adelante tras el fallecimiento de un familiar trabajando en su establecimiento. También está Lori, una adolescente cansada de estar sola en el pueblo que se debate entre permanecer en el taller de su padre o independizarse para poder viajar fuera y entrar en contacto con más gente. O Robert, un leñador solitario incapaz de superar la ruptura con su expareja que se mudó al pueblo para huir de viejos recuerdos. En mitad de la rutina, del repetitivo día a día, la realidad de los vaivenes de la vida reflejada a través de aquellos a quienes conocemos. Cambios, unos bruscos y otros imperceptibles hasta pasados largos años. Y como telón de fondo el lago. Siempre ahí, impasible, inmutable, como contraste al flujo de la vida humana, que a veces puede resultarnos repetitiva o estancada pero que a su lado evidencia su efimeridad y permanente estado de cambio. El regreso a Providence Oaks es a la vez un retorno al pasado y una constatación de que este ya no existe (y de que la vida no se para con nosotros). Porque el entorno, nuestro alrededor, es prácticamente el mismo, pareciera que todo sigue igual, pero es al mirar atrás cuando nos percatamos del tiempo transcurrido. Sí, el tiempo y vuela, se nos escapa sin que nos demos cuenta. El lago es el mismo ahora que cuando te emborrachaste de adolescente y vomitaste frente a él, quien no es la misma persona eres tú. Cierras los ojos, los abres y no ha cambiado nada. Salvo tú.
A pesar de estas palabras y de mi fuerte apego a la propuesta, no creo que Lake sea un videojuego particularmente conseguido. El planteamiento se antoja redondo, pero ejecuta mediante situaciones y diálogos superficiales. Esperé y esperé a que el juego fuese más allá del chit-chat y el small talk, imploré por intimidad y conexión, pero nada apareció. Todo estaba ahí: las personas, sus intereses y pasados, las desgracias y esperanzas. Y, sin embargo, nada eclosiona, nada resuena. Nuestras interacciones con los demás se quedan en intercambios coloquiales, lo que tal vez sume en realismo pero definitivamente resta en interés, y las pocas veces que se dan conversaciones personales se pasa por encima de los acontecimientos. Si no se ahonda, si la vulnerabilidad brilla por su ausencia, ¿cómo voy a involucrarme emocionalmente?
Durante la noche del último día de vacaciones, nuestra mejor amiga interpreta una canción en directo, un tema compuesto por ella misma tras su reciente decisión de retomar la música, su aparcada gran pasión. Es el clímax del relato, potenciado por el más emotivo de todas las artes. Pero el pretendido éxtasis emocional no provoca nada, y ahí es cuando uno se percata ya del todo, sin medias tintas, de lo que ha echado en falta durante las pasadas horas. No es que Lake haga algo mal, sino que, sencillamente, no llega a. El título fracasa a la hora de involucrarnos emocionalmente con el pueblo, con su gente, lo que hace que la decisión final hacia la que nos conduce el juego no tenga apenas calado. Desde un punto de vista argumental, una elección vital; para el jugador (mi caso, al menos), una decisión como otra cualquiera. Como resultado, termino apreciando Lake por lo que intenta pero no tanto disfrutándolo por lo que finalmente es.
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Se nos ha planteado un mundo de libertad y oportunidades, hemos crecido en un entorno donde ya desde niños fantaseábamos con qué queríamos ser de mayores. Mientras tanto, por la tele, veíamos sueños cumplidos e historias de éxito. Y ya de adultos, claro, el castillo de naipes se vino abajo. Pertenecemos a las primeras generaciones de la desilusión, de crecer para que la realidad nos dé un tortazo y luego a ver cómo lo encajamos. De ahí todos estos títulos introspectivos de tiempos muertos y baches vitales. "Qué quiero hacer con mi vida", "qué futuro me espera", "cómo puedo ser feliz". Y, tal y como están las cosas, me parece a mí que seguirán apareciendo.
Lake da comienzo con el primer día de vacaciones de Meredith, desarrolladora de un software diseñado para ayudar a organizar tu vida, que decide volver a su pueblo natal 22 años después. Una vez allí, en sus botas, ocuparemos un empleo temporal como repartidores del servicio postal. El juego se desarrolla durante nuestras dos semanas de estancia, con las rutinas laborales pertinentes, y termina dándonos a elegir cómo continuar nuestra vida.
La cosa va así: día a día, entre entrega y entrega, vamos tomando contacto con la gente del lugar, viejos conocidos y caras nuevas por igual, y charlando con ellos se nos presentan oportunidades de acercamiento. Tal vez nos pidan un favor o nos inviten a alguna parte, y de nosotros dependerá (hablándoles con mayor o menor amabilidad, interesándonos o no por sus asuntos, aceptando o rechazando sus invitaciones y favores) el estrechar lazos y descubrir qué ha sido de sus vidas. Nuestra mejor amiga de la adolescencia, por ejemplo, rehizo su vida en el pueblo después de fracasar en sus estudios y tuvo que salir adelante tras el fallecimiento de un familiar trabajando en su establecimiento. También está Lori, una adolescente cansada de estar sola en el pueblo que se debate entre permanecer en el taller de su padre o independizarse para poder viajar fuera y entrar en contacto con más gente. O Robert, un leñador solitario incapaz de superar la ruptura con su expareja que se mudó al pueblo para huir de viejos recuerdos. En mitad de la rutina, del repetitivo día a día, la realidad de los vaivenes de la vida reflejada a través de aquellos a quienes conocemos. Cambios, unos bruscos y otros imperceptibles hasta pasados largos años. Y como telón de fondo el lago. Siempre ahí, impasible, inmutable, como contraste al flujo de la vida humana, que a veces puede resultarnos repetitiva o estancada pero que a su lado evidencia su efimeridad y permanente estado de cambio. El regreso a Providence Oaks es a la vez un retorno al pasado y una constatación de que este ya no existe (y de que la vida no se para con nosotros). Porque el entorno, nuestro alrededor, es prácticamente el mismo, pareciera que todo sigue igual, pero es al mirar atrás cuando nos percatamos del tiempo transcurrido. Sí, el tiempo y vuela, se nos escapa sin que nos demos cuenta. El lago es el mismo ahora que cuando te emborrachaste de adolescente y vomitaste frente a él, quien no es la misma persona eres tú. Cierras los ojos, los abres y no ha cambiado nada. Salvo tú.
A pesar de estas palabras y de mi fuerte apego a la propuesta, no creo que Lake sea un videojuego particularmente conseguido. El planteamiento se antoja redondo, pero ejecuta mediante situaciones y diálogos superficiales. Esperé y esperé a que el juego fuese más allá del chit-chat y el small talk, imploré por intimidad y conexión, pero nada apareció. Todo estaba ahí: las personas, sus intereses y pasados, las desgracias y esperanzas. Y, sin embargo, nada eclosiona, nada resuena. Nuestras interacciones con los demás se quedan en intercambios coloquiales, lo que tal vez sume en realismo pero definitivamente resta en interés, y las pocas veces que se dan conversaciones personales se pasa por encima de los acontecimientos. Si no se ahonda, si la vulnerabilidad brilla por su ausencia, ¿cómo voy a involucrarme emocionalmente?
Durante la noche del último día de vacaciones, nuestra mejor amiga interpreta una canción en directo, un tema compuesto por ella misma tras su reciente decisión de retomar la música, su aparcada gran pasión. Es el clímax del relato, potenciado por el más emotivo de todas las artes. Pero el pretendido éxtasis emocional no provoca nada, y ahí es cuando uno se percata ya del todo, sin medias tintas, de lo que ha echado en falta durante las pasadas horas. No es que Lake haga algo mal, sino que, sencillamente, no llega a. El título fracasa a la hora de involucrarnos emocionalmente con el pueblo, con su gente, lo que hace que la decisión final hacia la que nos conduce el juego no tenga apenas calado. Desde un punto de vista argumental, una elección vital; para el jugador (mi caso, al menos), una decisión como otra cualquiera. Como resultado, termino apreciando Lake por lo que intenta pero no tanto disfrutándolo por lo que finalmente es.
-----
Se nos ha planteado un mundo de libertad y oportunidades, hemos crecido en un entorno donde ya desde niños fantaseábamos con qué queríamos ser de mayores. Mientras tanto, por la tele, veíamos sueños cumplidos e historias de éxito. Y ya de adultos, claro, el castillo de naipes se vino abajo. Pertenecemos a las primeras generaciones de la desilusión, de crecer para que la realidad nos dé un tortazo y luego a ver cómo lo encajamos. De ahí todos estos títulos introspectivos de tiempos muertos y baches vitales. "Qué quiero hacer con mi vida", "qué futuro me espera", "cómo puedo ser feliz". Y, tal y como están las cosas, me parece a mí que seguirán apareciendo.
Damn. Charm and pretty good writing can only carry a clearly unfinished game so far. The awkwardness of the controls and the stilted animations—especially during a cringey scene in a diner that’s meant to be the game’s big character meetup—are impossible to ignore. Everything is brought down by the game feeling, bluntly put, cheap. I liked the parts where I was delivering mail, though. More games about postal workers, please.
clearly rushed, but the finished product is still special enough. had a good time w it!
this is the second strand type game
If you've ever seen a hallmark movie, then you should know what you're in for when you play this game. For everyone else, Lake is about a woman that is living the big life in the city, but decides to take a few weeks off to house sit for her parents. Along the way she meets a cast of characters that could warm your heart, while she takes up odd ball deliveries for the mail. From rekindling friendships, helping the towns folk, and the possibility of love, Lake is a care free video game about soaking everything in a place and time you may have forgotten about.
While I wouldn't call this a walking simulator, it certainly isn't pushing the player to any degree. The most amount of urgency you have is on the possibility to miss out on some optional story or dialogue options, but even then the game can be fairly open with mistakes you make or options you choose. The game isn't really that long either, ranging in about 6 hours for more lax players out there. The majority of the game is just driving from one place to deliver mail, and finishing the day back at the post office. It really does feel like a vacation back to a simple life. Delivering mail is surprisingly rewarding, but it would have made for a much more interesting game if we had more scenarios with different characters rather than the small amount of interaction we got.
Still there is something oddly captivating about Lake that makes me wonder if there is something to Hallmark movie formulas. From the possibility of a lesbian romance, more traditional hetero one, and just the over arching story of a person coming back to their home town and making it work, I was honestly a bit smitten by this game. It certainly isn't going to win any rewards for originality, but it makes me feel relaxed in a way not a lot of other games do. The fact that Lake has traditional beats to a corny movie formula, gameplay that is more fun than demanding, and a simple gameplay loop that makes me feel like I'm doing something just kinda makes me wonder what more can we do with this kind of game? For what Lake is, it delivers, and while I don't think it will set the world on fire for anyone out there, it does feel like a calming heart beat that we all need sometimes.
While I wouldn't call this a walking simulator, it certainly isn't pushing the player to any degree. The most amount of urgency you have is on the possibility to miss out on some optional story or dialogue options, but even then the game can be fairly open with mistakes you make or options you choose. The game isn't really that long either, ranging in about 6 hours for more lax players out there. The majority of the game is just driving from one place to deliver mail, and finishing the day back at the post office. It really does feel like a vacation back to a simple life. Delivering mail is surprisingly rewarding, but it would have made for a much more interesting game if we had more scenarios with different characters rather than the small amount of interaction we got.
Still there is something oddly captivating about Lake that makes me wonder if there is something to Hallmark movie formulas. From the possibility of a lesbian romance, more traditional hetero one, and just the over arching story of a person coming back to their home town and making it work, I was honestly a bit smitten by this game. It certainly isn't going to win any rewards for originality, but it makes me feel relaxed in a way not a lot of other games do. The fact that Lake has traditional beats to a corny movie formula, gameplay that is more fun than demanding, and a simple gameplay loop that makes me feel like I'm doing something just kinda makes me wonder what more can we do with this kind of game? For what Lake is, it delivers, and while I don't think it will set the world on fire for anyone out there, it does feel like a calming heart beat that we all need sometimes.
A Hallmark movie in a video game.
Lake is a simple game where you deliver mail in a smalltown in Oregon. That's it.
Literal 10/10 game though
- You get to be a girl
- You get to deliver mail
- You get to date another girl
Literal 10/10 game though
- You get to be a girl
- You get to deliver mail
- You get to date another girl
I guess I appreciate broadly what this is trying to do. Turning the language of a GTA into a little portrait of community. But without real friction or edge it just means nothing. Boring.
Solidifying the fact that I should've been a mailman...
I enjoyed this one. Nice visuals. Nice music. Nice storyline.
I wish you could skip through some talking to help get to the final 3 endings a bit quicker (when 100%ing). Originally I was going to write how there were a lot of storylines left open (and there were still a couple), but overall it wrapped up pretty nicely.
I'm not sure how much this one usually costs, but it was certainly worth the Game Pass download.
I enjoyed this one. Nice visuals. Nice music. Nice storyline.
I wish you could skip through some talking to help get to the final 3 endings a bit quicker (when 100%ing). Originally I was going to write how there were a lot of storylines left open (and there were still a couple), but overall it wrapped up pretty nicely.
I'm not sure how much this one usually costs, but it was certainly worth the Game Pass download.
I'm really struggling with how slowly the character moves
Lake é um jogo feito pra relaxar. Gameplay, gráficos, objetivos, tudo é extremamente simples. Mas isso não é um ponto ruim.
O grande atrativo do jogo, além da ambientação aconchegante, é ver a história cativante e os personagens super carismáticos se desenrolando de forma fluída e envolvente. Cada dia que passa no jogo você é testemunha dos conflitos, dúvidas e percalços da vida não só da Meredith, mas de todos em torno dela. Tu meio que te torna parte daquele ciclo social ao longo da gameplay.
Porém todos os pontos positivos são acompanhado de uma parte técnica extremamente problemática. Cenário flickando, coisa desaparecendo e brotando na tua frente, erros de tradução nas legendas, quedas absurdas de frames e, o mais problemático, o fato do jogo ter crashado uma quantidade assustadora de vezes no meu PS4. Toda vez que tu entrega um pacote ou completa uma cutscene, o jogo dá uma engasgada e as chances de ele crashar são altas. E tem também vezes que ele crasha no meio da gameplay, do nada. É o fator mais frustrante do jogo.
Lake é um jogo gostoso, aconchegante e envolvente. Com personagens com os quais tu te importa e quer saber o desfecho. Mesmo com o lado positivo pesando mais, ainda é bem complicado ele ter todos esses problemas de performance. Faltou um polimento. Mas pra quem curte visual novel e graphic adventure, é bem recomendado.
O grande atrativo do jogo, além da ambientação aconchegante, é ver a história cativante e os personagens super carismáticos se desenrolando de forma fluída e envolvente. Cada dia que passa no jogo você é testemunha dos conflitos, dúvidas e percalços da vida não só da Meredith, mas de todos em torno dela. Tu meio que te torna parte daquele ciclo social ao longo da gameplay.
Porém todos os pontos positivos são acompanhado de uma parte técnica extremamente problemática. Cenário flickando, coisa desaparecendo e brotando na tua frente, erros de tradução nas legendas, quedas absurdas de frames e, o mais problemático, o fato do jogo ter crashado uma quantidade assustadora de vezes no meu PS4. Toda vez que tu entrega um pacote ou completa uma cutscene, o jogo dá uma engasgada e as chances de ele crashar são altas. E tem também vezes que ele crasha no meio da gameplay, do nada. É o fator mais frustrante do jogo.
Lake é um jogo gostoso, aconchegante e envolvente. Com personagens com os quais tu te importa e quer saber o desfecho. Mesmo com o lado positivo pesando mais, ainda é bem complicado ele ter todos esses problemas de performance. Faltou um polimento. Mas pra quem curte visual novel e graphic adventure, é bem recomendado.
Was drawn in by the hook of this being a postal worker simulator, only to be trojan-horsed into another Netflix-brained drama. A Life Is Strange-like that has you driving around a poorly-disguised and thoroughly-sterilised simulacrum of Twin Peaks (this was made by a Dutch dev team - why not show us NL's country life instead of leaning on a well-worn setting?).
You're relatively un-fussed by any of the day-to-day concerns that would no doubt come with delivering the post in a secure and timely manner, and there are so many missed opportunities for fun little gameplay pieces - the truck doesn't take damage, you can't break the speed limit, the parcels don't arrive late, you don't have to dodge dogs - any of these little things could have injected a small sprinkling of spice into it, but the game is only really interested in telling its story. I think I wanted it to be Shin Paperboy.
I get that it's nice, sure, and there are people who really do want a depressurised and bloodless GTA driving/walking game; but without anything really driving (lol) the experience, this is basically just a series of Walking Dead-style dialogue encounters split up with a cuddly coddling truck-driver experience. Nothing ever matters, which seems to kinda contradict the game's nascent notions of changing your life. Dialogue options only seem to be there to move the chatter along most of the time, and characters often react in the ways the developers wanted them to react, rather than the ways you hoped or expected they would. The different ending options are a perfect example of this, but as the game only really has its story going for it, I won't spoil the bizarre surprises here.
The romance options are exactly what we've all come to expect from indie games at this point - utterly toothless and sexless stuff that makes the 40-something main characters behave like preschoolers holding hands on a trip to the park. You can't have a single city gal discover her first kiss is now a huge sexy lumberjack and have it only lead to a nice hug. Come on now! It's about time one of these games played out with all the debauchery of a greasy pulp paperback like A Stranger In Her Bed or whatever.
My postman sometimes come up the stairs of our building mid-joint roll, banging crap metal out of his phone speakers and huffily hurling anything marked FRAGILE onto a rough approximation of our doorstep. Now that's the delivery guy game I wanna be playing. Lemme dropkick an Amazon parcel and shag some lonely lady after I break her windows with a Hello Fresh box.
You're relatively un-fussed by any of the day-to-day concerns that would no doubt come with delivering the post in a secure and timely manner, and there are so many missed opportunities for fun little gameplay pieces - the truck doesn't take damage, you can't break the speed limit, the parcels don't arrive late, you don't have to dodge dogs - any of these little things could have injected a small sprinkling of spice into it, but the game is only really interested in telling its story. I think I wanted it to be Shin Paperboy.
I get that it's nice, sure, and there are people who really do want a depressurised and bloodless GTA driving/walking game; but without anything really driving (lol) the experience, this is basically just a series of Walking Dead-style dialogue encounters split up with a cuddly coddling truck-driver experience. Nothing ever matters, which seems to kinda contradict the game's nascent notions of changing your life. Dialogue options only seem to be there to move the chatter along most of the time, and characters often react in the ways the developers wanted them to react, rather than the ways you hoped or expected they would. The different ending options are a perfect example of this, but as the game only really has its story going for it, I won't spoil the bizarre surprises here.
The romance options are exactly what we've all come to expect from indie games at this point - utterly toothless and sexless stuff that makes the 40-something main characters behave like preschoolers holding hands on a trip to the park. You can't have a single city gal discover her first kiss is now a huge sexy lumberjack and have it only lead to a nice hug. Come on now! It's about time one of these games played out with all the debauchery of a greasy pulp paperback like A Stranger In Her Bed or whatever.
My postman sometimes come up the stairs of our building mid-joint roll, banging crap metal out of his phone speakers and huffily hurling anything marked FRAGILE onto a rough approximation of our doorstep. Now that's the delivery guy game I wanna be playing. Lemme dropkick an Amazon parcel and shag some lonely lady after I break her windows with a Hello Fresh box.
Look… There’s no reason for you play this game. It’s not that bad but I can say that’s almost impossible to someone have a special connection to this one. I love games that give decisions to make, like Heavy Rain or Walking Dead, but when I was playing Lake I didn’t care about my choices. The characters don’t have anything designed for you to like them. You don’t care about the protagonist’s carrear, another point the game try to explore. Everything is a big box with good ideas but also empty. Ahh… What to say about the part of game that you do mailman stuff? Boring. You do the same thing from begging to end. Nothing new happens! They should add something new during the gameplay or you should care about you car… Actually, I don’t know why I wasted my time and played until the end.
Uma boa proposta de jogo, mas que fica ofuscada por bugs e uma linearidade chata.
Os personagens e a história base do game até que são legais, mas TUDO fica monótono depois de umas 2 ou 3 horas de jogatina.
Mas o que realmente incomoda no game é o fato dele parecer que está rodando sempre a 15 FPS (sério, eu joguei pelo XONE e é ridículo o desempenho desse jogo e nada justifica ele rodar de forma tão zoada).
A ambientação do game é maravilhosa e as escolhas são bacanas, além de ter diversos finais impactados pelas suas escolhas e pelas coisas que você faz.
Juro que esse jogo tinha tudo pra ser excelente, mas os seus problemas conseguem tirar o brilho de uma ótima história base.
Os personagens e a história base do game até que são legais, mas TUDO fica monótono depois de umas 2 ou 3 horas de jogatina.
Mas o que realmente incomoda no game é o fato dele parecer que está rodando sempre a 15 FPS (sério, eu joguei pelo XONE e é ridículo o desempenho desse jogo e nada justifica ele rodar de forma tão zoada).
A ambientação do game é maravilhosa e as escolhas são bacanas, além de ter diversos finais impactados pelas suas escolhas e pelas coisas que você faz.
Juro que esse jogo tinha tudo pra ser excelente, mas os seus problemas conseguem tirar o brilho de uma ótima história base.
Lake is basically the videogame equivalent of catching one of those fluffy, breezy rom-commy films on Lifetime or Hallmark where basic looking but smart successful business woman visits a small town and discovers her path in life and MAAYYYYBE a love interest.
Sorry if that's sort of spoiling what happens here but its something that's obvious within the first five minutes of the game and while its not a completely bad thing, its very much the sort of game to destress and chill out with and fits that 'Cozy' definition to a tee thanks to a heap of chill vibes, amusing enough characters and the odd silly moment.
The problem is it... it is just that sort of thing, so the novelty winds down a little too fast and by the time you're midway in the second week of ingame time, you sort of wish it was finished with already about halfway through delivering a letter, as by then you've already likely explored every single spot over and over and heard 'Last days of September' to the point where you'd rather just listen to silence.
Don't get me wrong. Its cute and for those wanting something light and airy in between bigger titles, its a good pick... but honestly it needed either a few more plot points and characters or a shortening of the gametime to just a week or a week and a half.
Sorry if that's sort of spoiling what happens here but its something that's obvious within the first five minutes of the game and while its not a completely bad thing, its very much the sort of game to destress and chill out with and fits that 'Cozy' definition to a tee thanks to a heap of chill vibes, amusing enough characters and the odd silly moment.
The problem is it... it is just that sort of thing, so the novelty winds down a little too fast and by the time you're midway in the second week of ingame time, you sort of wish it was finished with already about halfway through delivering a letter, as by then you've already likely explored every single spot over and over and heard 'Last days of September' to the point where you'd rather just listen to silence.
Don't get me wrong. Its cute and for those wanting something light and airy in between bigger titles, its a good pick... but honestly it needed either a few more plot points and characters or a shortening of the gametime to just a week or a week and a half.
Glorgu, who's only ever watched Shenmue, playing Lake for the first time: Getting a lot of Shenmue vibes from this.
This is my underrated pick for the most relaxing game I found this year. There is nothing to write home about in terms of its story but the characters are well-written and voiced. I loved the monotony of delivering mails and interacting with the townfolks.
Lake is a narrative game about delivering mail in a hometown that the protagonist hasn't visited in over 20 years. On paper, this sounds rad. I love narrative games and I love games that try to do something different with their gameplay.
Unfortunately Lake just really isn't a game for me. I didn't care for any of the characters, the dialogue is annoyingly bad and inconsequential. I understand that the story itself is meant to be very slice of life but it just comes across as excruciatingly boring. Every story beat here has been done so much better in every medium.
When it comes to the gameplay, It's just driving around delivering packages and getting the occasional line of dialogue. Which is fine for the first hour or two but after a while I realized that this was the whole game. And that it kept going for another 6 hours. Same shit over and over. Which I suppose was the point. I will say that the town itself is well made. The map is pretty and nice to look at. But again, there's nothing worthwhile to do in it.
I don't want to hate on this game too much because it's very coherent and purposeful. It's just that none of that is in service of a video game that I want to play.
Unfortunately Lake just really isn't a game for me. I didn't care for any of the characters, the dialogue is annoyingly bad and inconsequential. I understand that the story itself is meant to be very slice of life but it just comes across as excruciatingly boring. Every story beat here has been done so much better in every medium.
When it comes to the gameplay, It's just driving around delivering packages and getting the occasional line of dialogue. Which is fine for the first hour or two but after a while I realized that this was the whole game. And that it kept going for another 6 hours. Same shit over and over. Which I suppose was the point. I will say that the town itself is well made. The map is pretty and nice to look at. But again, there's nothing worthwhile to do in it.
I don't want to hate on this game too much because it's very coherent and purposeful. It's just that none of that is in service of a video game that I want to play.
I like the idea of a low-stakes, story-driven slice-of-life game set in a small open world, but a short ways in, I'm pretty certain that this isn't going to be for me; there's no apparent narrative hook, and the gameplay in the non-story sections is tedious and doesn't feel good to control. There's also some egregiously bad voice acting from one of the NPCs you meet early on, which struck me as a pretty bad sign. If you find the story and characters compelling from the outset, you'll probably be more forgiving than I was, but this came off to me as a pretty underwhelming execution of a strong premise.
This game gives me the feeling like everything is gonna be alright in the end. An important feeling in the face of climate change and war.
I’ve never once been able to figure out where I want to be in five years. I’ve never made a decision about my own future with a long-term goal in mind. I’ve never decided upon a “career trajectory.” While taking photography classes and making vlogs in high school I decided to become a cinematographer in the exact moment a student councilor asked me if I knew where I wanted to go to college. After six months in film school I dropped out to move in with and join a band. After that came the last Blockbuster in New Jersey. Then a movie theater. A cafe. An office phone refurbishment company and then a circuit breaker refurbishment company down the street from the office phone refurbishment company. A tech start up. Comic book company. Ten years have passed since I entered the work force and even now I’m not sure I have a concrete idea of who I am in the context of who I want to become. After dropping out, the immediate need to pay off my student loans meant I’ve always said “yes” to circumstances and opportunities as they arose. Anything to dig myself out of the debt, out from the shame I hadn’t yet realized was coming from unfounded anxieties. I just wanted to prove I was more than a “college dropout” by working my way towards more and more impressive sounding jobs, as if that single choice defined me. That journey, that rejection of a mindless climb towards a perceived societal vision of “success” that’s grossly misaligned from actual human need is at the heart of Lake.
For two weeks in 1986 protagonist Meredith Weiss is tasked with delivering mail to the residents of Providence Oaks, the small and beautiful town in which she grew up. Having moved to “the big city” to pursue a career in the fast-paced world of software programming, she hasn’t returned home for an extended period in over a decade. Gameplay involves driving a United States Postal Service truck around the titular lake, slipping envelopes into mailboxes and occasionally hand-delivering packages when the need arises. As with any job that involves human contact, Meredith frequently gets into stop-and-chat conversations with the residents of Providence Oaks: An old friend from high school left behind, an acquaintance of her father’s with a shaky past, the owner of a local diner who still remembers Meredith’s “usual” — one slice of blueberry pie. These seemingly innocuous discussions pave the way for Meredith to reflect on her time spent away and consider the differences between the life she has and the life she’s slowly starting to realize she wants.
There’s an audacity to Lake in its command of subtlety: You’ll always be driving the speed limit around town, and there’s no run button to be found when you’re not sitting behind the wheel. Meredith’s daily route is slow and purposeful; her leisurely jaunt through Providence Oaks forces the player to sit with the weight of these decisions — it’s impossible to not ask yourself the same questions when given so much time. Most of my experience in-game was spent just as it was in high school: Disposable camera in-hand, driving around Meredith’s hometown looking for beautiful photographs while wondering about my future. At any point in life “who am I now” is as difficult a question to consider as “who do I want to be,” but given two weeks in a sleepy town with a few low-stakes tasks and the comfort of conversation with others, Lake helped me get slightly closer to finding answers than before.
For two weeks in 1986 protagonist Meredith Weiss is tasked with delivering mail to the residents of Providence Oaks, the small and beautiful town in which she grew up. Having moved to “the big city” to pursue a career in the fast-paced world of software programming, she hasn’t returned home for an extended period in over a decade. Gameplay involves driving a United States Postal Service truck around the titular lake, slipping envelopes into mailboxes and occasionally hand-delivering packages when the need arises. As with any job that involves human contact, Meredith frequently gets into stop-and-chat conversations with the residents of Providence Oaks: An old friend from high school left behind, an acquaintance of her father’s with a shaky past, the owner of a local diner who still remembers Meredith’s “usual” — one slice of blueberry pie. These seemingly innocuous discussions pave the way for Meredith to reflect on her time spent away and consider the differences between the life she has and the life she’s slowly starting to realize she wants.
There’s an audacity to Lake in its command of subtlety: You’ll always be driving the speed limit around town, and there’s no run button to be found when you’re not sitting behind the wheel. Meredith’s daily route is slow and purposeful; her leisurely jaunt through Providence Oaks forces the player to sit with the weight of these decisions — it’s impossible to not ask yourself the same questions when given so much time. Most of my experience in-game was spent just as it was in high school: Disposable camera in-hand, driving around Meredith’s hometown looking for beautiful photographs while wondering about my future. At any point in life “who am I now” is as difficult a question to consider as “who do I want to be,” but given two weeks in a sleepy town with a few low-stakes tasks and the comfort of conversation with others, Lake helped me get slightly closer to finding answers than before.
"Video games are supposed to be fun" - the motel clerk in Lake, whose name I never learned
I feel that boiling games down to purely "was it fun?" is a bit of a reductive stance... but when Lake itself said it, it distracted me. I wasn't having fun. And all told, while my favorite games are generally constantly active things like Mario or Doom, I do have quite a soft spot for small experimental titles that revel in their own weird quirks... but Lake wasn't clicking at all. And while the hotel clerk isn't even remotely presented as a likable character (at least as far as I spoke with him), his annoying griping struck at the heart of the biggest issue I was having with the game; even being down to see what it has to offer, I wasn't having any fun engaging with this game.
There's a moment near the end of Lake where you go up to a secluded cabin in the woods and deliver a package. An annoyed voice complains about you disturbing his writing process, and you have a back and forth with this pretentious author. After all, he's the one who ordered a package in the first place, what right does he have to complain about it being delivered? You drop that on him before leaving to do the rest of your route as he awkwardly gives a half-assed apology and goes back to writing his Alan Wake story. This is the kind of thing I was hoping would happen more often in Lake, mundane but mildly amusing encounters with random locals, but there's really only two or three moments like this throughout the game. We get plenty of setup for fun moments, too, but they're often just left hanging. In particular I'm thinking of what I assume is meant to be an Evil Dead joke, where you deliver a giftwrapped chainsaw to an abandoned rundown cabin. That was a moment where it felt like something could have happened, be it a spooky musical sting or maybe Meredith saying "groovy", anything at all. It was a complete softball to setup a punchline, and instead you simply knock on the door, Meredith has a voiceline expressing confusion that nobody is answering (??????), and you leave the item and go. Even something like Meredith asking why there's a delivery to an abandoned house would have been SOMETHING, but for my playthrough she remained silent as she does after leaving any package at the door. That's the majority of your deliveries, being done to relative silence - the best you can hope for is a few randomly selected canned responses from Meredith that you'll get tired of hearing. Otherwise, they're simply a means to force an interaction with an established character in the cast. In principle this isn't even really a bad thing, after all it's kind of what I knowingly signed up for, unfortunately I didn't find the locals to be even remotely compelling. The little moments just aren't really something that the game is interested in delivering despite feeling like the obvious thing to pack this game to the brim with, because what Lake thinks it's meant to be about is big meaningful moments to drastically change Meredith's life instead of smaller moments that make life feel more vibrant.
Where I find Lake particularly confusing is that the general concept is hard to swallow. Meredith has been away from home for 22 years, and she is 40 years old. She's apparently got enough of a good relationship with her parents that it's easy for her to spend her vacation house-sitting and substituting for her dad at his job so he can go on vacation instead, but she also hasn't been back here once for over half of her lifespan. It's almost a bit ridiculous how long a time she has been gone, and the way her parents and neighbors talk to her makes it feel like she's supposed to be younger, but instead she's middle-aged and with a well established job that she's eager to bring up and talk about with others. It's very clear that Meredith is proud of her job at Addit. The game then spends a good portion of its runtime trying to tear down her independence at her tech job, essentially saying "return to an idyllic small town away from a corporate tech job to regain your soul". And what's weird is that they could absolutely build up Meredith having some nostalgia for the town with some flavor text, but she only has around two or three nostalgic remarks and as a result it makes the idea of her even wanting to move back very difficult to sell. I remember her saying something about having her first kiss at the campground, but aside from that she didn't have much to muse about and it made her feel disinterested in being home. When she is offered to take her dad's job and her parent's house permanently, if you do not show interest her parents are taken aback and offended; frankly that interaction was kind of a harrowing moment. The game was pretty clear in its messaging that it felt that was not the right choice, but what it tries to say with that is that she should simply fall over and allow her parents to thrust her into a permanent change to her life because they're having a great time being drunks in Florida. Honestly, no wonder Meredith hasn't been home in 22 years if that's what she had to deal with for her first time back, and they act as if having a 20% stake in a company that's about to make millions of dollars off of her dedicated work is some silly impetuous whim. Listen - I'm not someone that's super motivated by seeking profit and personal gain, but it's absolutely jarring to have your mom scold you like a teenager for being on the ground floor of something like Apple because you're not jazzed about a bait and switch plot to move you back to a dead end place you've spent the majority of your life avoiding!
And speaking of changing up your life, there's romance in this game. I opted to seek out neither romance route simply because I found both of them to be almost too painfully telegraphed as romantic interests. That's not really fair to Lake, but it just didn't feel natural for me so I opted to simply not engage that way - I called them both as love interests off of their very first sentences and I was right. Props to Lake for some bisexual representation here by having an option for Meredith to go either way, but I wasn't feeling either of them and opted to just be a professional upstanding postal worker and go about my business politely. Even with that behavior though, you'll get Angie calling you "babe" as if you've been flirting with her too, and you'll get Maureen telling you that Robert has a double meaning with "trying to keep pretty things in PO". It's nice that there are dialogue options to try to blow people off, but it really doesn't matter and it often doesn't feel like what you say has any impact at all upon the characters and their interactions. It feels like the game thinks you're pursuing romance with your every interaction until the point where those plotlines end, and that sure does get a bit uncomfortable feeling at times when either Robert or Angie are clearly angling at you despite showing no reciprocation.
And speaking of Lake ignoring your inaction, your actions never have any consequences. The crazy cat lady wants you to help her with her sick cat? Doesn't matter if you don't! I mean, I'm glad the cat didn't die, but I said no (I'm the postman, I have work to do, you clearly have a car right there in your driveway lady) and it made no difference. I said no to hanging out with the hippies who I spoke to twice, both times incredibly brief encounters, and yet I was still forced to go say goodbye to them and listen to the guy's bad singing while they passed around a blunt - if ever there was an encounter I wanted to not do, it was this one. Hell, I'm actually just surprised that there weren't more events that I was forced to do like that. One such event I thought would be a shoo-in for a forced encounter, if you don't help Robert save the town from new apartments (who are they going to put into those apartments??? we're in the middle of nowhere and have a tiny population, who are we renting to?), he will still succeed at rallying the town to stave off the construction. If you do or don't help Angie with her movie rental store, it will always fail and she will always leave... and honestly I'm surprised that you even had the option to say no to helping her, she wanted you to do deliveries and that's what the game is all about. Most egregiously, your boss at Addit will repeatedly pester you to do work off the clock to help ensure their multi-million dollar deal goes through - I blew him off every single time he asked and not only did the deal still go through, I was still offered a huge stake in the company too. You can simply sleepwalk through Lake, never once engaging with anything, and your inaction doesn't matter. I was cordial but distant to Meredith's former best friend Kay (I'm shocked at how abrupt her storyline is, I was expecting a more natural moment for them to reconnect and it didn't really happen), and after days of being treated the way you would treat an inoffensive customer at a retail job she just decides that you're still her best friend and she'll go asking you favors and being super chatty all the time. She asked me to babysit her kids so she could go see Journey, and I didn't - she still ended up seeing Journey anyhow. Your actions don't matter, aside from whoever you choose to kiss or where you decide to go in the end. You can even be kinda rude to most people and you'll still get a radio sendoff where the town says they'll miss you if you leave town at the end.
Probably the strangest plotline in the game for me is the bit with Frank and his gambling addiction. The man is using his federal job to run an illegal gambling ring to better himself. The postmaster general gives you a threatening phone call to do postal policies correctly, and then shows up in town to ask about Frank. I actually completely spilled the beans about Frank, saying that yeah, he's misusing his position and doing some kinda corrupt shit. Listen, I don't WANT to acquiesce to the police like that, but honestly yeah Frank was kind of a shitty person for using his job to do that kind of stuff so I figured screw it, let him have some consequences for abuse of his position. Frank is then suspended for a single day, and the postmaster general immediately gives up with the provided reasoning that he didn't wanna talk to the crazy cat lady again and that Frank has some lawyer friends who scared him off. What do you MEAN this backwoods doofus has lawyers who got the federal government off of his back when he was in the wrong? The game even tries to portray Frank as the hero who is in the right here! Come on man, misuse of federal funds and shit like that, why do you want me to root for Brett Favre?
What I'm left with in Lake is a game that feels like it wasted my time. I didn't like the cast, and frankly that's all the game was really about - without that, it's nothing. The gameplay loop is to walk slowly (hold down a button to walk 1% faster), drive a clunky unresponsive van, and fight the map with its icons that rarely feel like they're in the right place for most houses. You'll chat to some locals, and if you aren't interested in them you have nothing to latch onto. The sound effects often broke, I'd constantly see massive 8 car pileups happen entirely on their own in random spots on the road, there's about 3 songs on the radio, and when I finished the game the credits song didn't even play. Maybe that's because I did what the writers clearly felt was the bad ending? It's hard to tell whether that was intentional or not when so many other things broke so frequently, but it did lead off the credits with the name of the song so I doubt that was the point. This game wants so badly to have the vibes of Life is Strange, but all I could feel the whole playthrough was how much I wish the town could be the setting of a successor to Deadly Premonition instead of what it is. It's a shame, because I wanted to find something in this game, but I felt unfulfilled the whole adventure. I guess the answer was to simply just not go back home.
I feel that boiling games down to purely "was it fun?" is a bit of a reductive stance... but when Lake itself said it, it distracted me. I wasn't having fun. And all told, while my favorite games are generally constantly active things like Mario or Doom, I do have quite a soft spot for small experimental titles that revel in their own weird quirks... but Lake wasn't clicking at all. And while the hotel clerk isn't even remotely presented as a likable character (at least as far as I spoke with him), his annoying griping struck at the heart of the biggest issue I was having with the game; even being down to see what it has to offer, I wasn't having any fun engaging with this game.
There's a moment near the end of Lake where you go up to a secluded cabin in the woods and deliver a package. An annoyed voice complains about you disturbing his writing process, and you have a back and forth with this pretentious author. After all, he's the one who ordered a package in the first place, what right does he have to complain about it being delivered? You drop that on him before leaving to do the rest of your route as he awkwardly gives a half-assed apology and goes back to writing his Alan Wake story. This is the kind of thing I was hoping would happen more often in Lake, mundane but mildly amusing encounters with random locals, but there's really only two or three moments like this throughout the game. We get plenty of setup for fun moments, too, but they're often just left hanging. In particular I'm thinking of what I assume is meant to be an Evil Dead joke, where you deliver a giftwrapped chainsaw to an abandoned rundown cabin. That was a moment where it felt like something could have happened, be it a spooky musical sting or maybe Meredith saying "groovy", anything at all. It was a complete softball to setup a punchline, and instead you simply knock on the door, Meredith has a voiceline expressing confusion that nobody is answering (??????), and you leave the item and go. Even something like Meredith asking why there's a delivery to an abandoned house would have been SOMETHING, but for my playthrough she remained silent as she does after leaving any package at the door. That's the majority of your deliveries, being done to relative silence - the best you can hope for is a few randomly selected canned responses from Meredith that you'll get tired of hearing. Otherwise, they're simply a means to force an interaction with an established character in the cast. In principle this isn't even really a bad thing, after all it's kind of what I knowingly signed up for, unfortunately I didn't find the locals to be even remotely compelling. The little moments just aren't really something that the game is interested in delivering despite feeling like the obvious thing to pack this game to the brim with, because what Lake thinks it's meant to be about is big meaningful moments to drastically change Meredith's life instead of smaller moments that make life feel more vibrant.
Where I find Lake particularly confusing is that the general concept is hard to swallow. Meredith has been away from home for 22 years, and she is 40 years old. She's apparently got enough of a good relationship with her parents that it's easy for her to spend her vacation house-sitting and substituting for her dad at his job so he can go on vacation instead, but she also hasn't been back here once for over half of her lifespan. It's almost a bit ridiculous how long a time she has been gone, and the way her parents and neighbors talk to her makes it feel like she's supposed to be younger, but instead she's middle-aged and with a well established job that she's eager to bring up and talk about with others. It's very clear that Meredith is proud of her job at Addit. The game then spends a good portion of its runtime trying to tear down her independence at her tech job, essentially saying "return to an idyllic small town away from a corporate tech job to regain your soul". And what's weird is that they could absolutely build up Meredith having some nostalgia for the town with some flavor text, but she only has around two or three nostalgic remarks and as a result it makes the idea of her even wanting to move back very difficult to sell. I remember her saying something about having her first kiss at the campground, but aside from that she didn't have much to muse about and it made her feel disinterested in being home. When she is offered to take her dad's job and her parent's house permanently, if you do not show interest her parents are taken aback and offended; frankly that interaction was kind of a harrowing moment. The game was pretty clear in its messaging that it felt that was not the right choice, but what it tries to say with that is that she should simply fall over and allow her parents to thrust her into a permanent change to her life because they're having a great time being drunks in Florida. Honestly, no wonder Meredith hasn't been home in 22 years if that's what she had to deal with for her first time back, and they act as if having a 20% stake in a company that's about to make millions of dollars off of her dedicated work is some silly impetuous whim. Listen - I'm not someone that's super motivated by seeking profit and personal gain, but it's absolutely jarring to have your mom scold you like a teenager for being on the ground floor of something like Apple because you're not jazzed about a bait and switch plot to move you back to a dead end place you've spent the majority of your life avoiding!
And speaking of changing up your life, there's romance in this game. I opted to seek out neither romance route simply because I found both of them to be almost too painfully telegraphed as romantic interests. That's not really fair to Lake, but it just didn't feel natural for me so I opted to simply not engage that way - I called them both as love interests off of their very first sentences and I was right. Props to Lake for some bisexual representation here by having an option for Meredith to go either way, but I wasn't feeling either of them and opted to just be a professional upstanding postal worker and go about my business politely. Even with that behavior though, you'll get Angie calling you "babe" as if you've been flirting with her too, and you'll get Maureen telling you that Robert has a double meaning with "trying to keep pretty things in PO". It's nice that there are dialogue options to try to blow people off, but it really doesn't matter and it often doesn't feel like what you say has any impact at all upon the characters and their interactions. It feels like the game thinks you're pursuing romance with your every interaction until the point where those plotlines end, and that sure does get a bit uncomfortable feeling at times when either Robert or Angie are clearly angling at you despite showing no reciprocation.
And speaking of Lake ignoring your inaction, your actions never have any consequences. The crazy cat lady wants you to help her with her sick cat? Doesn't matter if you don't! I mean, I'm glad the cat didn't die, but I said no (I'm the postman, I have work to do, you clearly have a car right there in your driveway lady) and it made no difference. I said no to hanging out with the hippies who I spoke to twice, both times incredibly brief encounters, and yet I was still forced to go say goodbye to them and listen to the guy's bad singing while they passed around a blunt - if ever there was an encounter I wanted to not do, it was this one. Hell, I'm actually just surprised that there weren't more events that I was forced to do like that. One such event I thought would be a shoo-in for a forced encounter, if you don't help Robert save the town from new apartments (who are they going to put into those apartments??? we're in the middle of nowhere and have a tiny population, who are we renting to?), he will still succeed at rallying the town to stave off the construction. If you do or don't help Angie with her movie rental store, it will always fail and she will always leave... and honestly I'm surprised that you even had the option to say no to helping her, she wanted you to do deliveries and that's what the game is all about. Most egregiously, your boss at Addit will repeatedly pester you to do work off the clock to help ensure their multi-million dollar deal goes through - I blew him off every single time he asked and not only did the deal still go through, I was still offered a huge stake in the company too. You can simply sleepwalk through Lake, never once engaging with anything, and your inaction doesn't matter. I was cordial but distant to Meredith's former best friend Kay (I'm shocked at how abrupt her storyline is, I was expecting a more natural moment for them to reconnect and it didn't really happen), and after days of being treated the way you would treat an inoffensive customer at a retail job she just decides that you're still her best friend and she'll go asking you favors and being super chatty all the time. She asked me to babysit her kids so she could go see Journey, and I didn't - she still ended up seeing Journey anyhow. Your actions don't matter, aside from whoever you choose to kiss or where you decide to go in the end. You can even be kinda rude to most people and you'll still get a radio sendoff where the town says they'll miss you if you leave town at the end.
Probably the strangest plotline in the game for me is the bit with Frank and his gambling addiction. The man is using his federal job to run an illegal gambling ring to better himself. The postmaster general gives you a threatening phone call to do postal policies correctly, and then shows up in town to ask about Frank. I actually completely spilled the beans about Frank, saying that yeah, he's misusing his position and doing some kinda corrupt shit. Listen, I don't WANT to acquiesce to the police like that, but honestly yeah Frank was kind of a shitty person for using his job to do that kind of stuff so I figured screw it, let him have some consequences for abuse of his position. Frank is then suspended for a single day, and the postmaster general immediately gives up with the provided reasoning that he didn't wanna talk to the crazy cat lady again and that Frank has some lawyer friends who scared him off. What do you MEAN this backwoods doofus has lawyers who got the federal government off of his back when he was in the wrong? The game even tries to portray Frank as the hero who is in the right here! Come on man, misuse of federal funds and shit like that, why do you want me to root for Brett Favre?
What I'm left with in Lake is a game that feels like it wasted my time. I didn't like the cast, and frankly that's all the game was really about - without that, it's nothing. The gameplay loop is to walk slowly (hold down a button to walk 1% faster), drive a clunky unresponsive van, and fight the map with its icons that rarely feel like they're in the right place for most houses. You'll chat to some locals, and if you aren't interested in them you have nothing to latch onto. The sound effects often broke, I'd constantly see massive 8 car pileups happen entirely on their own in random spots on the road, there's about 3 songs on the radio, and when I finished the game the credits song didn't even play. Maybe that's because I did what the writers clearly felt was the bad ending? It's hard to tell whether that was intentional or not when so many other things broke so frequently, but it did lead off the credits with the name of the song so I doubt that was the point. This game wants so badly to have the vibes of Life is Strange, but all I could feel the whole playthrough was how much I wish the town could be the setting of a successor to Deadly Premonition instead of what it is. It's a shame, because I wanted to find something in this game, but I felt unfulfilled the whole adventure. I guess the answer was to simply just not go back home.
I’m pretty sad that I didn’t love this game. It looked very cute and had so much potential.
It looked really peaceful and I love the atmosphere but omg the controls.
Walking feels like Meredith is walking through toffee. It’s so so so sluggish and painful. Walking across a cul-de-sac is that slow I would find myself getting into the van to cross the road.
The van is better but not perfect either. The controls once again just don’t feel good. The best way I can describe it is, it feels like trying to steer a shopping cart full of heavy things.
The story is sweet and I did really enjoy the “world” but it was just painful. I think I had 4 days left but the thought of having to trudge though 4 days worth of post made me turn the game off.
It looked really peaceful and I love the atmosphere but omg the controls.
Walking feels like Meredith is walking through toffee. It’s so so so sluggish and painful. Walking across a cul-de-sac is that slow I would find myself getting into the van to cross the road.
The van is better but not perfect either. The controls once again just don’t feel good. The best way I can describe it is, it feels like trying to steer a shopping cart full of heavy things.
The story is sweet and I did really enjoy the “world” but it was just painful. I think I had 4 days left but the thought of having to trudge though 4 days worth of post made me turn the game off.
tentei continuar, mas o jogo fica muito maçante já q não tem uma mudança na gameplay ou personagens tão interessantes q justifiquem ficar entregando carta, apesar de que a historia possa ser bacana de acompanhar, mas a que preço?
You play as Meredith Weiss, a forty-year-old computer programmer who is finally taking a well deserved two week vacation. But it’s not all fun and games, as Meredith volunteered to take over her father’s mail route while her parents are off enjoying their own vacation. It’s weird being back in her childhood town, getting reacquainted with old friends and neighbors, plus meeting some new faces.
Providence Oaks is an idealistic little town set on a lake in Oregon, which makes it ripe picking for evil corporations looking to make a quick buck. Not on our watch!
It’s also set in 1986, because why not?!
Visuals
Providence Oaks is a gorgeous open world set around a lake. You’ve got the main town, some businesses off the highway, forests, farms, even a pier. I just loved watching the scenery roll by as Meredith delivered the mail. The graphics for the environment are fantastic. I did have one instance of pop in, but for the rest of my time everything was fully rendered and loaded.
The character models reminded me a bit of The Sims 4, but a bit more…bumpy? They don’t look bad, but they don’t have the same wow-factor as the surroundings. While the characters’ mouths do move when speaking, the rest of their face is oddly blank. Thankfully, the voice acting makes up for the lack of facial emotion.
The town is also quite bustling with NPCs walking around. You can see people entering and leaving their homes, eating at the diner, and just taking a stroll. You can’t interact with them though, only the characters that are part of the story. It does make this world feel more full and lively though. I even saw a fox run across the road once!
Sound Effects + Music
Lake is 100% voice acted, and it’s very good. Like I already mentioned, the characters’ faces are blank, but their voices are very emotive. Everyone was distinct and I never skipped dialogue despite reading it much faster than it was said. I especially loved the book narrator when you have Meredith stay home and read. It was too fun!
The radio plays a pretty large role in the game, but after the first couple of hours I turned it off. It’s the same handful of songs over and over and over again, which is a shame for a game that spends so much time in the car! You also hear the exact same songs in businesses. I did have some trouble with the radio toggle though. Sometimes it wouldn’t respond with my controller and I’d have to use the keyboard, but sometimes it was fine.
I much more enjoyed the regular background music that plays when you’re driving around, along with the ambient noises. It was so much more relaxing than the sad country music.
Gameplay + Controls
Lake is a mix of visual novel and mail carrier sim. It’s kind of random, but it totally works. The bulk of the gameplay is driving around in the mail truck delivering mail and packages. Each morning you’ll have a list of addresses and off you go. It’s pretty free in terms of the order you deliver and how long you take. There are no time limits. Just cruise around at your own pace and take in the sights. Or speed around and just get the mail delivered.
You’ll also encounter plenty of cutscenes with the locals and get to make some choices which directly effect the story. You can offer help (or not), start up a romance (or not), do some work for your programming job (or not), and so on. It does seem like some events are mandatory to keep the story going, but most of the choices are up to you.
Controls are pretty straight forward. Meredith can simply walk or walk slightly faster and interact with mailboxes, people, and some objects. Of course, you’ll also have to drive the truck which is pretty easy and surprisingly relaxing. There are a few options if you get sick of driving. If you still want to sit back and enjoy the scenery or the radio, you can use Auto-Pilot for some locations. Or, if you just want to instantly get to a landmark, you can use Fast Travel.
The game is broken up by day. Each morning you have your mail delivery. Then Meredith will normally have a call from her parents or boss back home. Sometimes she’ll meet up with a local or invite someone over. Other nights, she’s alone and you can choose if she works, watches TV, or reads. Sundays are her day off, but the game does generate events to fill the day. You can see what’s coming up by opening up Meredith’s planner. Very nifty.
I did run into some glitches during my play through and a few things that might be glitches or maybe not. Such as Meredith being able to step onto some curbs but not others, getting stuck on someone’s lawn until I maneuvered her back up to a point where she could step back onto the sidewalk. I had a car pileup when one got stuck and every other car just stopped behind it.
September 10th in particular was a glitchy day for some reason with me having to enter and exit buildings in order to deliver the boxes or to even end the work day. Or not being able to start the work day because it already said “Return to Post Office” like it was the end of the day (restarting the game fixed it). Nothing game breaking, but still annoying.
Replayability
I can easily see myself replaying Lake. It’s just so comforting for some reason. And there are a lot of choices that can be done differently to get different outcomes with three different endings. I pursued a romance this time, but maybe next time I won’t? Or I’ll choose the other love interest. Maybe I’ll turn down every social invite to see what happens? What if I don’t want to help save the town or do extra work? To smoke a joint or not? All things worth exploring.
Overall
Lake is a fun and relaxing game that feels cozy and nostalgic. It really surprised me. I admit that it sounded super cheesy, and I only intended on giving it a quick peek. Next thing I know, I’m sucked into Meredith’s story and looking forward to driving a mail truck around a lake. Whoda thunk?
Providence Oaks is an idealistic little town set on a lake in Oregon, which makes it ripe picking for evil corporations looking to make a quick buck. Not on our watch!
It’s also set in 1986, because why not?!
Visuals
Providence Oaks is a gorgeous open world set around a lake. You’ve got the main town, some businesses off the highway, forests, farms, even a pier. I just loved watching the scenery roll by as Meredith delivered the mail. The graphics for the environment are fantastic. I did have one instance of pop in, but for the rest of my time everything was fully rendered and loaded.
The character models reminded me a bit of The Sims 4, but a bit more…bumpy? They don’t look bad, but they don’t have the same wow-factor as the surroundings. While the characters’ mouths do move when speaking, the rest of their face is oddly blank. Thankfully, the voice acting makes up for the lack of facial emotion.
The town is also quite bustling with NPCs walking around. You can see people entering and leaving their homes, eating at the diner, and just taking a stroll. You can’t interact with them though, only the characters that are part of the story. It does make this world feel more full and lively though. I even saw a fox run across the road once!
Sound Effects + Music
Lake is 100% voice acted, and it’s very good. Like I already mentioned, the characters’ faces are blank, but their voices are very emotive. Everyone was distinct and I never skipped dialogue despite reading it much faster than it was said. I especially loved the book narrator when you have Meredith stay home and read. It was too fun!
The radio plays a pretty large role in the game, but after the first couple of hours I turned it off. It’s the same handful of songs over and over and over again, which is a shame for a game that spends so much time in the car! You also hear the exact same songs in businesses. I did have some trouble with the radio toggle though. Sometimes it wouldn’t respond with my controller and I’d have to use the keyboard, but sometimes it was fine.
I much more enjoyed the regular background music that plays when you’re driving around, along with the ambient noises. It was so much more relaxing than the sad country music.
Gameplay + Controls
Lake is a mix of visual novel and mail carrier sim. It’s kind of random, but it totally works. The bulk of the gameplay is driving around in the mail truck delivering mail and packages. Each morning you’ll have a list of addresses and off you go. It’s pretty free in terms of the order you deliver and how long you take. There are no time limits. Just cruise around at your own pace and take in the sights. Or speed around and just get the mail delivered.
You’ll also encounter plenty of cutscenes with the locals and get to make some choices which directly effect the story. You can offer help (or not), start up a romance (or not), do some work for your programming job (or not), and so on. It does seem like some events are mandatory to keep the story going, but most of the choices are up to you.
Controls are pretty straight forward. Meredith can simply walk or walk slightly faster and interact with mailboxes, people, and some objects. Of course, you’ll also have to drive the truck which is pretty easy and surprisingly relaxing. There are a few options if you get sick of driving. If you still want to sit back and enjoy the scenery or the radio, you can use Auto-Pilot for some locations. Or, if you just want to instantly get to a landmark, you can use Fast Travel.
The game is broken up by day. Each morning you have your mail delivery. Then Meredith will normally have a call from her parents or boss back home. Sometimes she’ll meet up with a local or invite someone over. Other nights, she’s alone and you can choose if she works, watches TV, or reads. Sundays are her day off, but the game does generate events to fill the day. You can see what’s coming up by opening up Meredith’s planner. Very nifty.
I did run into some glitches during my play through and a few things that might be glitches or maybe not. Such as Meredith being able to step onto some curbs but not others, getting stuck on someone’s lawn until I maneuvered her back up to a point where she could step back onto the sidewalk. I had a car pileup when one got stuck and every other car just stopped behind it.
September 10th in particular was a glitchy day for some reason with me having to enter and exit buildings in order to deliver the boxes or to even end the work day. Or not being able to start the work day because it already said “Return to Post Office” like it was the end of the day (restarting the game fixed it). Nothing game breaking, but still annoying.
Replayability
I can easily see myself replaying Lake. It’s just so comforting for some reason. And there are a lot of choices that can be done differently to get different outcomes with three different endings. I pursued a romance this time, but maybe next time I won’t? Or I’ll choose the other love interest. Maybe I’ll turn down every social invite to see what happens? What if I don’t want to help save the town or do extra work? To smoke a joint or not? All things worth exploring.
Overall
Lake is a fun and relaxing game that feels cozy and nostalgic. It really surprised me. I admit that it sounded super cheesy, and I only intended on giving it a quick peek. Next thing I know, I’m sucked into Meredith’s story and looking forward to driving a mail truck around a lake. Whoda thunk?
Repetitivo
Um bom jogo para relaxar e apenas entregar suas cartas por aí, e só isso, apesar de ser bem curto (±4h) fazer essa entrega por 14 dias acaba sendo enjoativa, existe algumas histórias dos moradores locais mas bem fracas e não são capazes de prender a atenção.
Ambientação desse jogo é maravilhosa e a soundtrack é muito boa, porém, novamente um ponto repetitivo, acredito que sejam no máximo 5 músicas e a própria rádio brinca com isso.
Por fim, os bugs são um charme a parte e a parte mais cômica do game.
Um bom jogo para relaxar e apenas entregar suas cartas por aí, e só isso, apesar de ser bem curto (±4h) fazer essa entrega por 14 dias acaba sendo enjoativa, existe algumas histórias dos moradores locais mas bem fracas e não são capazes de prender a atenção.
Ambientação desse jogo é maravilhosa e a soundtrack é muito boa, porém, novamente um ponto repetitivo, acredito que sejam no máximo 5 músicas e a própria rádio brinca com isso.
Por fim, os bugs são um charme a parte e a parte mais cômica do game.