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.

I honestly love that games like this one can exist. It's a feel-good, heartwarming, short and sweet experience with a very simple premise. Unfortunately, most choices don't matter too much in the long run, but at least the characters are quite fun. My main problem were the many, many glitches I encountered - most of them were only mildly annoying, but there were a few really frustrating ones, as well (like suddenly teleporting the protagonist to a completely different part of the map). Still, if you want to relax and it take it slow a bit, give this one a try.

Lake oferece uma proposta interessante... uma mulher de aproximadamente 40 anos, voltando para sua pequena cidade natal, depois de viver por anos na cidade grande e trabalhando freneticamente na indústria de softwares.

Trabalhando nos correios, ela volta a se conectar com os habitantes da cidade e encontrar conforto no contato e na vida pacata.

Com uma paisagem idílica e um clima suave e tranquilo, Lake debruça-se em contar uma história por diálogos e relacionamentos, mas falha em entregar personagens interessantes e diálogos razoavelmente profundos.

Com relacionamentos superficiais, monotemáticos e diálogos pouco inspirados, o jogo acaba focando demais nas entregas, que se tornam um empecilho entre os breves momentos de aprofundamento da narrativa.

I am not opposed to games with a slice of life backdrop wherein nothing really happens provided the characters are compelling. Lake, unfortunately, doesn't provide that.

The primary game mechanic involves delivering mail to the various unseasoned residents of Providence Oaks. On your stops you get to chat them up, but neither they or the mail deliveries are very compelling.

I genuinely would have preferred a deeper postal worker simulation given the choice.

If you're looking for a nice relaxing and cozy game, then this might be the one for you. It's a decent delivery simulator but outside of that, this game doesn't offer much else. You can socialize with other NPCs and catch up with people you used to know from your past but without any foundation nor character development, the impact really falls flat. Speaking of falling flat, there is no implication on why this game is rated M (It's a false rating in my opinion). Don't come into this game expecting a dark twist or anything of that nature or you will be heavily disappointed and let down. A bit of a nitpick but the title of this game is super basic and there is a "lake" in the game per se, although there's literally nothing significant about it.

O design de arte e o mundo de Lake são muito bem feitos para uma produção indie, e os controles são bastante precisos. A proposta de ter uma experiência mais calma enquanto entrega cartas e conhece as pessoas da cidade, por outro lado, tem uma execução bastante mediana.

Apenas duas relações entre a protagonista e os NPCs são de fato bem desenvolvidas. Há outras duas que até despertam interesse, mas carecem de um trabalho melhor. Fora estas, há várias que você simplesmente não liga ou esquece que existem em certo ponto da história.

Além disso, a gameplay pedia por mais variedade. No início é interessante viajar pela cidade e descobrir os diferentes cenários, mas aproximadamente na metade você estará só repetindo as mesmas ações nos mesmos locais que já conhece. Não chega a ser horrível, mas enjoa.

Existem dois finais principais e um terceiro “secreto”, mas que não é difícil de encontrar – e ainda dentro desses, pequenas variações podem ocorrer. Todas as opções são interessantes pro arco da protagonista, mas a forma como são executados carece muito de clímax.

O que mais me incomodou, no entanto, foi a performance. Joguei ele no PS4 e a taxa de frames cai aleatoriamente sem razão alguma, fora a lentidão após as entregas e, o pior de tudo: crashes a todo momento – especialmente se você usufruir da opção de fast travel pelo mapa.

Se não fosse pela má otimização do jogo pro console (creio que a versão de PC não seja assim), Lake poderia ser uma experiência ok, mas tais problemas infelizmente estragam o que tinha para ser apreciado no jogo, que acabou me oferecendo uma experiência desagradável.

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.

What the hell is this game, and why did it end up being a favorite of mine when it has no business doing that. I'm confused because the game feels like a roblox mod, the animations are almost non-existent, YET it works. It did several things right: the soundtrack on repeat but it fits perfectly, the vibe of the lake and mountain, the story which can be a cliche TV movie plot, but when you put it into a game, it actually works. I hate to have to admit it, but this was a game I thoroughly liked, if not loved.

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?

Lake is weird, its endearing and cozy, a word people always use for cutesy games with no combat and nice environmental settings, but it does feel that way. It's kinda like a mild cousin of Stardew Valley where you come to a small town from the big city and spend your days doing your daily tasks and making friends, possibly falling in love and also doing optional errands and hangouts with people you meet. But it's very watered down, its a very barebones experience with stiff controls (both the walking and driving are painfully slow, even the fast walk is slow as hell, but I understand it's probably the whole mentality of "take it easy, there's no rush, not everything has to be go go go"). Thankfully, there is a fast travel option on the map that I only discovered a few hours in.

As someone from a small town with lakes and countryside, I liked the setting, and getting to calmly cruise the roads in your mail truck. The mail delivery aspect, despite being the main objective everyday, is barely there though, just slowly walking to a mailbox and pressing X, or getting a parcel from your truck and pressing X to drop it off. There's literally nothing to this. I don't mean to shit on the small team of developers, this is an indie as hell video game. But it's not very involved.

Also want to mention, hats off to the music department, because the songs that play on the radio sound exactly like the dull generic adult-contemporary music I used to hear growing up on my local radio station, they nailed that aspect. And the video store too, all of the parody/fake VHS covers were incredible. They went all out, with references to Repo Man, Stand By Me, Flashdance, Gremlins, but all with humorous altered titles and artwork. As someone who is a movie nerd, I got involved with the owner of the store, and we went to see Blue Velvet at the movies for a date. Loved that! Although... and this is me being a total nitpicky loser - Meredith picks up a copy of the Albert Brooks comedy Lost in America at one point and reads the back, and they completely get the actresses name wrong that plays his wife. It's Julie Hagerty! Come on folks, do y'all not IMDb?

I try to strictly Platinum games I either love, or really enjoy, but there is a small handful of ones I have that I just kinda liked. Lake is definitely one of them, but the trophy list is so small and easy, and the 3 endings are easily achievable if you save before the final stretch of the game and then can go back and make all the different choices to see all the endings. Which I wanted to do, because I legit was curious about what each ending was like. Who does she get with? Where does she go? What does she do? Is she happy?!?!

This might be up your alley, and it's nice and short, but I wouldn't put it past anyone that might give up on this for being too slow and tedious. I did get wrapped up in certain characters and was curious as to what happens, as there's plenty of dialogue choices and directions you can go. It's a special breed of game, but there's absolutely stuff to like here.

Creo que tiene una buena idea de dejar una vida estresante y solitaria, e irte a una tranquila, con mucho tiempo libre y donde conoces a mucha gente. Pero para mi ahí acaba lo bueno del juego.

Dejando a un lado todos los bugs, crasheos, el popping a 10 metros del personaje constante... Lo cierto es que simplemente es aburrido. Tu rutina es coger el camión e ir en torno al lago a las 30 casas aprox a darles una carta o un paquete. Una vez allí, a veces, saltará una cinemática donde te dejará elegir si sudar de los vecinos o hacerles favores. Vas a tu casa, y te dan la opción de ver la tele, leer un libro de mierda, o hacer alguno de esos favores. En la mayoría de ocasiones haces el favor si o si si ya aceptaste. El favor es otra cinemática poco inspirada con alguna elección, pero 0 repercusión.

Y vuelta a empezar el siguiente día. Ni las conversaciones me parecen interesantes, ni conducir es mínimamente divertido, ni muchos personajes tienen gancho alguno... Yo me volví a mi trabajo solitario solo por no ser la chacha de todo el pueblo, que parece que si no llega alguien que sabe leer, no pueden resolver absolutamente ninguno de sus problemas. Ains, menos mal que ha llegado alguien que lo acepta todo.

El doblaje de algunos personajes está bien, eso si es cierto, pero es que creo que les ha faltado mucho, peor mucho tiempo de pulir la experiencia para que sea algo recomendable. Lo apruebo de forma raspada porque hay trabajo, solo que poco tiempo y de calidad cuestionable.

PD: Para ser un juego de relax, quizás habría ayudado que por la radio hubiera más de 2 malditas canciones casi iguales en todo el juego.

Played from – to: (2022-05-15 – 2022-05-24) – PC keyboard.
‣ 5/10 – Having more than 2 cats should be prohibited.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 7/10
‣ Graphics – 7/10
‣ Atmosphere – 8/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 6/10
‣ AI – 3/10
‣ Movement – 5/10
‣ Voice acting – 6/10
‣ Final notes: Lake is a very small and niche game. On one side it is a very simplistic and poorly designed game with weak voice acting, awkward dialogue and rough gameplay. However, I still liked the vibes this game was creating. In all the rough I could still see the passion and love that has went into making this game. The story is very simple, but the characters you meet in the two-week delivery journey are interesting. Fuck Maureen and her quivering voice though. I was honestly surprised how much choice the game gives you. From what I understand there are three different ending you can pick, which is honestly rare in games, especially such small ones. All in all, the game is not terrible, but it is bland and generic. The idea is fun, and Providence Oaks is a very cozy and welcoming place to explore. Shame there was so little you could do in terms of gameplay. A telltale version of this game would’ve probably been more beneficial.

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.

Lake é um jogo relaxante, excelente para esfriar a cabeça depois de um dia puxado. Pelo menos comigo foi assim.

Não é um jogo que vai te exigir grandes habilidades físicas ou mentais, o que é ótimo. Você apenas tem que trabalhar como carteira no seu caminhão e estreitar as relações com os moradores da cidade natal da protagonista.

Por mais que sua história seja simples, me fez pensar muito sobre minha vida. Sou de uma cidade pequena e vim ganhar a vida na cidade grande. Ver a protagonista, Meredith, voltar para onde nasceu, reviver o passado, rever pessoas e viver um dia pacato e feliz, me fez questionar minha decisão de trocar de cidade.

No fim, tinha a escolha de ficar ou ir embora outra vez. Mesmo gostando da vida simples de uma cidade pequena, escolhi para Meredith o que eu escolheria para mim mesma, provavelmente.

Se você se deixar levar pelo jogo, vai se apegar aos personagens e à rotina da protagonista. Admito que vou sentir falta de dirigir o caminhãozinho dos correios pelas estradas calmas de Providence Oaks.