This game is really frustrating, because while I think there is a lot of promise in the concept of a mail-delivery game set in a small town where you get to know the folks who live there and make memories and have fun, it seems as if a lack of resources and strong ambition has made the finished product feel incredibly limp. Though you might find little moments of charm here and there, the gameplay is ultimately boring, the characters are one-note and very flat, and there really isn't anything to do that takes you off of the beaten path or makes you feel like you have to make any kind of honest choice. It's comfortable, which is kind of worthy in and of itself, but when you're comparing it to all the other games you could be playing, that's sadly just not enough.
I do find myself kind of hoping this game is successful anyway, because I would love to see the developers get a budget they can work with. I've long enjoyed games that take place in small towns, but this one kind of shows that the aforementioned lack of resources can really make things feel dead. Dropping things down to a very simple polygonal style reminiscent of retro PS1 games, or even 2D 16-bit graphics could have freed up a lot here and allowed them to work in more that plays to what you would expect a game like this's strengths to be.
I think if they want to do this again, they need to take a long look at classic games of the small-town genre like Deadly Premonition (for its wacky, fun side content that adds layers of dimension to the town and characters and emergent gameplay experiences for the player), Night in the Woods (for its levels of depth and emotion that I'd argue bring video gaming up to the level of great literature), Life Is Strange (for its use of direction in order to make sure that every moment hits; this game had a serious problem with NPC conversations feeling like something I was entirely detached from), and even Animal Crossing (the charm, the way things grow on you and you start to feel a level of investment in exploring the town and getting to know the residents).
So, I guess it's easy to say that I don't really recommend Lake, and I feel kind of bad saying that, but there really isn't much to go on here, just the things that this game makes you dream of in a sequel that manages to check all the boxes rather than just giving you the checklist and asking you to imagine something good that had them. Here's hoping in the future they're able to make good on that, because the promise here is unbelievable, and it's nuts that they didn't really manage to land any of the hits.
I do find myself kind of hoping this game is successful anyway, because I would love to see the developers get a budget they can work with. I've long enjoyed games that take place in small towns, but this one kind of shows that the aforementioned lack of resources can really make things feel dead. Dropping things down to a very simple polygonal style reminiscent of retro PS1 games, or even 2D 16-bit graphics could have freed up a lot here and allowed them to work in more that plays to what you would expect a game like this's strengths to be.
I think if they want to do this again, they need to take a long look at classic games of the small-town genre like Deadly Premonition (for its wacky, fun side content that adds layers of dimension to the town and characters and emergent gameplay experiences for the player), Night in the Woods (for its levels of depth and emotion that I'd argue bring video gaming up to the level of great literature), Life Is Strange (for its use of direction in order to make sure that every moment hits; this game had a serious problem with NPC conversations feeling like something I was entirely detached from), and even Animal Crossing (the charm, the way things grow on you and you start to feel a level of investment in exploring the town and getting to know the residents).
So, I guess it's easy to say that I don't really recommend Lake, and I feel kind of bad saying that, but there really isn't much to go on here, just the things that this game makes you dream of in a sequel that manages to check all the boxes rather than just giving you the checklist and asking you to imagine something good that had them. Here's hoping in the future they're able to make good on that, because the promise here is unbelievable, and it's nuts that they didn't really manage to land any of the hits.