Game Review: Lake (Xbox Series X)

Sometimes we all just need to relax. Sometimes we all just need to get away. Sometimes we all just need to escape. That’s the thinking behind Lake, a very stress-free narrative-driven game from Gamious.

Let’s be upfront about this from the start. If you are after action-packed gameplay, you’re playing the wrong game.

Lake is set in 1986 and puts you in the shoes of Meredith Weiss who is taking a much-deserved break from city life and her demanding job. She is taking a two-week vacation in the small, quiet lake town of Providence Oaks. Her childhood hometown, Meredith is planning to stay at her folk’s place while they’re away on holiday and to pass the time, step into the shoes of her postman father. Delivering mail and packages for the residents.

It’s this daily postal delivery that makes up a portion of gameplay. Drive to the locations, get out of the van and pop letters in letterboxes. If it’s a package that needs to be delivered, get it out of the back of the van and deliver it to the door. Simple stuff that will have you driving all over the picturesque town. From the suburban homesteads to the farmlands on the other side of the lake. It’s extremely relaxing to just cruise along, listening to the one radio station (although the repeating songs might get on your nerves after a while) and admiring the view.

Of course, there is a bit more to Lake than just delivering mail.

The other aspect of gamplay comes from interactions. Interactions with the residents of the town. A chance to get to meet some new people and a chance to reunite with some that stayed when Meredith left. How you interact with these people, what favours you do or where you chose to go is up to you. It’s interesting that if you wanted too, you could do absolutely nothing but the postal job and leave at the end of the two weeks. That might be a bit too boring but it’s a choice you have.

Who needs the drama? You’re supposed to be on vacation.

Of course, chances are some of the offers and interactions that come your way will tempt. Been invited over for a coffee or to watch a thrashy 80’s horror? Why not! There’s some fun to be had with some of these storylines and seeing how they play out.

It is worth noting that Lake has three endings.

It is also worth noting that Lake nails several aspects. The time period, it feels suitably 80’s and time spent in the video rental store was a lot of fun. The voice acting is excellent, everyone sounds convincing and the simplicity of both the story and gameplay.

It’s a delightful game, especially if you can sink yourself into the slow narrative. That being said, it’s not perfect. The three endings play out in similar fashion with only the people involved changing. In the case of one ending, our interactions with said person made it feel like nothing we could have said or done would have changed it much.

Visually, it’s not that impressive either. Bright and colourful but seriously lacking polish. Voices don’t match to lip movements, some parts of the game, in particular the forestry areas just look rough and collision detection is non-existent.

Easy stuff to overlook though as Lake is a vacation well worth taking though.