Lake, a mail delivery visual novel on Steam, developed by Gamious and published by Whitethorn Digital and Gamious, is about how Meredith Weiss takes a break from her big-city job to deliver mail in her hometown. Set in 1986, this visual novel is relaxing and players can experience two weeks in Providence Oaks, Meredith’s hometown with an iconic lake and quirky community. The choice is yours on what she will do next.
The story revolves solely around Meredith Weiss and her adventures in delivering mail all around Providence Oaks. Players are able to experience and witness her two weeks there, getting to know the townspeople, reuniting with old friends, and debating staying home instead of going back into the city. While it is a relaxing and cozy experience, the pace and story can feel slow and difficult to stay invested.
The controls and gameplay are very simple as it aims to provide a relaxing and low-intensity experience to players. The basics of Lake are delivering mail, occasionally speaking with townspeople, doing actions at home, and some side quests. The controls are simple mouse camera control with W, A, S, D, for movement for Meredith and the mail truck. You are able to control Meredith herself and her mail truck, where you get to travel around Providence Oaks to deliver mail. Lake is unfortunately riddled with bugs and clunkiness. Controlling Meredith feels very boxy, and her model, alongside the truck, is not as flexible or smooth as it should be. Sometimes Meredith glitches when walking around or driving and it is hard to maneuver. The camera controls are also very sensitive and it is hard to change them. Lowering or raising the option feels as if it does not make a difference.
The visuals and graphics are the only redeeming quality of Lake. It is so beautiful with shading, lighting, and the designs of the map, characters, and different locations. It is relaxing to drive around Providence Oaks to take in the scenery, and it almost feels nostalgic and serene. The whole entire game is also fully voice acted and contains subtitles. The voice acting is somewhat mediocre, but it adds involvement with the characters.
The plot of Lake is very lackluster, with very little exploration or character development. Since it is a visual novel, players are able to make choices throughout the game to change the ending. However, it lacks many character choices and it feels as if the choices chosen do not really matter about which ending of the story the player gets. It almost feels forced and unrealistic to what would happen n real life. The world feels constrained, without much room to explore and learn more about Providence Oaks. It is very monotonous to deliver mail and can get repetitive, leaving players feeling dull and uneventful experience.
I personally was initially impressed with the game, as it was unique to other visual novel games I’ve played. Despite my initial impressions though, the plot of the story and the gameplay really ruined my experience. I feel that this game had so much potential to be unique, relaxing, and something to do on a cozy winter night, but, it wasn’t. There were no plot twists, the controls were clunky, and there was little room for character development. The situations seem forced and with the lack of character development, players could feel awkward at all of the interactions. Delivering mail took up most of the game time as well, compared to interacting with the townspeople and progressing through the story. It is very monotonous and hard to stay engaged when you have to deliver mail for two in-game weeks. Lake may be catered to a niche and older audience, and they may enjoy it. However, if you are expecting a twist, more to the world, then I would not recommend Lake.
Lake is available for PC for $19.99 via Steam.
I really love playing video games! Growing up, my dad introduced me to video games, the first being Street Fighter. I have always been surrounded by them growing up and even now. They really impacted my life allowing me to share this commonality with my friends and new ones. I play a wide array of games, mostly PC, but sometimes PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Some of my favorite games are Final Fantasy VII, League of Legends, Persona 5, and Stardew Valley. As of recent, I've been playing Fall Guys and Among Us as well!
More Stories
Metro Simulator 2 Review for Xbox
GTA Online this Week Features New Community Series, Free Tees, Nightclub Bonuses, and More
MANOR LORDS Preview for Steam Early Access