Lake is a beautifully presented story-driven adventure game taking place in the fictional town of Providence Oaks, Oregon. This gorgeous lakeside town is home to many quirky residents. You play Meredith Weiss, a woman who returns to her hometown to help her father deliver mail while he is away. Meredith moves from the hustle and bustle of city life to return home in order to navigate a slower pace of life.Lake is a game that urges you to take your time as you take on the role of a postal worker in a small, quaint, and quiet town. Your only real objective is to deliver mail and parcels to specific residents or businesses each and every day, all while getting to the locals, some of whom remember you fondly. While a pretty simple game, there are still some things that are good to know before starting your new life.
6 Your Map And Delivery List
Taking place in the fictional and picturesque lakeside location of Providence Oaks, Oregon, Lake offers you a fun and beautiful location to discover as you drive around delivering mail and parcels. Right from the start you are given a handy map of the entire game's location and it's organically filled out as you discover new places.
The map is going to be your main friend as you deliver mail and parcels to each house or establishment around Providence Oaks and the surrounding area. You are able to pull up the map at any time with a full delivery list showing where these deliveries need to be made. Also, you can add an optional waypoint on the map should you wish.
5 Choosing The Correct Parcel
This might be very obvious, however, it begs to be mentioned; be sure to choose the correct parcel before dropping it off for delivery. This is a pretty linear game but you are still able to make some choices with one of them being the ability to choose the parcel from the back of your mail truck.
You really shouldn't have any trouble choosing the right parcel considering the game always tells you the location, plus, you have a delivery list. On top of that, each parcel from the truck specifically states the exact address. Just make sure to pick the right parcel for the right delivery. It's as simple as that.
4 Feel Free To Explore
Lake is a game about exploration and the freedom to do your job as you see fit. While it's by no means an open-world game, you, as Meredith Weiss, as still able to decide how you deliver each piece of mail or each parcel. If you want to take the route through the mountainous forest, then feel free to do so.
If you want to just move the story along or meet the next character, then simply head right to the next delivery location via the main roads. The game does have many invisible walls so you can't just drive or walk around anywhere, however, there is a great sense of freedom to complete your daily deliveries as you see fit.
3 A Plethora Of Dialogue Options
One of the more nuanced gameplay aspects to Lake is the ability to choose from an assortment of dialogue options, many of which actually open up new tasks or agenda items to complete, should you wish. Depending on the resident you are talking to, you might decide to help them or pass them by.
As an example, the video store rental clerk asks if you want to have an adventure with her if you happen to watch the VHS tape she recommends to you. It's little narrative moments like this that really help flesh out the game world. Plus, the dialogue options add to the replay value because you might find new tasks on a subsequent playthrough.
2 Choose Your End-Of-Day Activity
Once you complete your daily deliveries from the postal service, you head back to your house. Meredith generally sits on the couch after a long day and you are able to decide on watching some television, reading a book, or even heading out on a task or mini-adventure.
Depending on your choices during the day, you might have even more options for an end-of-day activity. The more characters you interact with and the more your actively take part in dialogue, the more activities you could have on your agenda. Make sure to check your agenda which acts as a sort of weekly planner.
1 A Very Relaxed, Slow-Paced Game
Easily the best thing to know about Lake prior to starting a new game is that it's meant to be a slow-paced, relaxing narrative adventure. This isn't a game full of excitement and action. Instead, the game focuses on Meredith, her memories of Providence Oaks, the friendships and relationships she once held dear, and ultimately completing your mail route each day.
Take in each day and be sure to explore so that you can meet all of the quirky residents. The best tip would simply be to take your time and to enjoy the moment. Whether you are chatting with an old friend, making a special parcel delivery, or driving around the lake, just enjoy the game for what it is.