If you’re a fan of point-and-click adventure games with a healthy dose of unsettling atmosphere, then the Rusty Lake series is probably already on your radar. Imagine if Eddie Allen Poe had traded his raven for a game development studio – that’s the kind of vibe you get from these titles. The latest installment, “Servant of the Lake,” promised more of the same twisted charm, and I’m happy to report it delivers in spades.
A Slow Burn into Vanderboom Madness
“Servant of the Lake” initially feels like a slow burn. I spent the first few nights playing, and while the game was undeniably weird, it felt more subdued than I expected. But once the story kicks into high gear, the Vanderboom family at the center of the tale doesn’t hold back. You sign on for what seems like a simple three-day gig as a servant during a big family reunion, but things quickly take a turn for the bizarre.
Like other Rusty Lake games, “Servant of the Lake” prioritizes atmosphere over freedom. The puzzles are fairly straightforward, and if you get stuck (as I did once), there’s plenty of help available from the community and the developers themselves, who have posted a comprehensive . The game is also very linear; while it might seem like you have choices, your fate is ultimately predetermined.
Weirdness is the Name of the Game
The voice acting in “Servant of the Lake” is excellent, although less detached from humanity than I remember from previous games. The soundtrack is also surprisingly pleasant, which adds to the unsettling atmosphere. It’s all still deeply weird, and I suspect that Rusty Lake (the development team) intentionally avoided distracting from the story too much.
Let’s talk about some of those “weird” moments. In my first morning on the job, I fed a man porridge infested with houseflies, then proceeded to shave him while cutting off a chunk of his ear – and he seemed perfectly okay with it! Later, I tried to kill a guy, and then watched a lady swallow a soul. Just another weekend in the Vanderboom household!
Secrets, Replayability, and Ominous Smiles
What “Servant of the Lake” lacks in player freedom, it more than makes up for in secrets. The game is brimming with them, adding to the ambiance and sometimes referencing previous games in the series. Fortunately, all chapters are replayable in any order once you finish the game, making it easy to go back and uncover what you missed.
The game has been a hit with fans. Less than a week after release, it holds an “overwhelmingly positive” rating on Steam across more than 4,500 reviews. Robin Ras, co-founder of Rusty Lake, told me that the launch was “a great success,” comparable to the release of 2022’s , the studio’s most successful game to date.
“Steam is our biggest platform and had a peak of 28,000 concurrent users on the first day,” Ras said. “It seems many fans were eager to play immediately. We already have over 4,000 reviews, with an average rating of 98%.”
Looking ahead, Ras says the team has “plenty of ideas” for the future and is also working on another dark adventure, “Falling Apart,” which they are publishing through their Second Maze label. But first, they’re focusing on “Servant of the Lake,” because there’s more to it than meets the eye. That ominous smiley face at the end of his statement definitely left me intrigued.
“Servant of the Lake” is available now on with a 25% launch discount, bringing the price down to $6/£6/6€. If you want a taste before diving in, there’s also a .
Source: PC Gamer
Comments
Be the first to comment.