Lake

I appreciate it definitely spoke to some people but I really didn't feel the overall vibe of this game at all. It tries to really bank on its 'cozy' factor but the repetitive gameplay loop, same three songs on repeat and bland writing kinda overshadow all of that. I found the game generally really sad, I guess? The MC is an outsider coming back home to a community where all the characters have a chill life but most seem to find things to be unhappy about. The romance subplots are really poor. There's virtually no chemistry between the MC and the options and it's kinda jarring how shoe-horned the romance is if you do force it. The game is presented as something warm and it very easily could have been written as such, but it's actually oddly cold. Feel hollow having finished it.

I played the demo and got excited about this game. Delivering the mail and talking to the folks in a small town around a lake seemed like it would be quite a chill experience. Unfortunately, after playing through the full game, I can't recommend it. It's a good idea for a game, but it needs more work. Here are some examples: - The voice acting is good, but the writing... not so much. There are quite a few characters, but they're all very shallow. There's also a lack of humor. - There are many decisions, but almost none of them have any effect. Sometimes what happens afterward doesn't even match the choice you made. - The game doesn't live up to the "Story Rich" tag. Nothing really happens apart from a few decisions you make on the last day. - There are minor bugs, like subtitles not matching the dialogue. By the end, I also got a bit annoyed by the lack of an animation for getting in and out of the vehicle, which is simply replaced by a scene reload. - Depending on the lighting, the characters can often look eerie (including the protagonist). - The few radio songs were pretty good, but there weren't enough of them. Also, the characters' singing is kind of bad. - It's been called a "walking sim", but most of the game is actually driving. Walking itself is too slow to be used as an alternative. - Petting cats might be the best part of the game. There aren't many of these though. I also liked occasional encounters with other wild animals; unfortunately your character is too slow to follow them. So... yeah, I'm kinda disappointed with this one. I see that some people love it, though, so maybe try the demo and see if it's for you. Just keep in mind that the full game doesn't really add anything beyond what you've already seen.

After an hour of playing, I can honestly say I was pretty disappointed. The car radio did more to entertain me than the actual game. As a mail carrier simulator, there's barely any variety in what you do. You're basically delivering letters and packages over and over again. As a small-town life sim, the NPCs feel robotic, the interactions are awkward, and the dialogue is completely lifeless. Deliveries basically consist of dropping a package on a counter and walking away. The world isn't interactive either, I couldn't even sit in a rocking chair on a porch. Driving the white van feels like controlling a giant LEGO brick. Hit a pedestrian or another vehicle and nothing really happens, they just get pushed out of the way. It's hard to take the world seriously when everything reacts like a toy. I was also looking forward to seeing the "beautiful scenery" that other reviews praised, but even with everything set to max, the visuals felt underwhelming and never managed to pull me into the game.

I love this cozy, scenic game. I can see myself playing it again. My daughter is going to try it out next. The graphics are really nice. I was pretty pleased with the look of everything. I got a kick out of driving around in The Goose as I admired the town of Providence Oaks. The game itself runs smoothly. I enjoyed the story. I do hope there will be more content added to this game with time. I did buy the Season's Greetings DLC and got to play as Meredith's dad, Thomas, and that was just as enjoyable as playing as Meredith. I liked that you were given a couple of options for romantic partners for Meredith, and that she was given the chance to reconnect with her high school friend, Kay. I do have some disappointments: How short the game is... I finished the game in less than 2 days. The lack of interaction. As an avid Sims and life simulation game player, I am so used to being able to go up to people and talk to them. When I tried to talk to strangers on the street and it wasn't possible, it was a let down. As another reviewer commented, the world felt unrealistic, which was a minor issue for me. But I would have liked to talk to more people and explore more buildings than what there was accessible as well. I do understand that you were only meant to talk to certain people and go into certain establishments. The romantic aspect of the game was incredibly short and vague. I didn't like that the evenings at home after the work days were the same, and Meredith/Thomas was always alone (apart from a phone call/Christmas dinner). It's set in the 80's. It did not really give me the 80's vibe, apart from the Flick Shack. As a huge 80's lover, that is something I'm always disappointed with if something's set in the 80's but doesn't have that nostalgic atmosphere. The last disappointment was the lack of songs on the radio. I was wishing I could play with fun 80's music or rock music in general. :) Overall, I am pretty happy I came across and played this game. I hope to see more games like it. I prefer low stress, fun and interactive (building/decorating/hobby and job/relationship building/etc.) sim games. I would recommend checking Lake out if you like cozy, scenic, simple, story led games.

unfortunately the writing is really not it, and the movement speed of walking/driving takes this from cozy to monotonous.

спокойная и умиротворяющая игра на пару вечеров, не очень большая. обожаю, когда можно кататься на фургонах в играх, здесь это чуть ли не основной геймплей. нужно развозить письма и посылки, симулятор почтальонши. как раз перед этим читала «почтальоншу» франчески джанноне. можно гладить котиков, фотографировать живописную природу, наслаждаться видами и выполнять ежедневную рутинную работу, общаясь с людьми и развивая с ними отношения по желанию (можно тусить с укурышами, нарkotики – зло). есть два любовных интереса на выбор (женщина и мужчина), есть выборы поведения в процессе и выборы концовки. меня немного раздражали мелодии по радио, но это моя личная аутичная реакция на музыку, я часто ее выключала. хочется возвращаться и проходить заново, снова вспоминая деньки, проведенные в маленьком городке у озера.

[i](EN first, Bahasa Indonesia below)[/i] [h1]"Story Rich," No Story[/h1] Playtime: 9.5 hours [h2]Pros:[/h2] - Open-world structure - Decent visual style [h2]Cons:[/h2] - The core gameplay — delivering mail and packages — never evolves beyond its initial premise - That repetition eventually makes even the act of driving and walking feel tedious - The world feels open in name only; there's nothing meaningful to discover while exploring, just empty space with no real points of interest - Tagged as "Story Rich," yet the plot never develops into anything substantial - The protagonist's love interest is equally shallow — the entire narrative feels underdeveloped, as if it was never taken seriously in the first place [h2]Verdict:[/h2] I REGRET buying this game. Kept playing for 9.5 hours simply to find out whether it was really as boring as it seemed — it was. Should've requested a refund before hitting the 2-hour mark. Even at a discounted price, it wasn't worth it. A WASTE of both time and money. [h2]Score:[/h2] [b]1/5[/b] - AVOID. [h1]"Story Rich" Tanpa Cerita[/h1] Waktu bermain: 9,5 jam [h2]Kelebihan:[/h2] - Struktur open world - Gaya visual yang cukup menarik [h2]Kekurangan:[/h2] - Gameplay antar surat dan paket tidak pernah berkembang dari premis awalnya - Repetisi itu membuat aktivitas berjalan kaki dan mengemudi pun lama-lama terasa membosankan - Kesan open world hanya sebatas nama; tidak ada yang layak ditemukan, hanya ruang kosong tanpa spot yang menarik - Dapat tag "Story Rich", tapi plot cerita tidak pernah berkembang menjadi sesuatu yang substansial - Kisah cinta tokoh utama pun sama dangkalnya — keseluruhan narasi terasa tidak digarap serius sejak awal [h2]Kesimpulan:[/h2] MENYESAL membeli game ini. Saya terus main sampai 9,5 jam sekadar untuk memastikan apakah benar semembosankan itu — ternyata benar. Seharusnya saya ajukan refund sebelum 2 jam. Walau dibeli dengan harga diskon, tetap tidak sepadan: RUGI waktu, RUGI uang. [h2]Score:[/h2] [b]1/5[/b] - JANGAN dibeli.

Uma das melhores experiências que a décima arte já foi capaz de me proporcionar. Talvez o fato de eu ter me identificado com a protagonista tenha contado bastante pra isso. Você está nos anos 80, vivendo em uma grande metrópole nos EUA, trabalhando com tecnologia, acabou de entregar um projeto que te consumiu mais do que o esperado e agora você decide tirar 2 semanas de férias na sua cidade natal sendo carteira. Ao chegar lá você percebe que a cidade já não é mais a mesma de quando você foi embora há 22 anos atrás e muitas coisas inesperadas acabam acontecendo. Não é apenas um simples simulador de carteiro! Conforme você faz entregas, você vai encontrando (e reencontrando) pessoas que te falam coisas e te levam às experiências mais únicas da sua vida. Velhas amizades, novos amigos, novos amores e por aí vai. Quando você combina a ambientação da cidade, a trilha sonora, os encontros e as situações, um sentimento de conforto tão grande toma conta de você que torna difícil superar o fim do jogo. Obra de arte! Nota: 10/10.

Думаю не будь я программистом и деньги бы не имели значения, то стала бы почтовиком.

A reasonable concept with a decent art style and excellent music choices, but too repetitive in the way of gameplay and too little meaning in story decisions with no overarching plot to keep your interest and tie everything together. Might be worthwhile on a sale, but I can't reasonably recommend this at full price.