Servant of the Lake

I don't think I've finished a Rusty Lake game feeling so satisfied. Right up there with RL Hotel. This was among the best. Even knowing lore from previous games, I played this one with sincere growing dread. The voice acting here was the best yet in this franchise. William steals the show. I'm not sure if the puzzles are easier, or I'm just getting more used to them? Either way, these challenges seemed more straightforward than I remember from previous installments. But that's not disappointment--I recall some real frustration that some puzzles back in the day were utterly right-brained nonsense and seemed arbitrary, pushing back the curtain and making the developers' sense of humor a character intruding on the stage and breaking the 4th wall--not in a good way. None of that frustration or distraction here at all. (Ok, maybe I'm desensitized now. Excuse me while I put this chair back together with cat vomit. She told me not to get involved with these people, why didn't I listen??) I love Rusty Lake's atmospheric horror, dreamy non-sequitur narration, and the fact you can really jump into the games in any order. What's a callback and what's a foreshadow isn't important to enjoying these mysteries that defy solution. If this is your first look into the franchise and you enjoy David Lynch, don't think twice. Unbelievably good value for the price. These visits to the Rusty Lake universe oscillate between the surreal and psychological horror. This particular episode is more the latter than the former, just a straightforward, wholesome family reunion. I'd like to make a toast!