Servant of the Lake: Surreal Horror at it's Finest

 Servant of the Lake

A Dive into Surreal Horror

Rusty Lake is a series that is near and dear to my heart. I've been playing the games for years now, so when the opportunity arose to cover the demo for Servant of the Lake as part of Steam Next Fest, I knew that I had to take the dive. I had to return to the lake once more and see what new mysteries there would be to uncover and what surreal horrors I would discover!

If you've come to this blog and just want some quick facts though, let me share with you a little chart that sums up just how much I enjoyed this game.

If you're craving a deeper dive though, then this post is the one for you! I'm going to dive into what I enjoyed about Servant of the Lake and also dip my toes into the glory of the Rusty Lake series as a whole!

Music

I love the music of Rusty Lake and of course Servant of the Lake is no different. It's a beautifully haunting soundtrack that lingers and I find it so eerie in the best way. In the past they've used a classical piece that I love called Gymnopedie No. 1 by Satie. Now though, the haunting melodies of Victor Butzelaar follow the player. Victor has done an amazing job and I wish I just heard the music more.

Something about pulling up to the Vanderboom estate with that haunting track playing in the background just hits different. It sets the stage for the small but unsettling puzzles that await me as I prove that I'm worthy to be a Servant of the Lake.

Mechanics

The mechanics of the series as a whole have always been quite simple. It's a point and click horror game where you move around the estate to pick up items and solve puzzles. It's not complicated but I think that's the beauty of it. 

There's a certain humor in never knowing what you're going to pick up and need. I found myself chuckling a bit when I picked up a chunk of ear, equal parts grossed out and amused since I knew exactly what I would be doing with that ear.

Many of the mechanics are just like this. You just have to be ready to click everything because you never know what the lake will require of you!

Characters

I love that Servant of the Lake focuses back on the Vanderboom family, but this time from an outside source. This time we're there to work for exactly 3 days, not one of the members of the family. So now we're a true outsider instead of someone connected to or part of the family. It feels like it's going to be a completely different perspective in comparison to most of the other games!

So over the course of Servant of the Lake, we enter the house, make some porridge, and then wake up Aldous Vanderboom himself. It's not a particularly long demo but I felt like the three sections were good at showcasing some of the characters. Aldous Vanderboom is the current head of the house and it seems most of our time will be spent with him.

Although we didn't meet many characters, overall it really felt like coming home. I felt happy to be back at the lake, this time taking on a new role!

Story

Much like with the characters, we didn't get to hear much in terms to the story yet. So far all we know is that we will be working at the estate for three days. What brought us here and what our overall role is still remains to be seen. This was just enough to truly leave me intrigued and wondering what will come next. It was like a tempting taste that just made me want more.

As for my own guesses, I wonder if we will be a new recurring character or if perhaps we will have some distant connection to Laura and Dale? Or maybe we will relate back to Rusty Lake Hotel and the animals that we once served there. But more on that later!

Puzzles

Compared to other Rusty Lake games, I found Servant of the Lake to be a little bit easier. It's a bit hard for me to completely tell since I'm very used to how they structure their puzzles so in general I know what to look out for. Of course, this didn't stop me from absolutely ripping my hair out when I had to help Aldous Vanderboom exercise. Despite finding the hint early on, I forgot the key detail of revisiting everything!

Now, I don't think it's bad that the puzzles weren't as difficult as I'm used to. I actually liked how the demo kept it a little simpler. But that's because I know as the story unfolds things will absolutely get harder and harder. Rusty Lake tends to lure you in with a false sense of security and then strike when you least except it!

Rusty Lake

I've been playing the Rusty Lake games for a long time now and I've loved all of them. What I find so charming in this series is how it's laid out. Each game is a small, bite sized story, meant to be consumed anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. Each one tells a story that can be self contained with a beginning, middle, and end or added on to the larger picture. 

My first Rusty Lake game was Hotel, a game I picked up on a whim because it seemed fun. And every game I've played since has had me hooked. And as the story has unfolded around me, I just keep wondering what it is that draws people into the lake. What secrets are held within? And will we ever understand it all or will the mysteries continue to elude us?

Final Thoughts

I can't wait for Servant of the Lake to release! I'll be there at launch to grab the game and I can't wait to play through it in full! I've been working on a full timeline of the series and I'll be interested to see where this game fits in. I want to know the full picture and I feel like we're getting so close to a new breakthrough!

If you want to check out my video of the game... here it is!

I hope you enjoy your first dip into Rusty Lake!

💛 Memento