Lake Ridden is a “walking simulator” that recently released on the Steam platform. While it plays like a walking simulator, I put the term in quotes because this game has more to offer than most other titles in the genre.
For those of you hearing about this game for the first time, Lake Ridden is set in 1988 and revolves around a young girl named Marie. Marie sets off on a camping trip with her younger sister for one last time before summer ends. It’s here that things go bad as Marie has an argument with her sister who then runs off into the forest. This is where your adventure begins, as finding your younger sibling is now your top priority.
From the start, you can immediately see the detail and care the developers have put into Lake Ridden. What impressed me the most was the amount of effort that went into the puzzles. This is not one of those games that requires you to simply ‘pick up an object and place it here or there’ in order to complete a puzzle. Lake Ridden actually challenges you to use your brain in order to solve its puzzles. In one of them, you have to solve a couple of riddles by clicking on objects that you think are the answer. Sounds simple but solving these riddles also tells you the combination code of a nearby lock. It’s easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention, but at the same time fairly obvious when you know what to look for. All the puzzles in Lake Ridden give you enough hints to solve them, but not too much to make them self-explanatory. If you aren’t that good at solving puzzles, then do not worry. The developers have included a hint button that you can use whenever you want on any puzzle. You don’t have to use it of course, but it sure is a nice addition.
Lake Ridden also has optional puzzles that can be found throughout and these come in the form of puzzle boxes. The puzzles boxes have been placed throughout the different levels and contain different photos that, once unlocked, expand the story further by giving you some insight about several NPC’s that are mentioned throughout the main story. These boxes are a fun addition to the game and I found myself actually wanting to learn more about the story’s characters.
Unlike most games in this genre, Lake Ridden sets you up with some sort of sidekick, called Nora. This girl is not physically present, but her voice follows you throughout the game. You interact with Nora using an on-screen prompt that appears with numbers and questions. Depending on which number you select, your character will ask Nora questions that further develop the story or guide you towards your next goal. While it’s nice the developers offer some interaction with your sidekick/guide, I didn’t see much reason to use the on-screen prompt mechanic. You always ask every question there is on the prompt before it goes away, so giving you the illusion of choice is little disappointing. It didn’t hurt my overall experience with the game, but it’s something I would like to see get done better in the developers next project(s). What did hurt the experience, though, is the voice of Nora. The developers wanted her to sound obviously British and the voice actress of Nora is clearly not. This results in Nora sounding like a low-life scoundrel from the slums in 1800’s London. Every time she spoke, all I could hear was “Oi mate, show me yer droiver’s loicense” or “I’ll bash yor head in, a swear on me mum!”. I’m sure the voice actress did her best, but it’s obvious that the English dialect is not her forte.
Conclusion
Lake Ridden is a puzzle game first, walking simulator second. The puzzles are challenging but not too hard to the point they would discourage players to keep playing. I can recommend it to everyone who enjoys these types of games. The only negative point I can make is the inclusion of Nora, but it’s nothing game-breaking or even that big of an issue.
