Servant of the Lake
Our verdict
9/10
- Difficulty: Medium
- Players: 1
- Playtime: 5–7 h
Servant of the Lake is Rusty Lake's latest premium point-and-click adventure, set decades before Rusty Lake: Roots. You are the new servant of the Vanderboom household, working through daily chores that start with laundry and crooked portraits and slide into helping with grim alchemical experiments. It suits solo players who like surreal, creepy puzzle stories, whether or not they know the series lore.
Players rate it Overwhelmingly Positive, with about 98 percent of over 1,600 reviews recommending it. Fans praise the unsettling atmosphere, the voice acting, the dark humour and a big dose of family backstory. Several say the puzzles are fair if you pay attention to each scene, with only the occasional trip to a walkthrough, and the chapter select makes it easy to go back for missed achievements.
The complaints come mostly from long-time fans. Some found it too hand-holding and simple next to earlier entries, others felt the chore-list structure leads to repetition and trial and error, and one reviewer was tired of sliding-block filler. Most players finish in five to seven hours. Series fans will want it regardless; newcomers get a polished, approachable entry point that is worth its full price.
Pros
- Household chores that slide into grim alchemical experiments
- Rich Vanderboom family backstory set before Rusty Lake: Roots
- Strong voice acting and a haunting soundtrack
Cons
- Veterans find it simpler and more guided than earlier entries
- Task-list structure brings some repetition and trial and error
- A few filler puzzles such as sliding blocks
About
Welcome to the Vanderboom house, home to the infamous Vanderboom family! Visitors are arriving soon, and you are meant to start your housekeeping duties immediately!
Solve the puzzles needed to fulfil your daily tasks, look after the household, welcome the visitor and ensure their comfort while helping the family achieve their alchemical ambitions!
Servant of the Lake is the new premium point-and-click adventure in the Rusty Lake series from the creators of the Cube Escape series, The Past Within and Underground Blossom.
Features:
Going back to our Roots - Servant of the Lake is a classic single-player Rusty Lake point-and-click adventure set in the infamous Vanderboom house during the era of Aldous and William Vanderboom.
Solve surreal puzzles – Expect to go from simple tasks such as straightening the family portraits and doing the laundry to assisting in complex experiments and cleaning up the aftermath.
Unravel a dark narrative – Live through events set decades before Rusty Lake: Roots! As the servant of the Vanderboom estate, you can explore each room of The House while making sure the family is looked after. Do you think you can survive the weekend?
Immersive soundtrack - Haunting melodies composed and performed by Victor Butzelaar to keep you company while puzzling your way through your daily, usual and unusual tasks.
