Servant of the Lake Review: An Absolute Must-Play for Fans of the Series

I’ve always loved the Cube Escape series since first discovering it on the old Kongregate site back in the day, so when I heard about Servant of the Lake’s imminent release, I couldn’t resist. I was excited to get back to the creepy vibes of the series.

Rusty Lake has always done an excellent job of horror, opting for an unsettling atmosphere and the odd skin-crawling moment instead of cheap jump scares and gory monsters. But does Servant of the Lake do the series justice, or is it a step back?

Here’s my full review after spending more than ten hours with the game.

Do You Need to Play the Cube Escape Series First?

Before I get stuck in, I just wanted to answer a quick question that may come up. The short answer is no, you don’t need any prior knowledge before going into Servant of the Lake. It’s a standalone title that offers a full experience on its own.

I don’t remember the Cube Escape games all that well, and though I did recognize some returning characters and themes, I’m sure plenty of references were lost on me.

I now intend to go back and replay the Cube Escape series. Both because it’s just good enough to replay, and because I want to understand the lore a little better again. With that out of the way, let’s get to the actual review.

An Atmosphere That’s Hard to Beat

Servant of the Lake is a point-and-click horror/mystery puzzle game. You play as a servant in the Vanderboom Estate, and you’re tasked with spending three days in the home, serving the master of the house and his siblings. You’ll be serving coffee, helping guests bathe (nothing weird), and even mixing concoctions in labs. Most importantly, you’ll need to stay alive.

Right off the bat, Servant of the Lake manages to create that vague, unsettling atmosphere that made the Cube Escape games so great. The art style, the way the characters talk, the light ambiance — it all blends into a distinct style that Rusty Lake has perfected over the years.

Though I must say, it’s a bit of a slower burn on this one. The first day feels almost normal, like you’re in some cozy point-and-click puzzle game. But by the first night, things ramp up, and you’re back in that unsettled state that most of their prior games will get you into.

The scenes and characters are all brilliantly designed, with unique characteristics, and one of them even made me laugh out loud at one point. Overall, there’s not a single critique of the art style or atmosphere as a whole.

So, let’s get into the story.

Predictable Doesn’t Mean Bad

The story isn’t fantastic, I must admit. It’s a fairly standard, run-of-the-mill mystery with some pretty obvious twists, even though it tries to misdirect you. I knew pretty early on what was bound to happen, and I ended up only being half-wrong.

Despite this, it’s a fine story with multiple aspects that do keep one intrigued to the very end. The voice-overs are great, but they may remind you a little of AI. The flat, dead tones are perfect for the universe but do draw out the AI comparison, like some weird reverse-uncanny valley effect.

They fit the theme and the atmosphere perfectly, however, and trying to differentiate the voices from AI in any way probably would have hurt the game more than help it, so it’s something I’m glad to endure.

A rather major issue for me is that there’s no apparent jeopardy. Sure, you’ll see the odd creepy thing, but nothing can actually hurt you. This isn’t new for the Cube Escape games, however. I don’t remember ever being able to die in one, but some danger — given the nature of the game — would have been nice.

Story, atmosphere, and the lack of danger aside, this is a puzzle game, right? So, are they any good?

You Will Be Frustrated, but Only a Little

Okay, most of the puzzles in the game are pretty easy. Almost disappointingly so, but then there are a few with which I had real trouble. At one point, I even had to call in a colleague to help me solve one. The bouncing of ideas really helped, so if you’re ever stuck, consider calling in a friend (or check out our guides section).

But even on the difficult ones where I felt like just giving up for a bit, the solution eventually becomes apparent, and the hit is really worth sticking with it. If I had one serious gripe about the game, it’s that there aren’t more difficult puzzles in the game.

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll leave it at that, but I was feeling a little bit let down after the end of the game. Story-wise, the ending was very good, but the puzzles leading up to the end were dead simple. Good for pacing, but not great for my sense of satisfaction. However, there is one final puzzle I’m still working on, which will keep me playing even after this review. It’s a toughie.

Verdict: Unmissable for Fans of the Series

Overall, I had an absolute ball with Servant of the Lake, and any fan of the series will enjoy it as much. The distinct art style and creepy atmosphere make it an unmistakable Rusty Lake instant classic, and it’s a great capstone on the series so far, though I’m sure (I hope) there’s more to come.

The puzzles, for the most part, can be solved by keen observation and logic, even though many are too simple and could be solved by random guesswork as well. The achievements give us a reason to replay most levels, and overall I’m very satisfied with my time in the game. I will certainly recommend Servant of the Lake to my friends.