Hope Lake

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 466 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
Hope Lake Game Cover
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In Hope Lake, explore a once-abandoned boarding school where a maniac has begun abducting female students. Uncover the truth by visiting 48 locations, solving 26 unique mini-games, and utilising an interactive map and flashlight. The game offers two difficulty levels.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 466 reviews
story112 positive mentions
music24 negative mentions
  • The game features a decent storyline that keeps players engaged.
  • The graphics and atmosphere are well-designed, contributing to a creepy and immersive experience.
  • The map system is helpful for navigation, allowing for fast travel and indicating available actions.
  • Many hidden object items are mislabeled, leading to confusion and frustration during gameplay.
  • The puzzles are often too easy and lack challenge, making the game feel less rewarding.
  • The music is repetitive and can become annoying over time, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story306 mentions

    The story of "Hope Lake" is described as intriguing and atmospheric, with elements of mystery and a connection to local legends, but it suffers from predictability, plot holes, and a lack of depth in character development. While some players found the narrative engaging and well-presented, others criticized it for being poorly structured and overly reliant on text, leading to a disconnection from the gameplay. Overall, the story is seen as a mixed bag—promising yet ultimately underwhelming, with many players feeling it could have been executed better.

    • “Hope Lake has a great and interesting story, and the atmosphere and soundtrack were enough to give me chills!”
    • “The story is somewhat sophisticated, too, and told slowly throughout the game until you piece together the whole picture at the end.”
    • “The story was interesting, although somewhat predictable (as I find is the case with most hidden object game titles).”
    • “The story is wasted because nothing happens until the last 20 minutes or so of the game.”
    • “The storyline had potential but it was executed poorly.”
    • “The story is ridden with countless logic errors, undermining the skill and IQ level of both our detective and the perpetrator.”
  • music92 mentions

    The music in the game is predominantly criticized for being overly repetitive, with many reviewers noting that only one track plays throughout the entire experience, leading to frustration and a lack of immersion. While some found the single track pleasant initially, it quickly became grating and detracted from the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the game. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the otherwise appealing graphics and story elements.

    • “Hope Lake has a great and interesting story, and the atmosphere and soundtrack were enough to give me chills!”
    • “The artwork in this title is fantastic and the theme music sticks with you long after the game is over.”
    • “Lovely game, good artwork and music.”
    • “The music is aggravating.”
    • “This is supposed to be a spooky game, but you have one song playing the entire game.”
    • “The music was the same short loop over and over, it drove me insane.”
  • graphics80 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the artwork as beautiful and atmospheric, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some users criticize the graphics as outdated and clunky, detracting from gameplay and immersion. Overall, while the visuals are often highlighted as a strong point, there are notable concerns regarding their execution and performance.

    • “The artwork in this title is fantastic and the theme music sticks with you long after the game is over.”
    • “The graphics are above average to nice and it adds to the atmosphere.”
    • “Beautiful graphics, especially the ending cutscene.”
    • “Compared to other games of this genre, Hope Lake is clunky, has outdated graphics and interfacing, and is poorly scripted.”
    • “The graphics are needlessly complicated and it can take a long time to transition from one scene to another, which is a problem when you only need to do one thing in an area and then leave to go elsewhere.”
    • “This game is very boring and slow and the graphics are terrible.”
  • atmosphere42 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its moody and immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the mystery-thriller experience with chilling soundtracks and vivid graphics. While many players appreciate the game's artistic depiction and overall ambiance, some criticize the repetitive music and lack of engaging content, which can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature, making it enjoyable for those seeking a relaxing yet eerie gaming experience.

    • “Hope Lake has a great and interesting story, and the atmosphere and soundtrack were enough to give me chills!”
    • “This game is thoroughly enjoyable and atmospheric with its vivid depiction of the lake shore area.”
    • “The atmosphere was good, I liked the artwork, and the simple joy of puzzle-solving made me ignore the mediocre voice acting and the so-so plot.”
    • “The storyline and game overall could have been wonderful but because so little happens, and the atmosphere is ruined by the music, it's truly boring.”
    • “It has a decent atmosphere but annoying, repetitive music.”
    • “The story was generally weak by comparison to most other games, and the puzzles repeated themselves quite a bit, but the atmosphere was very bleak and downtrodden, the perfect setting for a horror-themed puzzle game such as this.”
  • gameplay42 mentions

    The gameplay is described as somewhat complex and challenging compared to typical hidden object games, offering a solid length of around five hours. However, players noted issues such as a lack of clarity in objectives, basic mechanics, and frustrating bugs that can hinder progress. While the unique torch mechanic adds some intrigue, it is underutilized, and overall, the gameplay experience is considered mediocre with room for improvement in puzzles and object interactions.

    • “Was sad to see that I could interact with things before I knew what they were, but a solid 5 hours of gameplay for me!”
    • “There's a good amount of gameplay and I enjoyed it, so I'm giving it a recommend.”
    • “As for the gameplay, you will be doing a lot, and I mean a lot, of puzzles and hidden object games.”
    • “There is a reasonably unique torch mechanic that allows you to see in dark areas; while a nice touch, it is however rarely used and little more than a gimmick. I'd much rather they had put the effort into better puzzles or hidden object scene translations.”
    • “Because of point 1, there is little idea what the heck you're supposed to be doing other than running around completing puzzles that seem to have no purpose other than to complete gameplay.”
    • “The game has an interesting story, amazing art, nice detective style, but there is a huge bug you'll encounter in the first two hours of gameplay in one of the hidden object scenes. You will be unable to open a box, and to solve this bug, you must restart playing the game, sadly.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be particularly tedious, often feeling compelled to continue out of frustration rather than enjoyment. The repetitive music and mismatched clues contribute to a sense of monotony, making the experience feel more laborious than engaging. Overall, the combination of tedious puzzles and unchanging audio detracts from the game's appeal.

    • “This was particularly tedious, and I finished it mostly out of spite.”
    • “An alright hidden object game, but some of the puzzles are very tedious, and this game has a habit of using clues that do not match the item being looked for.”
    • “One of the gripes I have, in particular, is the obnoxious title music that never switches to a different track; it can make the game tedious to listen to.”
  • stability8 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs affecting hidden object scenes and puzzles, including incorrect word associations. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable, the technical glitches and lack of settings options detract from the overall experience, making it less appealing.

    • “The hidden object scenes are buggy.”
    • “Firstly, I don't hate the game... it is playable and somewhat fun; however, the glitches with the game and the lack of settings options make this a no-go.”
    • “Additionally, if one is able to put aside all of the technical glitches, the puzzles themselves are almost painfully simple.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its absurdities, such as the exaggerated need for oversized tools to perform simple tasks and amusing translation errors that lead to comical misunderstandings of object names. Players found these elements to be unexpectedly funny, contributing to a lighthearted experience despite some frustrations.

    • “I ended up laughing more than anything at needing a full-sized rake to clear a few inches of dried leaves, a shovel to get rid of eight handfuls of sand, or a few fist-sized one-pound stones.”
    • “It actually made me laugh near the end.”
    • “(Yes, I turned it off) it had funny little translation errors that made finding the hidden object a little difficult to know what you were looking for, like calling a feather duster a broom (close), a brush a comb (kind of close), a wrench a key, and a key a wrench (that was the best one).”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is criticized for its lack of adjustable graphics settings, offering minimal options that hinder performance customization.

    • “Game settings are minimal at best with zero options to adjust graphics for performance.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The reviews indicate that the game's replayability is high, with players finding multiple pathways, challenges, and outcomes that encourage them to revisit the experience. Many users appreciate the variety in gameplay elements that keep the game fresh and engaging upon subsequent playthroughs.

    • “The game lacks significant replay value, making it feel like a one-time experience.”
    • “Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to play again.”
    • “The limited choices and outcomes mean that replaying the game feels redundant.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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