Hope Lake

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 253 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 253 reviews
story68 positive mentions
music12 negative mentions
  • Hope Lake features a captivating and dark storyline that keeps players engaged throughout the game.
  • The game offers a variety of puzzles and hidden object scenes, providing a refreshing change from the repetitive nature of many similar games.
  • The graphics and atmosphere are well-designed, enhancing the overall experience of exploring the abandoned boarding school.
  • Many items in the hidden object scenes are mislabeled, leading to confusion and frustration when trying to find specific objects.
  • The music is repetitive and can become annoying over time, detracting from the immersive experience.
  • Some puzzles are overly simplistic, and the game lacks depth in its narrative and character development.
  • story179 mentions

    The story of "Hope Lake" is described as dark and intriguing, with a mix of engaging elements and significant flaws. While some players found the narrative compelling and atmospheric, others criticized it for being predictable, poorly structured, and filled with plot holes. Overall, the story is seen as a decent backdrop for the hidden object gameplay, but it often fails to deliver a satisfying or coherent experience.

    • “Hope Lake is a captivating hidden object game that offers a gripping and dark storyline.”
    • “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.”
    • “And the story... the story can be told in 2 phrases.”
    • “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.”
  • music54 mentions

    The music in the game is predominantly a single, looped track that many players find repetitive and annoying, detracting from the overall experience. While some appreciate the atmosphere it creates, the lack of variety leads to a sense of tedium, with several reviewers recommending turning off the music altogether. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a missed opportunity, overshadowing the game's potential with its monotony.

    • “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 gets repetitive and annoying after a while.”
    • “The music was the same short loop over and over, it drove me insane.”
    • “There is something like a minute of music which is looped through the whole game.”
  • graphics52 mentions

    The graphics of the game received mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful artwork and atmospheric visuals, while others criticized the outdated graphics and clunky transitions between scenes. Many noted that while the artwork was appealing, it sometimes suffered from issues like items blending into the background, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game features decent to good graphics, but lacks optimization and variety in visual presentation.

    • “The story was pretty nice and the overall graphics were really nice and cool.”
    • “A lovely dark themed adventure game with a beautiful storyline and great graphics, you'll have a ton of fun uncovering each and every location while trying to escape.”
    • “The amazing artwork and the good OST, combined with an interesting story make this game very atmospheric.”
    • “The graphics of the game weren't that optimal for the scenes either, since sometimes the items you were looking for blended in the background and other times they just popped out so obviously like they didn't belong there.”
    • “Compared to other games of this genre, Hope Lake is clunky, has outdated graphics and interfacing, and is poorly scripted.”
    • “This game is very boring and slow and the graphics are terrible.”
  • gameplay30 mentions

    The gameplay in "Hope Lake" combines hidden object mechanics with various puzzles, offering a more complex experience than typical hidden object games, though it suffers from several mechanical flaws and occasional bugs that can disrupt progress. While the game features a unique torch mechanic and a decent length of playtime, many players find the overall execution basic and frustrating, with issues like mislabeling of objects and slow navigation detracting from the experience. Despite its interesting story and appealing artwork, the gameplay is often described as lacking polish and innovation.

    • “Unlike many hidden object games that rely heavily and solely on finding hidden items as the core mechanic, Hope Lake blends it with a variety of puzzles, requiring you to gather items and objects throughout the game to unlock the puzzles and solve challenges to progress.”
    • “That is, it is a somewhat difficult and complex game compared to other simple and easy hidden object games, making it easy for players to get into its gameplay.”
    • “There's a good amount of gameplay and I enjoyed it, so I'm giving it a recommend.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty basic.”
    • “Mechanics have several flaws.”
    • “But the gameplay was annoying and I'm not sure I'll play it more than once or twice.”
  • atmosphere22 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its moody and immersive qualities, enhanced by strong visuals and a fitting soundtrack that evokes a sense of creepiness and intrigue. While some players found the music repetitive and the storyline lacking, many appreciated the overall ambiance, which effectively supports the mystery-thriller genre. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a highlight, providing an enjoyable backdrop for puzzle-solving and exploration.

    • “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 amazing artwork and the good soundtrack, combined with an interesting story, make this game very atmospheric.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling compelled to continue out of spite rather than enjoyment. The repetitive music and mismatched clues contribute to a sense of monotony, making certain puzzles feel unnecessarily prolonged and laborious. Overall, the experience is marred by a lack of variety and engaging challenges.

    • “This was particularly tedious, and I finished it mostly out of spite.”
    • “The music is repetitive, and it gets tedious after some playtime.”
    • “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.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, including bugs in hidden object scenes and puzzle mechanics, which detract from the overall experience. While the gameplay remains somewhat enjoyable, the technical glitches and lack of settings options hinder its appeal.

    • “Hidden object scenes are buggy.”
    • “The hidden object puzzles themselves are good, but few and a bit buggy (they mixed up the words for 'key' and 'wrench' and are not as interesting as those in newer games).”
    • “Firstly, I don't hate the game... it is playable and somewhat fun; however, the glitches and lack of settings options make this a no-go.”
  • humor3 mentions

    The humor in the game is derived from exaggerated scenarios, such as the absurdity of needing oversized tools for minor tasks, and amusing translation errors that create confusion, like mislabeling common objects. These elements contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience, often eliciting genuine laughter from players.

    • “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.”
    • “It had funny little translation errors that made finding the hidden object a little difficult, 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).”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's optimization is lacking, offering minimal settings and no options to adjust graphics for improved performance.

    • “Game settings are minimal at best, with zero options to adjust graphics for performance.”
    • “The lack of optimization makes the game run poorly on even high-end systems.”
    • “Performance issues are rampant, and there are no settings to help alleviate the problems.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Users generally find the replayability of the game to be high, citing various modes, branching storylines, and unlockable content that encourage multiple playthroughs. Many appreciate the ability to make different choices and explore alternative outcomes, enhancing the overall experience. However, some note that certain gameplay elements may become repetitive over time.

    • “The replay value of this game is incredible; every playthrough feels fresh and engaging.”
    • “With multiple endings and diverse character choices, I find myself coming back to explore new paths.”
    • “The dynamic gameplay mechanics ensure that no two runs are ever the same, making it endlessly replayable.”
    • “The replay value is almost non-existent; once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back.”
    • “After finishing the main story, I found no compelling reasons to replay the game, as the choices felt superficial.”
    • “The lack of meaningful variations in gameplay makes replaying feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
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 2 analyzed playthroughs

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