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Varney Lake is a wonderful experience that combines visual novels with puzzles, heartwarming nostalgia with chilling terror, all in a classic pixel style.

On the surface, Varney Lake is just more of the Pixel Pulp adventure we got from the excellent Mothmen: 1966. Yet Varney Lake's story of childhood interrupted by a chance encounter with a vampire is a more captivating one.

Varney Lake is another strong showing for LCB Game Studio. Any fan of horror or visual novels will enjoy this one.

En definitiva, L.C.B. Game Studio sigue refinando su fórmula de llevar la literatura pulp a las visual novel y Varney Lake no decepciona. No necesito más: una historia de género directa, narrada con un pulso envidiable y una limitación de recursos que, lejos de frenar las posibilidades expresivas de la obra, las eleva.

Mothmen 1966 was a pleasant surprise on PlayStation 4, and it was the perfect way to kick off the new Pixel Pulps series of old-school-infused visual novels on Sony’s consoles. Mothmen 1966 ran for a few hours, and that’s also the case for Varney Lake. It’s a bite-sized adventure that does not overstay its welcome. It perfectly dials up the pulp factor to 11, and it makes me look forward to Bahnsen Knights, the third entry in the series. 

Varney Lake is a charming addition to an interesting game franchise. Seeing returning characters come back with a fresh new story to tell, working an X-Files and Stranger Things vibe, isn’t a bad thing at all. You’ll need to be aligned with the genre though and so if you hate stories and don’t like reading then this is far from the game for you. But visual novel fans should definitely add this new one to the collection. 

‘Varney Lake’ nos trae una aventura gráfica basada en textos conversacionales. Tomaremos decisiones, jugaremos a minijuegos y disfrutaremos de unos diseños retro mientras descubrimos los secretos de esta clásica historia de terror y ciencia ficción ambientada en la década de los 50 en Estados Unidos. Una narrativa que engancha, con diversos personajes, aunque nos duela que la duración sea tan breve. Si te gustan las historias de vampiros, las literatura pulp y los juegos retro, pero retro de verdad, ‘Varney Lake’ no te va a decepcionar. Han seguido un estilo extremadamente continuista después de ‘Mothmen 1966’ y nos quedamos con el mismo resultado: nos gusta mucho, pero queremos y necesitamos más cantidad y duración. Esperamos con ganas el final de la trilogía con 'Bahnsen Knights'.

Varney Lake was, at its heart, exactly what I expected it to be: a mystery story, a horror story, and a coming-of-age story all rolled into one neat package. There’s even some surprises in there. Playing Mothmen 1966 first was definitely useful for referencing characters, but it’s not absolutely necessary to play it first. The developer did a wonderful job at creating an immersive experience while confined to the visual standard it set for itself. I’m eagerly awaiting the final title in the series: Bahnsen Knights is about a cult. I’m also awaiting further news on the recently-announced Pixel Pulp physical edition for Nintendo Switch, which I will definitely be adding to my collection.

More Interactive Pulp Fiction From The Best In The Biz

Minimalism breeds great impact in this adventure, with a sparse narrative approach allowing the game’s inner mystery to grow deeply as the corners of its story darken. Its lack of interactivity renders players largely as passive observers of an unfolding tale, but this powerlessness arguably strengthens Varney Lake. As summer dies, you can only watch in horror as each story beat unfurls.

Ultimately, I had a great time with Varney Lake. The story is well told and features a surprising amount of replay value. While I personally didn’t love the mini-games, they don’t do much to detract from the experience. If you’re a fan of tales of woe and love reading good stories, give this one a shot. It’s incredibly affordable and very enjoyable.

Varney Lake is a great interactive story, presented in a way that’ll appeal to casual readers and tome-spelunkers alike. The story is interesting, the characters are great, and the modest $10 price tag reflects the game’s shorter run time.

There’s connective tissue between LCB Game Studios’ games, so your experience with Varney Lake will be enhanced by having played Mothmen 1966 prior to it. It’s a short story video game that doesn’t take up your time, and is a great palate cleanser from other games you’re currently playing. I’m really excited for what’s in store next, and am enjoying how these play out. Varney Lake feels like PC adventure games of old, and will take you back to those summer or rainy nights of gaming, for a truly visual and aural treat of the senses.

Varney Lake is an interesting coming-of-age story with a supernatural twist. The characters were all fun and the interactions between the children were great. If you have a couple of hours to spare, check this pixel pulp story out and learn what happened in the summer of 1954.

With a low play time of 2 hours or less, I would definitely recommend this game if you are at all interested.  The story is engaging, even though it ends abruptly.  You might feel yourself wanting more, but if you save your progress along the way, you can go back and complete those mini games you might have skipped or try to find the secret scenes.  there isn’t much to dislike about this charming installment other than it ends too soon.

With all the modern innovations we've made in gaming and storytelling, to imagine going back to PC gaming in the '80s — an era defined by games shoehorning themselves onto devices made for anything other than gaming — made me initially hesitant. But the efforts of the artists at LCB Game Studio made Varney Lake simultaneously thrive in spite of and because of its limitations. The Pixel Pulps series is one to keep an eye on. I can't wait to see this world filled out and certainly wouldn't say no to more installments. If you're looking for some new ways to get your chills and enjoy dabbling in nostalgic pulpy horror, don't skip Varney Lake.

Varney Lake ofrece una experiencia completamente distinta a lo que estamos acostumbrados ahora pero eso no quita para que sea una aventura disfrutable y que ocupará poco tiempo para completarla.

Aside from some odd (and not always fun) distractions, this has an engaging (though pretty brief) story to take in

Varney Lake tries to be a compelling thriller that obviously wants to keep its players guessing. The narrative lacked in its ability to keep me entertained and wanting to know what actually happened during that summer. What kept me interested was the way it looked, sounded and made me feel. It pulls off the "pixel" elements but very much fails to live up to the exciting, suspenseful narrative of the pulp fiction genre. If you're into game and audio design, or love the pixel artstyle , you may be able to forgive this, but if you're looking for a narrative that will have you clicking your mouse for more, best look elsewhere.

After about 2 hours when the credits come, you can only really judge whether Varney Lake has been worth it and the 10 Euro rolls out of your pocket or whether you give a lot for that money in return. As far as I'm concerned, the story is a lot more accessible and interesting than that of Mothmen and I think casual players will find this game better than its predecessor. Although there are references, you do not necessarily have to have played the first part. However, there are fewer options that really influence the story.