Varney Lake Review

Welcome to Varney Lake in the summer of 1954. This scenic location is a popular vacation destination, especially during the hot months of the year. The story focuses on three best friends: Jimmy, Christine, and her cousin Doug. This is the fourth vacation they have spent together at the Lake. Their days are full of adventures as they make crazy plans like buying the local drive-in-theatre to save it from demolition, creating their own games, and running away from bullies — that was until they met the vampire. That’s when everything changed…

Varney Lake is the second game from developer LCB Game Studio and the follow-up to Mothmen 1966. Both titles are part of the Pixel Pulps series, which fuses a visual novel inspired by pulp fiction, with impressive pixel graphics that feel like they are from an ‘80s home computer game. However, this is not just a title where you sit and watch how it plays out. There are multiple sections where you need to make a choice as if you were reading a choose-your-own-adventure style book. Your responses can change how the story will play out, so select wisely. 

Varney Lake also incorporates some mini-games to add some extra interactive elements to your playthrough. One game has you fishing trying to catch fish (though in reality, you are just clicking on a button to lift the rod), while another is trying to play Doug’s new game called Solitaire Ten. Now you aren’t just clicking on the cards to move and place on top of the others, you have to control them in a more clumsy way. You will need to click on the “move cursor to the left”, right, or add card to the total. This felt like more of a pain than it needed to be. There is even one bizarre game called “Goat Tourettes”. I don't want to spoil anything, but this is an odd game. 

To enjoy Varney Lake, you do not need to play Mothmen 1966 first, but if you don’t, there are a lot of references to the first title that won’t make much sense to you. Both these titles are quite short and only require a few hours to play through, so it is worth the time to play. The ending that I got in Mothmen 1966 is one of the most bizarre endings that I have ever obtained in a game; it will forever be stuck in my brain. You will also get to meet Lou Hill. In both games, he is a paranormal investigator who is trying to write a book on the strange things that have occurred. In Varney Lake, we meet Lou in 1981. He is interviewing the now 40-something Christine and Jimmy to find out the whole truth of what occurred that Summer and what really happened to Doug. 

Jimmy tells Lou about the dynamics between the members of the group and how they got along.  Christine was the oldest, and, Jimmy’s heart was broken every time she brought up her boyfriend from her hometown. Wait, she’s like 13… isn’t that a bit young to have been dating someone for a couple of years? Doug was the youngest of the three, and according to his mum, he was “allergic” to the sun, so he had a special cream that he used to protect his skin. Jimmy was a bit of a troublemaker as a kid; he ripped off a huge guy named Brandon in a game of dice. The bully was angry and is hunting the group down. Running through the fields, they found an abandoned mill that they decided to take refuge in. The catch is, they aren’t the only ones there. There is a man who seems to be hiding from the sun and Doug tried to offer his skin cream to him. Jimmy knows that the man just wants darkness, so he finds ways to block the sun that is coming through two spots on the wall. Once these windows are covered up, the kids help the man up, he is looking outside the entrance. He sees a deer outside, he raises a hand and stares towards it, as creepy music starts to play. The animal walks to the mill, and that is when the monster's fangs come out. Poor deer.

Varney Lake does not have an overarching soundtrack like other games. Instead, we just hear the sounds of nature around them with birds singing, rain falling, along with crickets and grasshoppers chirping. The music is saved for the more suspenseful parts of the story. It’s a short tune that repeats but it fits well with the creepier sections as you play. The visuals of the game are pixelated images reminiscent of games that came out for computers in the later ‘80s. They aren’t totally animated, but usually one thing is like blood running down the vampire’s mouth, or stars that sparkle in the sky. I adore this retro look in games and fits the sci-fi/supernatural feel of the story. It really gave the game a lot more personality.

Since this is a visual novel, it is essentially a point-and-click adventure. You are able to play the game with a controller, but it may feel more cumbersome than just using a mouse and keyboard. All your actions involve selecting a text option, so you aren’t actually moving the characters around yourself. The story jumps between the past to 1981, switching between the children and Lou, as you try to learn exactly what occurred that summer, as Lou’s career can’t survive another failure. 

Varney Lake is a fun visual novel experience to play through. I enjoy the inclusion of supernatural events like the vampire, and the bond between the kids was great. I love how they have a club called The Only Child Club, with a bucket list of things they want to cross off that summer. It is incredibly short, and will only take a couple of hours to complete, but if you want to experience an interesting story where your choices will change how the story will end, Varney Lake is a game to check out, and while you are at it, play Mothmen 1966 first and you will enjoy this game so much more!