Varney Lake
More Pixel Pulps!
Pixel Pulps!
the GameWhat really happened at Varney Lake?
1954. During the long, hot summer, Jimmy, Doug and Christine are spending their fourth vacation together at Varney Lake. Teenage crushes, pranks and card tricks, long days of adventure, a pipe dream of saving the local drive-in from demolition; they’re kids, coming of age.
Until they find the Vampire.
1981. Lou Hill, paranormal investigator, has a lead on a mind-blowing case. Will he be able to convince the now 40-something Christine and Jimmy to tell him the truth about that Summer? Do they even know themselves?
And what really happened to Doug?
Features
Varney Lake, is for anyone who enjoys fine storytelling and engaging puzzles:
- Search for the truth in the nostalgic, branching narrative
- Immerse yourself in the story with its rich, evocative illustrations
- Witness the fate of Varney Lake’s characters in ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ style gameplay
- Solve accessible, brain-tickling puzzles along the way
- Learn more of Lou Hill, the Pixel Pulps’ recurring investigator
The follow-up to Mothmen 1966
Varney Lake is the second of the Pixel Pulps; a new series of interactive adventures created by novelist Nico Saraintaris and artist Fernando Martinez Ruppel. Pixel Pulps tell gripping stories inspired by mid-20th century pulp fiction and illustrated by 80s home computer-inspired graphics. The Pixel Pulps Collection comprises three games: Mothmen 1966, Varney Lake, and Bahnsen Knights.
Steam User 17
Varney Lake is terrific. A sweltering summer horror story that plays with the conventions of the coming-of-age genre. But it's no lighthearted romp, as the seeds of tragedy are planted early on. The visuals and story evoke 1980s pop cinema and literature, all those stories of cruel children and fleeting, shattering violence. It's Mola Ram ripping out a heart in the middle of a family adventure. It's a gremlin in a blender. It's the sorcerer's apprentice climbing bald mountain, Judge Doom melting down, Anjelica Huston ripping her face off and showing us close-up horror. From the moment these images invade our retinas, we are damned to carry them with us forever. As if we actually had lived through them in a childhood that never was.
Steam User 12
Pixel pulp games - are just aesthetic orgasm! These wonderful retro sounds, cute graphics with special colours for every game of the series, mini-games and funny achivements...This game is a great example of good maked visual-novel and retro styled game. You can feel all this old-school horrors and slashers vibe, dialogues are really look like a living persons talking, characters are very good wroted and we can meet some of them here who was brought from Mothmen game (1st game of the Pixel pulp series.) Really nice to see such references and already builded universe of this games. The whole horror here isnt so obvious and scary. its like a mysthery and you should solve and understand it by yourself. Also i can say that this game is probably a little longer than Mothmen, whats really cool. There is many fun and nice cliches from old films, like men in black, ufo hunters, or goat-man. All these stuff create unique and great lore and vibe. Looking forward 3rd game! i hope you will make other games like these, after the trilogy. 10/10
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Игры Пиксель пальп - самый настоящий эстетический оргазм. Все эти замечательные ретро-звуки, классная графика, с особенными цветами для каждой из игр серии, забавные и нескучные мини-игры, прикольные достижения...Varney Lake - замечательный пример прекрасной визуальной новеллы и отличной ретро-игрушки. Вы прочувствуете всю эту атмосферу стареньких фильмов-слэшеров с кассет, комиксов типа Баек из Склепа и прочих представителей жанра...Хорошие диалоги, которые похожи на речь обычных людей, великолепно прописанные персонажи со своими проблемами и заморочками, кстати, здесь мы встретим нескольких из них, которые были главными героями игры о Человеке-Мотыльке, первой игры серии. Очень здорово видеть такие референсы и уже сложившуюся вселенную этих игр. Весь хоррор тут не так очевиден и страшен. он как интересная загадка...ты должен решить ее сам, понять по-своему. Кроме того, можно отметить что эта игра, возможно чуть дольше Человека-Мотылька, что тоже само по себе очень хорошо. Сохранилась куча забавных, классных клише из тех самых фильмов: Все эти люди в черном, люди-козлы и охотники за НЛО...Это еще сильнее погружает в атмосферу и задает игре уникальный ритм. Очень жду третью игру и надеюсь, что на ней творчество этих ребят не закончится и они продолжат делать другие игры такого типа! 10/10
Steam User 6
Full Game Walkthrough -
Its like watching a horror movie , I have just finished the whole game and boy oh boy it was one hell of a ride .
Cant give you any spoilers !!
Overall Score - 9/10 ( I felt that the story was a little bit rushed in the end but it was still great
Steam User 4
Another short Pixel Pulp VN with stylish visuals and decent, if a bit rushed, writing. They’re developing a distinct style/gameplay mechanic (their next game – "Bahnsen Knights" – looks very much within that framework), making it easier to say: “If you liked one of their games, you’ll most likely enjoy this one”, with the opposite being equally true. It might be a bit too brief and light of an experience overall, but there’s some grit, some interesting idea at the center that makes you want to stop and take notice instead of writing it off as a pretty picture with little substance.
Few thoughts and observations:
- Just like their previous work (I feel like this could be applied to every element of this game, so I’ll drop saying it) – the writing is evocative of early Stephen King novellas. The hurried version. There’s enough meat for an intriguing set-up, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential due to almost upsettingly short time we get to spend within the world of the game. It’s a shame too, because the writer(s) have a good way with words and obvious skill, and it feels like someone took a great story and only left the most meaningful and/or artistic sentences while cutting the rest, making for a weird combination of a beautiful turn of the phrase and almost palpable lack of all the bits and pieces that make everything wholesome.
- Gameplay merges VN with dialogue choices and a few minigames that range from simple clicking to more involved stuff that’s based on math/counting. There’s another solitaire-like card game here (perhaps, it’s also a trademark of this up-and-coming franchise) you can engage with for as much or as little as you want to, although one of the later dialogue options gives you an easy solution to it, making it quite purposeless to get back into. This element is present to keep everything interactive and dynamic rather than challenging; however, some in-game achievements seem to be luck-based and potentially linked to secret endings I haven’t found a way to uncover.
- The retro-inspired art is an eye-candy. It has a chance to not only show up but also twirl around a bit (unlike its writing brother), so the skill of the artists is on full display. It’s the game’s strongest component, and it coyly casts its pixelated glance downward while being fully aware of your ogling. Well-deserved ogling. While every other part of “Varney Lake” needs its siblings to be a game, the art could have worked simply as a series of slides and still be worthy of notice. I’ll be forever in awe at how small squares, dot and lines can be manipulated into images that captivating…
- Simple electronic sound complements the experience with a few basic tracks and effects. Just enough to not render it “too silent” since the VO is absent. It mixes well with retro aesthetic where you don’t expect anything grand in this department anyway.
“Varney Lake” was short and sweet. Not wildly memorable, but it wasn’t trying to be. It’s got enough substance to deliver a one-off “good times!” experience if you’re into more introspective (rather than outright) horror and the distinct visuals it employs. Sort of like those pulp stories that are a part of the franchise name – fun read for an afternoon with a plot that will keep you pondering for a few hours before moving on to the next title, shelving this under “I don’t exactly remember what it was about, but I do remember I liked it, and – oh man! – look at this cover!” memory tag.
Steam User 7
This short pulp's should be a gender on its own. Short, sweet, well written, with their secrets and connections between the games. Thee fact that you can pretty much skip any mini game if you are not up for it, its a great design choice. And I love how the choices you make are in a way this little puzzle to get to the different secret scenes. Truly makes me happy to see this quality of game from my country!
Steam User 5
Another worthwhile pixel-pulp from LCB Game Studio, with good writing that knows brevity is the soul of wit. I enjoy the connections the story has to Mothmen 1966, if this is how the writers are world-building then I am very much in favor of it. Can't wait for their next one, Bahnsen Knights. Keep it up guys, I'll keep up the day-one purchasing.
Steam User 3
Wonderful story and exceptionally good aesthetic.