Hope Lake on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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The Hope Lake Boarding School was abandoned long ago, when one of its teachers drowned by accident. Many years later, all of the female students began to disappear, one by one. Visit the place where it all began. Try to pick up the maniac's trail and put a stop to his crime spree.
Hope Lake is a hidden object, adventure and casual game
developed by Far Mills and Mysterytag
and published by RunServer.
Released on June 03rd 2016 is available only on Windows
in 5 languages: English, German, Czech, Polish and Russian.
It has received 515 reviews of which 373 were positive and 142 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.9 out of 10. 😐
The game is currently priced at 1.67€ on Steam with a 79% discount.
The Steam community has classified Hope Lake into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows XP
- Processor: 1.4 GHz
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- DirectX: Version 9.0c
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- Sound Card: Any
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Great atmosphere, lots of locations to explore and plenty of puzzles to solve. Chasing a mysterious kidnapper though an abandoned boarding school next to a lake is always a good setting. I also really liked the music and sound effects, they added to the creepy vibe without taking you out of the game. My only complaint is that some translations in the hidden object games are rough, but thankfully hints refresh after a minute or two in case you get stuck. The rest of the dialogue/text/journals do not have any translation issues, it was only a few spots in the minigames.
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A good simple game, which you be like. For big sale you can take her! This a little history about big problem, which can be played with you angry joke. Than need be a kind and good persons! Be careful with your actions always!
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Hope Lake is a story-driven hidden-object adventure that leans heavily into atmosphere and classic detective storytelling rather than spectacle or innovation. Developed by Far Mills in collaboration with Mysterytag and published by RunServer, the game invites players into a somber investigation centered on a long-abandoned boarding school where a troubling pattern of disappearances has resurfaced. From the outset, Hope Lake establishes a grounded, suspense-focused tone, favoring slow-burn mystery and environmental storytelling over outright horror, which helps set it apart from more fantastical entries in the genre. You take on the role of detective Kelly Wells, tasked with uncovering the truth behind a series of missing students whose cases appear to be linked to Hope Lake’s dark past. The school’s history—marked by tragedy and neglect—acts as a constant presence throughout the investigation, and the narrative unfolds gradually as you explore classrooms, dormitories, surrounding grounds, and nearby locations. The story is delivered in a straightforward manner through dialogue, discovered clues, and contextual details rather than elaborate cutscenes, encouraging players to piece together events themselves. While the writing occasionally stumbles in logic or pacing, the central mystery remains compelling enough to motivate steady progression through the game’s sizable runtime. Gameplay adheres closely to traditional hidden-object adventure conventions. Much of your time is spent searching static scenes for listed items, interspersed with inventory-based puzzles and short logic mini-games. The environments are dense with detail, and while this contributes to immersion, it can also lead to moments of frustration when item descriptions do not perfectly match their visual representations. These inconsistencies sometimes force reliance on the hint system, which, while generous, can slightly undercut the satisfaction of careful observation. Additionally, the mini-games, though varied in theme, tend to be on the simpler side, serving more as pacing tools than true tests of logic for experienced genre fans. One of Hope Lake’s more successful design choices is its use of a navigable map system. Rather than forcing constant backtracking through every location, the game allows quick travel between areas, keeping the investigation flowing and reducing unnecessary downtime. This approach works well given the game’s length and number of explorable scenes, making the overall experience feel more streamlined than it otherwise might. The pacing benefits from this structure, as players can focus on solving puzzles and following narrative threads rather than wrestling with navigation. Visually, Hope Lake excels in creating a moody and cohesive atmosphere. The hand-painted backgrounds are detailed and often evocative, with dim lighting, abandoned interiors, and weathered exteriors that reinforce the sense of decay and lingering secrets. The environments do much of the heavy lifting in terms of storytelling, often communicating unease through composition and color rather than explicit scares. Sound design supports this atmosphere with subdued music and ambient effects, though repetition in the soundtrack can become noticeable over longer play sessions. Voice acting is present but uneven, functioning adequately without elevating the material. Despite its strengths, the game does show signs of its limited budget and scope. Occasional technical issues, awkward translations, and unclear puzzle logic can interrupt immersion, particularly for players accustomed to more polished hidden-object titles. Some narrative elements also feel underdeveloped, with character motivations or plot resolutions that could have benefited from deeper exploration. These shortcomings do not render the game unenjoyable, but they do prevent it from reaching the upper tier of the genre. Ultimately, Hope Lake is a solid, if imperfect, entry in the hidden-object mystery category that prioritizes mood and narrative over mechanical refinement. Its detective-focused story, expansive set of locations, and generally effective atmosphere make it appealing to players who enjoy slower-paced investigations and classic point-and-click gameplay. While it may frustrate at times with its rough edges, the core experience offers enough intrigue and substance to justify the journey, particularly for fans of mystery adventures looking for a longer, more grounded case to unravel. Rating: 7/10
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This game has crap translations so sometimes you spend 10 minutes looking for a key only to use a hint a see that they actually meant wrench, or (my favorite) looking for a comb, deciding to try clicking the brush in case that's what they meant, get credit for comb, but then see that brush is also on the list (and in this case referred to what I can only assume was a possum pelt on the back wall...?). The clickbox for some interactive scenes was at times almost infuriatingly small, so that after half a dozen tries I had to use a hint to see exactly where the game wanted me to put the item. BUT, this game doesn't penalize using hints, so I can spam that ish to my heart's content and still get all my sweet, sweet cheevos. Besides that, it scratched a definite itch that only horror-themed HOGs can handle. I felt kinda ick about the whole Native subplot and implied "oh no vengeful Indian spirits" vibe, and I did not have "Ed Gein without the skin suit" on my bingo card as the left hook that knocked us off that path. On the other hand, badges and cheevos. :D
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Decent HOG, not sure why people gave it a negative review. There was only a few items that were named slightly wrong, for example, a brush was actually a feather duster. I have played so so many HOGs over the years and this is one of the better ones, especially the story being decent. I did feel bad for Peter. They could have included more than one music track playing all the way through, it did get on my nerves after a few hours of hearing it on loop. Sound affects and graphics were great, helped make it eerie and spooky, even more so if the music is turned off completely. Puzzles were mostly easy which is good because I dislike being stuck for ages, only one I got stuck on for too long was the book puzzle. And a big big plus is that the achievements are doable and not frustrating, they pop as you progress through the game. I love that! Recommend if you are neurodivergent. Great game for Halloween!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Hope Lake is currently priced at 1.67€ on Steam.
Hope Lake is currently available at a 79% discount. You can purchase it for 1.67€ on Steam.
Hope Lake received 373 positive votes out of a total of 515 achieving a rating of 6.90.
😐
Hope Lake was developed by Far Mills and Mysterytag and published by RunServer.
Hope Lake is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Hope Lake is not playable on MacOS.
Hope Lake is not playable on Linux.
Hope Lake is a single-player game.
Hope Lake does not currently offer any DLC.
Hope Lake does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Hope Lake does not support Steam Remote Play.
Hope Lake is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Hope Lake.
Data sources
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 14 March 2026 18:34 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 10 March 2026 10:59 |
| Steam price | 15 March 2026 04:44 |
| Steam reviews | 14 March 2026 03:57 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Hope Lake, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Hope Lake
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Hope Lake concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Hope Lake compatibility
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Online players
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Developer
Far Mills,
Mysterytag
Publisher
RunServer
Release
03 Jun 2016
Platforms