Cube Escape: Seasons
Rusty Lake
I dipped my toe in this lake for the first time recently and very much
enjoyed the experience. So much so that I was minded to go back to the
beginning, to see what came before but also to perhaps start to pull
together what I learnt was an interconnected narrative.
There are about 20 games in the Rusty Lake universe, one that is
inspired by Twin Peaks, and the Lake itself says this is the one you
should start with. It made sense therefore to listen to what it said.
As in Underground Blossom, the previous game I played, the protagonist
here is Laura. I know from some Googling that this changes throughout
the various games, but it was nice to see her again, especially given
what I had gleaned about her life already.
As the name implies, you are effectively escaping from a ‘cube’ made up
of a series of ‘rooms’ in order to make your way through four seasons of
Laura’s life. A series of small cubes are the key to moving on. Get to
the end of the fourth season and you can go back to any of them and
generate an ‘ending’ that felt like an achievement, but left many things
not yet clear.
Puzzling wise, it is more straightforward. Click things, find things,
use things; work out how things work, identify the clues, decipher and
apply them; do some odd stuff and one slightly grim thing. And
manipulate time.
The puzzling was excellent. That it took place in an offbeat, somewhat
visually wonky environment just added to the appeal. The sparingly used
sound palette completed a vibe on the verge of being unsettling.
Aesthetically and operationally it is very similar to the much later
game. That might be because both revolve around Laura, but I suspect
(and a bit more Googling confirms) that it’s a much more settled upon
presentation. Which both anchors the various events in the Universe and
enables you to step quickly back in.
One difference was that here you need to click an inventory item (they
sit in a ribbon to the right of screen) and then click where you want to
try and use it. It was apparent fairly quickly that click and drag
didn’t work and a little bit longer to work out what did.
You can turn left and right from each screen and also look up. Clicking
various objects might cause you to zoom in and perhaps then zoom in
again, usually because there is a conundrum that needs to be solved.
Puzzles range from using the right item, through discerning codes, to a
multi-part puzzle involving making various concoctions to power a
machine spanning each of the seasons. It isn’t a hard game but nor is it
easy. Whilst most are logical, a bit of lateral thinking and occasional
‘try everything’ was required. I needed help here and there but was well
pleased with the overall challenge.
I also clicked on many things that did nothing. The curser doesn’t
respond to hotspots so if something takes your fancy just click and see.
The audio has the usual elements (i.e., effects, ambient, soundtrack)
and some spoken word, and they are all used sparingly and effectively.
Less is more I say.
There are no manual saves, the game autosaving on exit.
I can’t say I am that much clearer on Laura’s life, but I am further
invested in the Universe and the desire to find out. I can't say I am
that much clearer on Laura's life, but I am further invested in the
Universe and the desire to find out. Available as a part of the
Cube Escape Collection with the first nine Cube Escape games, as a
stand-alone game Seasons was a positive experience; as an entree to the
Universe, it works a treat.
I played on:
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 13
Intel I7 Ultra Core, 2.2GHz
Intel Arc 140V GPU, 16 GB
32 GB RAM
Windows 11, 64 Bit
GameBoomers Review Guidelines
May 2026
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