Rusty Lake

*This article is about the location. For the developer, see Rusty Lake (Developer).*

## Rusty Lake

### **Residents:**

Mr. Crow
Mr. Owl
The Old Woman
Vanderboom Family

**Rusty Lake** is a prominent location in the Cube Escape series. It is a vast lake with multiple eerie buildings and strange characters frequenting it. Prominent features of Rusty Lake include a Cabin on an island, a stone Bridge across the connected river, and a Chapel, a Cave and a Mill along its shores. The Vanderboom House is built on a nearby hill, while a Graveyard lies on the other side, among the trees. Beneath the lake lies another, more unusual Forest, home to a number of strange beings. Presumably, there is also a Theatre somewhere near Rusty Lake however its exact location is unknown.

The Lake itself, which has strange magical properties, is also home to many aquatic creatures such as the Shrimp, the Shell, and the Fish. Many other types of fish reside in the Lake's depths. To the entire Cube Escape series, Rusty Lake, along with cubes, is the "heart of the matter" of every event which has happened so far.

## Cube Escape: Seasons

The Lake doesn't directly appear in the game, but it is seen in a picture and vision. In the Summer, when the Shrimp is put into the oven and cooked, the oven opens to reveal a vision of the Lake, with Laura being seen standing in it. Eventually, the player encounters a black cube. Also, the four photo pieces for Summer form a picture of the Lake. This picture is also seen in the Winter.

## Cube Escape: The Lake

The Lake plays a central role in this game. In 1969 after winning a competition in a newspaper, Laura travels to this lake and stayed at the Cabin to fish. She fishes out a Shrimp, a Shell, a Fish, two chests carrying mysterious gems, and the partly Corrupted body of an unidentified person. Later, she learns about a mysterious ritual that involves placing the objects she has found onto the tree that sprouts from the Fish when it is cut open. Performing it causes the sky to go pitch black, and a Corrupted Soul climbs out of the Lake towards her. Using the first gem causes the Corrupted Soul to attack, but putting the second gem on the tree destroys the Corrupted Soul with an pentagon beam.

## Cube Escape: Arles

The player, Vincent van Gogh, is trying to get out of his bedroom. Rusty Lake can be seen outside his window and his escape door, but in the style of his "*Starry Night*" painting. The Lake view from the window even has the iconic ferryman appearing in the intro of all of Rusty Lake's games.

## Cube Escape: Harvey's Box

After travelling through a Durian fruit and back into his box, Harvey learns that he has arrived at the Lake. He uses a knife to slash a small place on the box, curiously wondering what is poking outside. It turns out to be a pigeon, and a small area of the Lake can be seen through the slash.

## Cube Escape: Case 23

The Lake is again seen outside the Chapel through the window above the three paintings. It is then seen from a huge opening, where Dale Vandermeer signals the ferryman. The view there is of the Lake at sunset.

Once Dale reaches the Cabin, the Lake appears calm. But the longer he stays, the darker the sky and atmosphere become. He is watched and later attacked by a Corrupted Soul with antlers, but manages to escape by going into the elevator, and descending into the Lake.

## Cube Escape: The Mill

The game occurs inside the Mill, which is situated on a piece of land between an unknown river and Rusty Lake. The view of the Lake can be seen through its windows, changing a bit after each stage of the game. The lowest floor of the Mill acts as a water pump, channeling the river water into the lake, and infusing it with the memories of the cubes.

## Rusty Lake Hotel

The Lake appears periodically throughout the game, though mostly during time transitional scenes and not gameplay. The opening cutscene also shows the Lake, with the guests being boated across to the eponymous Hotel. One of the guests, Mr. Deer, shows a particular interest in the Lake. In his room, he has a pulley system outside one of his windows that brings buckets of lake water up to his room.

## Cube Escape: Birthday

A picture of the lake appears on Dale Vandermeer's birthday postcard from Harvey. It shows the Hotel at night, while the Lake is in its eponymous blood-red 'rusty' colour. Later the Lake reappears, possibly for real, as Dale peers into a snowglobe and meets with Mr. Owl.

## Cube Escape: Theatre

The Lake doesn't directly appear in the game, but a woman appears in the first play, called "*The Lady of the Lake*".

## Rusty Lake: Roots

Rusty Lake is seen in the title screen of all stages of the game, though it rarely appears in the game itself. Characters frequently look at Rusty Lake out of the House's window, and Rose Vanderboom stands in the Lake at the end of the game, holding a newborn infant.

## Cube Escape: The Cave

Rusty Lake appears at the start of the game, as Mr. Crow rows over to the Cave. The entire second part of the game takes place beneath the surface of the lake, in the Submarine, though the player can use a periscope to view the surface while at minimum depth. This is only required in one section, to view the actions of a Fisherman in a boat.

## Rusty Lake Paradise

The entirety of the game takes place on Paradise Island, a small island in the middle of Rusty Lake. The Lake itself is rarely visited; Jakob Eilander rows over it to reach the island, after the first plague has turned the water around Paradise to turn into blood. Later, in the seventh plague of Hail, the Lake freezes over, allowing Elizabeth Eilander to ice-skate on the surface, and when the island is covered by fog in the plague of Locusts, Nicholas, David and Gerard Eilander play guitar music in the water.

In order to end each plague, Jakob must lower a black cube in to the island's font and return Caroline Eilander's memories. In the final plague, he climbs down into the water himself, becoming immersed in the waters and finding enlightenment.

## Cube Escape: Paradox

Rusty Lake appears at the end of both chapters of the game.

## Trivia

* The phone number for Rusty Lake Mental Health and Fishing is 024355.
* Due to the architectural style of the Chapel (and when it was built), one can assume that the Lake is in Europe.
* There is an actual lake called Rusty Lake (or Lac Rouille in French), located in Quebec, Canada.
* The font of the game title is Amatic (https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/amatic).