Lake: Season’s Greetings | Xbox Review

December 5, 2023 Zack Parkerson

It’s been two years since I was first introduced to the idyllic Oregon town of Providence Oaks. In that time, I’ve often thought about Lake and the strange sort of peace it brought me when I played it. The new Season’s Greeting DLC is just the excuse I needed to once more make my appointed rounds.

‘Tis the Season

Not much has changed with this new content, in the broad sense of things. You’ll still be delivering mail via “The Goose,” listening to the charming radio station music, and catching up with folks around town. It’s every bit as charming and inviting as the base game, and I found myself feeling like I returned home.

The big changes this time are twofold. For one, you’re playing as Thomas Weiss, who has been the town mailman for decades now. It brings a different relationship to everyone you meet, as opposed to Meredith’s viewpoint of someone who had left for the big city and was now returning. It means everyone you meet already has an established history and expects you to know all about your lakeside town. It was nice to have a different perspective.

Ho Ho Ho, Now I Have a Mail Truck

The other difference is the holiday theme. The snow on the ground means your mail truck is a little slippery, sure, but the big change is aesthetic. The houses are adorned in decorations and bright lights, and the radio now has a few Christmas tunes in the rotation. I can’t remember too many Christmas-themed DLCs to accompany the myriad Halloween ones we’ve had over the years, so this was very pleasant.

Overall, not much has changed. You already know whether or not you want to play Lake: Season’s Greetings. It’s an additional 3-4 hours of the wonderful experience that the base game provided, albeit with a fresh perspective. I was filled with more joy than I expected encountering returning faces, and I really loved seeing what these townsfolk were up to before the events of Meredith’s visit. As with Lake itself, I recommend this to anyone with an appreciation for slice-of-life stories, and anyone who craves unique experiences. The game is rich with the human stories the industry so desperately needs more of, so get out on the road and help make the holidays happen.

To hear me talk more about Lake: Season’s Greetings, be sure to listen to the November 22 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 50:08 time stamp.

This review is based on an Xbox copy of Lake: Season’s Greetings provided by Whitethorn Games for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation and PC via Steam.