Line #77 VideoGame/LakeviewValley


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/murderrpg.jpg]]
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3	Welcome to the lovely little town of Lakeview Valley! As its name implies, it's a charmingly quaint little village where you can wile away the hours enjoying the scenery. Yes, this is a tight-knit little community where everybody knows each other well... save for you, newcomer. You just arrived, moving into the northernmost house. That place has been empty for a while, but it's sturdy. Well-built. A little TLC, some fresh coats of paint and new furnishings, and it'll be a sight to behold once again!
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5	But every town has its secrets, and your arrival was a little ''bumpier'' than you expected. The streets aren't safe at night. What lurks under the surface might be best left alone... or maybe you'd rather prove yourself the scariest thing this valley has to offer.
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7	Coming from the creator of ''VideoGame/LakeviewCabin'' and ''VideoGame/LakeviewCabinCollection'', ''Lakeview Valley'' dropped on October 22nd, 2019. Billing itself as a "Murder RPG", it sets the player loose in a LifeSimulationGame where they can set out to earn the regard of their new neighbors and become the most popular person in town... investigate the strange goings-on... or follow their darkest impulses.
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9	Can be found on Steam [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/783840/Lakeview_Valley/ here]].
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11	----
12	!!''Lakeview Valley'' presents the following tropes:
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14	* AmbiguousSituation: Even the BigBad isn't really clear as to what the exact plot of the ''Lakeview Cabin'' films meant.
15	* {{Animorphism}}: Members of the Upper League come BackFromTheDead as monstrous human-animal hybrids. Even [[spoiler:the Scarecrow]] is a centipede-like creature in his second form.
16	* AnyoneCanDie: More like "anyone can be killed". The only character who you can't outright murder is the Sheriff, and you can dispose of him by letting Morgo banish him.
17	* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Sure, the town's Dark Secret is that they lynched Morgo, but everything you learn about him indicates that, much like [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Kruger]], the guy ''really'' had it coming. Morgo and the Witch would like you to believe this about the townsfolk to convince you they deserve their fate, but when you really dig into it, with a few exceptions most of them are somewhat flawed but still generally normal, and Morgo and the Witch are just vicious psychopaths trying to justify their own hatred and sadism.]]
18	* AttackOfTheTownFestival: Morgo will always attack on Lake Day, unless a different ending is triggered beforehand. [[spoiler:This is possibly because Lake Day is the anniversary of his death.]]
19	* BadassBystander: The townsfolk are surprisingly robust and won't go down without a real fight.
20	* BattleBolas: These can be bought from Morgo and will prevent people from running away when you attack them.
21	* BigCreepyCrawlies: The blood flies that occasionally appear around town are about as big as the protagonist's head. [[spoiler:Morgo, the Preacher and the Scarecrow]] also count, being a human-sized fly, worm and centipede respectively.
22	* BigGood: The sheriff is a man that stands up for his village and won't let anything bad happen to them. God help you if he's on your tail.
23	* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Ruth, the sweet grandma is a secret Satanic serial killer, and Lil Bobby. the only child in town is a lot nastier than he initially appears. Instead of being tortured by demons after being killed, the two of them seem to be on the fast track to becoming high-ranking demons themselves.]]
24	* BlackBeadEyes: The character sprites have these, though their portraits are more detailed.
25	* CharacterCustomization: Mostly revolving around your hair and facial features, as well as your basic attire and [[HelloInsertNameHere name]].
26	* TheDarknessGazesBack: A pair of GlowingEyes seems to nest in almost every tree hollow and grate, offering advice... and temptation. Urging you not to trust anyone, and to turn against them.
27	* DealWithTheDevil: There's plenty of perks and upgrades to pick from in the grove. First one's free; after that, well... you'll have to earn your new tricks and toys.
28	* DiegeticInterface: One of the upgrades on offer provides an interface that shows your health, stamina, ammo and oxygen. Seeing as you obtain it through an in-universe DealWithTheDevil, the protagonist is presumably aware of it, though [[TheSpeechless of course they don't say anything about it]].
29	* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:After Big Bobby dies in the sauna, Frank [[OffWithHisHead blows his own head off]] with his shotgun.]]
30	* DrugsAreBad: Take any drugs and the Preacher will deem you unworthy of his blessing.
31	* EverybodyDiesEnding: In the default ending, [[spoiler:Morgo appears on Lake Day and slaughters all the residents except the player]].
32	* EveryoneIsBi: Most of the [=NPCs=] will have sex with you, regardless of your gender.
33	* EyesAlwaysShut: Ruth. [[spoiler:Her eyes are actually yellow in color and have the power to [[EasyAmnesia wipe someone's memory]] or hypnotize them, as shown in her flashbacks.]]
34	* FanDisservice: [[spoiler:The [=NPCs=] are naked when they're being mutilated, raped and tortured in the underworld.]]
35	* FinancialAbuse: When you first arrive in town, you haven't got a cent to your name. The Sheriff registers you for Valley Aid; however, the amount of money you qualify for hinges on your popularity, encouraging you to curry favor with the locals if you want to afford anything. Your MysteriousBenefactor with the GlowingEyes is also willing to offer you free cash, suggesting that you ''should'' be frustrated by having to rely upon the local's help... while skating around how they're ''also'' trying to use money to tempt you into doing what they want.
36	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:Morgo]] doesn't like it when you kill [[spoiler:flies.]] There's a reason for this.
37	* FullFrontalAssault: Once again, the protagonist can strip down and walk around in the nude, and attack others in this state.
38	* GenreShift: Like ''VideoGame/LakeviewCabin'', ''Valley'' is initially presented as a SimulationGame -- in this case, a LifeSimulationGame. It's also more upfront about its darker aspects than [[LateArrivalSpoiler than the original game was]].
39	* GracefulLoser: The Sheriff seems to be this: [[spoiler:If you manage to kill all of the townsfolk without supernatural assistance from Morgo, the game ends with the Sheriff admitting defeat and giving you the slowest of slow claps.]]
40	* GroundhogDayLoop: If your day isn't going well, or ends poorly for you, you can opt to reset and start over from the top of it. [[spoiler:This is indicative of a much larger problem.]]
41	** [[spoiler:At the end of the week, you can choose to reset everything that happened, meaning that all the townsfolk will go back to normal and (mostly) forget what you've done to them in a previous game. Your money, items and reputation carry over, however.]]
42	* HateSink: [[spoiler:The fiends]] are sadistic [[spoiler:demonic monsters]] who mutilate, torture and rape innocent people with glee. There is nothing remotely likable about them and the game gets far darker when they appear.
43	* TheHeavy: [[spoiler:Morgo does most of the work and is both the primary tempter of the protagonist as well as the main threat to the town, but the real BigBad is the Witch.]]
44	* HigherUnderstandingThroughDrugs: Being high on mushrooms turns the Hermit's gibberish into meaningful information which provides a bit of extra lore.
45	* HijackedByGanon: At first it seems as though [[spoiler:Morgo and the Witch are the [[BigBad Big Bads]], but that is before we learn that "Uncle" is actually Red from the previous two Lakeview games, who is far stronger than them both. This is especially evident when he brutally murders Morgo after the other "upper league" members are killed.]]
46	* HouseFire: This happened to Rebecca sometime before the player moved to the valley. [[spoiler:During her side quest, its implied that she intentionally done so to kill Ra-Ra, her demon mother, but it isn't revealed what motivated her as to why.]]
47	* ImplacableMan: Not even a shotgun blast to the face will stop the Sheriff from meting out justice to an obvious spree killer.
48	* LevelUpAtIntimacy5: Helping the townsfolk out and becoming more popular benefits the protagonist in various ways. Such as getting better financial aid from Easy Bank; the more well-liked you are, the more money you're granted every day.
49	* LovePotion: The Feather of Love will make an NPC follow you for a short time, which is useful if you want to lead them away to murder them.
50	* MothMenace: After midnight, giant moths will spawn and attack the player.
51	* MultipleEndings: Depending upon how the player chooses to conduct themselves...
52	** DownerEnding: There's no GoldenEnding to this sad tale... [[spoiler:The endings in which Morgo or the Witch are disposed of don't resolve the time loop, and the endings which do solve the time loop involve every villager other than the Sheriff being dead.]]
53	* MyBelovedSmother: [[spoiler:Its strongly implied that Ra-Ra's overprotective and possessive nature is that led to Rebecca trying to kill her by burning down her home.]]
54	* NPCRoadblock: Thanks to some pesky boulders, a giant cow has gotten stuck blocking the straightest path back to your new place. It will take a few days before they can be moved safely aside. Though it may be possible for you to speed up the process...
55	* OffWithHisHead: [[spoiler:Morgo's]] preferred method of killing people seems to be simply ripping their heads from their bodies. The protagonist can then pick up and wear these heads as a kind of grotesque mask.
56	* OptionalSexualEncounter: Some of the residents will agree to sleep with your protagonist under the right circumstances.
57	** Alex will sleep with the protagonist outside her junkyard provided they are popular enough.
58	** Martha will sleep with the protagonist after removing the weeds from her garden. Afterwards, she will do it again for $50 dollars.
59	** Matthew will sleep with the protagonist when he is at the picnic blanket in the forest, or on Friday night if Donna invites you over to her house provided they are popular enough and have wine, but only if they haven't done it with him before.
60	** Donna will invite the protagonist over to sleep with her on Friday (and Matthew if the player hasn't done it with him already) if they are popular enough and have wine.
61	** Rebecca sleeps with the protagonist during her side quest.
62	** Luanne will sleep with the protagonist once they have fully decorated their house and select the right tarot cards with her.
63	* PaperThinDisguise: Somehow, wearing Amy's bloody, eyeless, severed head is enough to trick [[spoiler:Morgo]] into thinking that you are Amy. Everyone else treats it as an UnusuallyUninterestingSight instead.
64	* PottyEmergency: Eating food will cause you to have the "need to crap" status the next day, allowing you to use toilets.
65	* PottyFailure: If you ignore the "need to crap" status for too long then you will soil yourself. This can actually be used to your advantage if Ra-Ra is stalking you, as it will disgust her and cause her to leave.
66	* PurelyAestheticGender: There are 5 different gender options which have absolutely no effect on the game other than what you look like when you remove your clothes. Gender doesn't even affect your character's facial features or ability to have a beard.
67	* RecordNeedleScratch: One of these occurs when [[spoiler:Morgo]] interrupts the Sheriff's Lake Day performance.
68	* RetiredMonster: [[spoiler:Ruth, a satanic serial killer as well as Morgo's partner in crime is still alive. Due to her advanced age, she isn't able to be as dangerous and doesn't put up as much of a fight as other [=NPCs=].]]
69	* SexIsEvil: Having any sex will make you unable to obtain the Preacher's blessing.
70	* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The shotgun is probably the best weapon in the game, owing to it being ranged, reusable, and able to kill an NPC in one hit.
71	%%* SpiritualSuccessor: To the ''VideoGame/LakeviewCabin'' [[VideoGame/LakeviewCabinCollection series]].
72	* StealthSequel: [[spoiler:Red from the previous 2 games is [[LukeIAmYourFather your father]], as well as the frog-human creature that calls itself your "Uncle". The Lake Gods also seem to be ultimately behind everything.]]
73	* StatGrinding: You normally can't see your stats, but performing certain tasks builds them up.
74	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: If you die, you normally have the option to either restart or continue the day. Killing the doctor will remove this second option, because there's no longer anyone around who can heal you from near-death.
75	* ToiletHumor: [[RunningGag As is traditional for the series]], you can use any of the toilets around town at your leisure.
76	* UnexplainedRecovery: The game begins with Reginald the bus driver running over a naked and delusional Amy Cooper, leaving her dead in the street. Minutes later you run into her seemingly completely fine at the diner. The Sheriff even makes note of this odd discrepancy when examining Amy's body. [[spoiler:It's implied she made a deal with Morgo, possibly involving time travel -- and, given his parting insult, that when she tried it in another timeline, he sent her back just in front of the bus the protagonist was in, hence Reginald not seeing her even if he finishes his conversation with the protagonist before the collision. Morgo is ''incredibly'' [[EvilIsPetty petty.]]]]
77	* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Aside from a couple of exceptions, the townsfolk don't react at all if you leave decapitated heads lying around the place.
78	* VaginaDentata: [[spoiler:The Lake Gods seem to have these for mouths. One of the fiends in Hell even comments about how some humans have the face of a god on their bodies.]]
79	* VideoGameCaringPotential: Get to know all your new neighbors! Help them out! Earn their respect and regard, and with it a place in the community!
80	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: ...Or maybe you'd rather dig up their deepest secrets. Screw up their lives. Or just end them.
81	* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: Be aware, though: if the locals don't care for you much, they'll make sure you don't feel welcome. And the Sheriff is no slouch; he takes his job quite seriously.
82	* WalkingSpoiler: The primary threat to the Valley is [[spoiler:Morgo, a demonic fly monster who drags souls to the underworld]]. They appear fairly early on, but said appearance changes the game significantly.
83	** An ever bigger spoiler is [[spoiler:the witch, the main antagonist of the game. She's the queen of the demons and the driving force behind Morgo.]]
84	*** [[spoiler:Old Ruth, the token evil teammate, is a satanic serial killer who assisted her husband in horrific murders.]]
85	* WasOnceAMan[=/=]DemonOfHumanOrigin: [[spoiler:The animal-human hybrid demons like Morgo are apparently the "upper league" of the Witch's deceased followers who were allowed to return to the human world in that form. The Witch herself used to be the Preacher's wife, and somehow managed to become Queen of the Underworld after she and the Preacher disappeared from the town.]]
86	* WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve: Midnight is when things start getting really weird. The scarecrow starts walking about, the Dweller appears, the living turn into butterflies while the dead rise again as zombies, [[MothMenace giant aggressive moths]] attack you, and so on.
87	* YouLoseAtZeroTrust: If you're not popular, you get treated accordingly. Don't expect any help from Easy Bank's Valley Aid program, for instance...
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Context VideoGame / LakeviewValley