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Main Characters
Laura Vanderboom
Laura in Cube Escape: Paradox
Portrayed by: Elena Kejvalová (Paradox film)
Voiced by: Bob Rafferty (Paradox), Iris Muller (The White Door)
Appearances: Seasons, The Lake (POV), Case 23, The Mill, Theatre, The Cave, Paradox, Rusty Lake: Roots (as a baby), The White Door, Underground Blossom
A mentally ill woman, who is heavily tied to the mysteries of Rusty Lake. Protagonist of The Lake, Seasons, and (technically) the remake of Samsara Room. The daughter of Rose Vanderboom, granddaughter to Albert Vanderboom (and technically Ida Vanderboom), great-granddaughter to James and Mary Vanderboom, and the Reincarnation of her great-great-uncle William Vanderboom, the other one of which is Aldous Vanderboom/Mr. Crow. Whew.- Animation Bump: Compare Laura’s portrait in Seasons to her appearance in Underground Blossom.
- Break the Cutie: Underground Blossom details Laura’s life leading up to and beyond the events in the Cube Escape games. It’s not a particularly happy story.
- But Now I Must Go: The end of Underground Blossom has her give Harvey a variation of this, after he helps her Corrupted Soul to heal and come to terms with Rose’s disappearance, urging him to find his own path apart from her and Rusty Lake.
- Came Back Wrong: She is the first Corrupted Soul to debut.
- Character Development: Goes from being the arguably static victim and POV character of Seasons to being a central character whose story is heavily connected to the lore of the series.
- Cheerful Child: Surprisingly, Laura was absolutely adorable and happy as a young girl. And then the wheels fell off.
- Continuity Cameo: One of the major threads that connects the games, in fact.
- Death Seeker: Possibly before she died, definitely after.
- Decoy Protagonist: The playable character of the original two Cube Escape games, but future installments focus on Dale Vandermeer investigating her death and Rusty Lake.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: In Underground Blossom she mentions seeing Detective Vandermeer in her dreams, even though he said in Paradox that the two of them hadn't met prior to her death.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Boy howdy. Laura has not had it easy. She’s arguably one of the biggest Woobies of the series, which is saying something when another character spends thirty years living in a well. That she gets closure and a happy ending at the end of Underground Blossom will have many longtime fans smiling.
- Expy: Of Laura Palmer.
- Irony: The reincarnated soul of an Immortality Seeker became a Death Seeker, then a Corrupted Soul who Cannot Self Terminate.
- Leitmotif: The piano theme from Seasons’s Summer 1971 part is the closest she has to one. It’s “Gymnopédie No. 1” by French composer Erik Satie.
- No Name Given: Her real name wasn't revealed until the ninth Cube Escape game, despite being a central character.
- The Ophelia: Is mentally ill, has an almost otherworldly aura, and is connected to water, since she was born in the Lake and died in it in Paradox.
- Parental Abandonment: Is revealed to be the daughter of Rose Vanderboom, and her mother's disappearance with a deer-skull-wearing Corrupted Soul when Laura was just a young girl was a major catalyst for the issues she faces later in life - including becoming a Corrupted Soul herself.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Her mysterious death is what kicks off most of the events in the series.
- Reincarnation: She is one, of William Vanderboom.
- Tragic Keepsake: Rose’s golden timepiece from Roots ends up becoming one for Laura, her daughter.
Harvey
Harvey in his bird form, Cube Escape: Paradox
Appearances: Seasons, Harvey’s Box (POV), The Mill, Birthday, Theatre, Paradox, Rusty Lake: Hotel (POV), Rusty Lake: Roots, Rusty Lake: Paradise (Easter egg), The White Door (Easter egg), Underground Blossom
Laura's pet parrot. Playable in Harvey's Box, Rusty Lake Hotel, and Underground Blossom.- Ambiguous Gender: Has a distinctly male name, but lays eggs at multiple points in the series.
- Androcles' Lion: In Seasons. Setting him free when you revisit the spring memory allows him you bring you a Plot Coupon in the winter memory.
- Animalistic Abomination: His depiction in Birthday's hidden scene, before transforming into a regular parrot to escape the Corrupted Souls of the Hotel guests.
- Animation Bump: Just like with Laura, his owner/friend, his appearance in Seasons differs vastly from his later appearances.
- Best Friend: His relationship to Laura is revealed to be closer to this than that of pet and owner.
- The Bus Came Back: Almost literally, though it’s a metro instead in Underground Blossom. He makes frequent returns to Laura’s life at different points throughout the years, and apparently masqueraded as her pet parrot for a number of them.
- Character Development: From Laura’s pet parrot in Seasons to a (possibly immortal) servant of Mr. Owl and Rusty Lake.
- The Dog Is an Alien: Harvey is definitely not a normal animal, but spends some time as Laura's pet with her seemingly thinking that he's a regular parrot. Underground Blossom reveals that she knows he isn't.
- Elective Unintelligible: Apparently. Given that he understands what Mr. Crow and Mr. Owl say to him in Hotel, and that he even writes nine-year-old Dale Vandermeer a birthday card in Birthday, he apparently knows human language but still squawks like a normal parrot when in his bird form.
- Long-Lived: If his brief appearance in Rusty Lake Paradise is taken as canon, then he's at least 170 years old.
- The Reveal: The fact that he's the viewpoint character of Hotel isn't revealed until that game's end.
Dale Vandermeer
Dale in Cube Escape: Theatre
Portrayed by: David Bowles (Paradox film)
Voiced by: Infant Tyrone (all games pre-Paradox), David Bowles (Paradox and The White Door)
Appearances: Case 23, The Mill, Birthday, Theatre, The Cave, Paradox, Rusty Lake: Hotel, The White Door, Underground Blossom
A homicide detective. Protagonist of Case 23, Birthday, Theatre, and Paradox.- The Alcoholic: According to his file in Paradox.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: His parents died when he was 9, and from what we've seen of them, they seemed to be very loving. He even associated their pictures with "love" in Paradox.
- Defective Detective: Has several mental health issues that are discussed in Paradox.
- Expy: of Dale Cooper.
- Functional Addict: His alcoholism doesn't seem to have an effect on his skills as a detective.
- Idiot Hair: Is always seen with a lock of hair falling onto his forehead, despite seeming rather intelligent and serious.
- Must Have Caffeine: Like his namesake, he enjoys a "damn fine cup of coffee" in Case 23.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: According to Chapter 2 of Paradox, he has both claustrophobia (fear of crowded spaces) and ichthyophobia (fear of fish). And considering he's in a Room Escape series that centers around a lake...
- The Workaholic: In Case 23 he mentions obsessing over the titular case for months and locking himself in his office trying to solve it.
Mr. Crow
Mr. Crow in Rusty Lake: Roots
Portrayed by: Maarten Looise (Paradox film)
Voiced by: Bob Rafferty
Appearances: Seasons (as a voice), Harvey's Box, Case 23, The Mill, Birthday (as a voice), Theatre, The Cave, Paradox, Rusty Lake: Hotel, Rusty Lake: Roots, Rusty Lake: Paradise (Easter egg), Underground Blossom
A major recurring character in the series, he is working in a partnership with Mr. Owl to deliver memories to the lake. Seems to know more about what’s going on than he lets on. In a past life, he was a human alchemist named Aldous Vanderboom, making him a distant relative to Laura. Playable in The Mill and The Cave.- Animalistic Abomination: Partly this, partly Humanoid.
- Ambiguously Evil: Not sure just how bad he really is, but since he and Mr. Owl have been sacrificing humans regularly, he's not capital-G "Good".
- Awful Wedded Life: Implied, his relationship with the Old Woman from Mill seems to consist solely of her bossing him around, and he doesn't seem to have any reaction to her death nor does he bring her up at any other point in the series.
- Badass Longcoat: Often seen wearing a long black coat, complete with a white bow tie.
- Casting a Shadow: Is often seen as a black silhouette in mist.
- Creepy Crows: His presence always coincides with something quite creepy.
- Henpecked Husband: In Mill, his wife demands multiple items that he must provide in order to proceed.
- Humanoid Abomination: Partly this, partly Animalistic.
- Immortality Seeker: Whether this is his only goal or not isn't clear yet.
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: His appearance is never a good omen.
- Ravens and Crows: Of course.
- The Reveal: His origin is revealed in Roots, when he was originally known as William Vanderboom's brother Aldous.
Mr. Owl
Mr. Owl in Rusty Lake: Hotel
Voiced by: Bob Rafferty
Appearances: The Mill, Birthday, Theatre, The Cave, Paradox, Rusty Lake: Hotel, Rusty Lake: Paradise (as Jakob Eilander), The White Door, Underground Blossom
A recurring character throughout the series, he is the ruler of Rusty Lake. Working with Mr. Crow to deliver memories to the lake, he takes a special interest in Dale, implying he wants Dale to be his successor. It’s revealed in Paradise that in a past life he was a human named Jakob Eilander.- Animalistic Abomination: Partly this, partly Humanoid.
- Ambiguously Evil: Not sure just how bad he really is, but since he and Mr. Crow have been sacrificing humans regularly, he's not capital-G "Good".
- Came Back Wrong: Sort of. Rather than being offered as a sacrifice to the lake, he got... stronger.
- Humanoid Abomination: Partly this, partly Animalistic.
- Immortality Seeker: Whether this is his only goal or not isn't clear yet.
- Gone Horribly Right/Wrong: He didn't die as a result of being sacrificed. While this seems to have worked out just peachy for him, it's very unlikely his family intended this.
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: His appearance is never a good omen.
- Ominous Owl: His presence and words always hint that something is about to happen...
- Passing the Torch: In Chapter 2 of Cube Escape: Paradox, he states that he wants Dale to gain enlightenment in order to inherit his duties.
- The Reveal: The ending of Paradise finally establishes his original identity. It's Jakob Eilander, that game's protagonist.
Rusty Lake Hotel
Mr. Bat
Appearances: The Cave (animal form), Paradox (Golden Cube ending), Rusty Lake: Hotel, Underground Blossom
The bellboy of Rusty Lake Hotel.- Suddenly Voiced: Receives voice acting in Underground Blossom.
- The Unintelligible: Can screech like a bat, but never says any words.
Mr. Toad
Appearances: Rusty Lake: Hotel
The chef of Rusty Lake Hotel.- Bit Character: He's just in one game as the chef.
Mr. Deer
Appearances: Case 23 (as a Corrupted Soul), The Cave (as a Corrupted Soul), Rusty Lake: Hotel, Rusty Lake: Roots (silhouette)
- Death by Irony: In Rusty Lake: Paradise, he was Nicholas Eilander who was responsible for sacrificing Caroline and Jakob to the lake. In Rusty Lake: Hotel, he becomes the very first person to be sacrificed for the meals.
- The Reveal: He's Nicholas Eilander in Rusty Lake: Paradise.
Mr. Boar
Appearances: The Cave (as a Corrupted Soul), Rusty Lake: Hotel, Rusty Lake: Roots (silhouette), Rusty Lake: Paradise (animal form, Easter egg)
- Big Eater: His segment of Hotel has him constantly dining on sandwiches.
- Death by Irony: In Rusty Lake: Paradise, he was Gerald Eilander who was a Big Eater. He dies to be made into food, specifically as the last meal to be brought to Mr. Owl.
- The Hedonist: Constantly eats and is addicted to opium
- The Reveal: He's Gerald Eilander in Rusty Lake: Paradise.
Ms. Pheasant
Appearances: The Cave (as a Corrupted Soul), Rusty Lake: Hotel, Rusty Lake: Roots (silhouette)
A model and actress who decided to head to Rusty Lake Hotel as a guest.- The Atoner: A possible interpretation of her suicide. Elizabeth Eilander could've been overwhelmed by guilt relating to her brother and mother's deaths and eventually couldn't take it anymore.
- Death by Irony: In Rusty Lake: Paradise, she was Elizabeth Eilander who was blind and had accidentally cut off her uncle's ear. She dies in this game via a photo-shoot of herself (pictures requiring sight to see) and possibly via suicide.
- Driven to Suicide: Implied to have shot herself after the photos were completed.
- The Reveal: She's Elizabeth Eilander in Rusty Lake: Paradise.
- True Blue Femininity: Ms. Pheasant's dress is a shade of pale blue.
Mr. Rabbit
Appearances: Birthday, The Cave (as a Corrupted Soul), Paradox, Rusty Lake: Hotel, Rusty Lake: Roots (silhouette)
A stage magician who decided to head to Rusty Lake Hotel as a guest.- Apologetic Attacker: In Cube Escape: Birthday, he's the corrupted soul that attacks and kills Dale's parents and grandpa. He asks for forgiveness in a letter left behind.
- Death by Irony: Being David Eilander who got trapped as a fly and as a human popsicle, he dies by a magic trick gone horribly wrong that was supposed to be safe: him trapped in a magician's sword box and impaled by all the swords.
- Disappearing Box: He starts outside the box, but appears inside it when you unlock it. After a few switches around, it finally ends by collecting a few swords, and him moving to another magic trick.
- Mugging the Monster: In Birthday, in the altered timeline, he still attempts to kill Dale's family, but Dale gave grandpa a pistol due to being aware of the future, resulting in Rabbit himself being wounded and running away.
- Pull a Rabbit out of My Hat: After the flower puzzle, he pulls his head in to have his head reappear from the hat.
- The Reveal: He's David Eilander in Rusty Lake: Paradise.
- Stage Magician: His occupation in Hotel and Birthday.
- What Have We Ear?: One of his tricks is making a playing card appear from behind his own ear.
Mrs. Pigeon
Appearances: The Cave (as a Corrupted Soul), Rusty Lake: Hotel, Rusty Lake: Roots (silhouette)
- Deadly Bath: Is electrocuted while taking a bath.
- Death by Irony: In Rusty Lake: Paradise, Margaret relied on Jakob's help to take care of things. In Hotel, she's betrayed by her assistant/victim and killed by the electrical equipment she has around her bathtub.
- The Reveal: She's Margaret Eilander from Rusty Lake: Paradise.
The Vanderboom Family
As A Whole
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Filled with murderers, Immortality Seekers, and Truly Single Parents.
- Brothers and Immortality Seeker alchemists Aldous and William Vanderboom have a nephew James. James marries Mary, and they have three children: Emma, Samuel, and Albert. Emma gets impregnated by a magical flower and has a son named Frank. Samuel marries Ida Reiziger, a traveling fortune-teller and they have a son named Leonard. Albert falls in love with his sister-in-law and steals one of Ida's eggs after murdering her and his brother to make his daughter Rose through alchemy. Rose communicates with her great-great-uncle William through a Ouija board and agrees to bring him back to life by finding three timepieces with Frank and Leonard and then sacrificing them and her cousins to the literal family tree, as a reincarnation in her daughter Laura.
- The Ghost: Aldous and William Vanderboom must have had another sibling, the parent of James. They are never mentioned.
- Meaningful Name: 'Vanderboom' is Dutch for 'Of the tree', and they are associated with a tree James plants.
Rose Vanderboom
Appearances: Samsara Room (as a silhouette, remake only), Rusty Lake: Roots, The Past Within, Underground Blossom
Albert's daughter, who completes the ritual to reincarnate her great-great-uncle William into her daughter Laura. Great-great-niece of Aldous/Mr. Crow, granddaughter of James and Mary, niece of Emma and Samuel, cousin of Frank, and the niece/daughter of Ida and cousin/half-sister of Leonard. Originally one of the various Vanderbooms playable in Roots, she's the focal character of The Past Within, working with "someone trustworthy" existing in a future era to restore Albert to life.- Artificial Human: Technically, as she was created by Albert through alchemy.
- Creepy Child: Her Establishing Character Moment is as a young girl using a Ouija board, aside from one scene she is always dressed in all black, and she robs her family's graves to assemble a single skeleton from their bones and acquire a timepiece. Even when she appears benevolent and rescues Frank from the well, it's just to complete the ritual to return William to life.
- Human Sacrifice: Frank and Leonard are a lot less willing to help revive William than she is, ending up trapped in tree roots when she completes the ritual.
- Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: Though she shares Albert's interest in the occult, she doesn't seem to be on board with his evil schemes. She is, however, onboard with William's, rescuing Frank from the well Albert trapped him in only to sacrifice him later.
- Seeks Another's Resurrection:
- The climax of Rusty Lake Roots has her sacrifice the rest of her remaining family in order to complete William Vanderboom's reincarnation.
- In The Past Within, she's trying to return Albert to life. And she succeeds, but only by manipulating the Cubes to create a paradox, which results in her transflormation in order to break free.
- Sole Survivor: Of the Vanderboom family. Excluding her great-great-uncle's reincarnation (and subsequent soul corruption) and her other great-great-uncle's ascension. And, as of the end of The Past Within, whether or not Rose is technically alive is ambiguous.
- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot card depicts her as The Empress.
- Transflormation: The end of The Past Within has her past and future selves merge into a blossoming tree in Rusty Lake, where time doesn't exist, in order to escape the time loop she caused trying to resurrect Albert.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: At the age of 10, she used a Ouija board to communicate with her deceased great-great-uncle.
- Truly Single Parent: She raises Laura, William's reincarnation, on her own.
William Vanderboom
Appearances: Samsara Room (POV, remake only), Seasons, The Cave, Rusty Lake: Roots
James' uncle. Dies while trying to ingest an elixir of eternal life, but his Corrupted Soul plots to resurrect himself using his relatives as sacrifices.- Immortality Seeker: The cause of his demise was an elixir that could cause it, but could also cause instant death.
- Posthumous Character: His death is the reason why James inherits his house, though he is playable at the very end of Roots in a sequence that depicts how it happened.
- Reincarnation: Following the events of Rusty Lake: Roots, he is reincarnated as Laura Vanderboom.
Aldous Vanderboom
Appearances: see Mr. Crow's appearances
William's brother.- The Reveal: The final playable segment of Roots, unlocked after completing the main story and uncovering ten additional secrets, shows that he became Mr. Crow after ingesting the elixir of eternal life made with William's help.
James Vanderboom
The first playable character of Rusty Lake: Roots, who inherits his uncle's home after the old man passes.Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots
- History Repeats: Follows his uncle's formulas and tries creating an elixir of eternal life for himself.
- Immortality Seeker: Creates and ingests an elixir that could cause either immortality or instant death. He dies, though his dog does become immortal.
- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot cards depicts him and his wife as The Lovers.
Mary Vanderboom
Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots
The wife of James, and mother of Emma, Samuel, and Albert.- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot cards depicts her and her husband as The Lovers.
Emma Vanderboom
Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots
The mother of Frank, creating him through magic.- Driven to Suicide: She hangs herself after believing her son is dead.
- Flower Motifs: All of her scenes involve a flower in one way or another.
- Kids Are Cruel: Mocked Albert as a young girl, hitting him with a net when catching butterflies, and laughing at his bee sting scars.
- Mystical Pregnancy: Becomes impregnated through magic involving flowers.
- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot cards depicts her as Queen of Pentacles, and The Hanged Man.
- Teen Pregnancy: Is impregnated by a flower at age 17.
- Truly Single Parent: Created Frank with magic.
Samuel Vanderboom
Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots
The father of Leonard.- Eye Scream: Loses an eye to Albert's voodoo torture, which becomes one of the sacrifices.
- Kids Are Cruel: In youth, he dropped a beehive on his brother Albert's head, forever scarring the boy (both physically and mentally).
- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot cards depicts him as The Wheel of Fortune.
Ida Vanderboom
Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots
A travelling fortuneteller that married Samuel. Mother of Leonard (as well as Rose, sort of).- Eye Scream: Loses an eye to Albert's voodoo torture, which becomes one of the sacrifices.
- Magical Romani: Implied to be of this descent.
- Tarot Motifs: Scenes focusing on her usually have tarot cards involved. She herself is The High Priestess or The Hierophant based on her ability to predict the future.
Albert Vanderboom
Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots, The Past Within, Underground Blossom (as a Corrupted Soul)
The father of Rose, having created her through alchemy.- Cain and Abel: The Cain to both Samuel and Emma, having been bullied by his siblings in childhood, and causing their deaths in adulthood (directly for Samuel, and indirectly for Emma).
- Evil Uncle: Traps his nephew at the bottom of a well for decades.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He has both a birthmark on his forehead and scars from having a beehive dropped on his head as a child.
- Hollywood Voodoo: Practices this, and uses it to kill Samuel and Ida.
- If I Can't Have You…: Kills Ida, who he pined for, alongside her husband/his brother Samuel.
- Mask of Power: Albert wears three of these for one level. One makes it rain outside, another causes snow and ice, and the third one changes day into night.
- One Drink Will Kill the Baby: More like 'one drink immediately after being born will turn the baby into a low-functioning sociopath', but the sentiment's the same.
- Red Right Hand: The most antagonistic member of the family, and the one with half his face permanently scarred.
- Scars Are Forever: Has a permanently scarred face after his siblings dropped a beehive on his head.
- Sibling Triangle: Has a romantic obsession with Ida, but she's already married to Samuel when this comes to light.
- The Sociopath: Willing to murder and torture members of his immediate family. His obsession with masks and black magic is also a warning sign.
- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot cards depicts him as The Devil.
- Truly Single Parent: Created Rose with alchemy, though he used one of Ida's eggs as genetic material.
- Unwanted Revival: In The Past Within, despite having left Rose with the materials required to corrupt his soul and then resurrect him in the future, his post-resurrected self realizes the paradox he's trapped them in and how the only way out is to become a part of Rusty Lake, where he states that they both belong.
- Would Hurt a Child: When his nephew Frank finds himself clinging on over a well after being pushed too hard on a swing, Albert hands him over his teddy bear, then turns the crank to let the poor child fall in.
- Yandere: A completely unsympathetic example.
Frank Vanderboom
Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots
Emma's son, who was trapped in a well for most of his life.- Important Haircut: Gets one after finally escaping from the well - important in more than one way, as his hair is one of the sacrifices used to resurrect William.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Kills Albert, the one responsible for most of the Vanderboom deaths, including his mother's.
- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot cards depicts him as The Hermit.
Leonard Vanderboom
Appearances: The Cave (cameo), Rusty Lake: Roots
Samuel and Ida's son, who participates in World War I. Both Rose's cousin and half-brother.- An Arm and a Leg: Loses his right leg in the trenches in World War I
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: After returning from the war, he has frequent flashbacks of losing his leg from a grenade blast.
- Tarot Motifs: Ida's deck of tarot cards depicts him as Death.
The Eilander Family
As A Whole
- Creepy Family: They live by themselves on an island far away from society and practice human sacrifice.
- Evil Redhead: Arguably Gerard, Elizabeth, and David.
- Fat and Skinny: Nicholas (the skinny) and his brother Gerard (the fat).
Jakob Eilander
Appearances: see Mr. Owl's appearances
The first-born son of Nicholas and Caroline Eilander, sent away from the family island for protection, but asked to return after his mother's passing. Protagonist of Rusty Lake Paradise.- The Reliable One: Despite witnessing his family's true intents, he returns to take care of them and the island.
- Sole Survivor: Of the Eilanders, after the events of Hotel.
Caroline Eilander
Appearances: Case 23 (as a painting), Rusty Lake: Paradise
Jakob's mother. Dead at the start.- All for Nothing: Her attempt to take Jakob's place as a sacrifice just led to her becoming a Corrupted Soul and the rest of the family to try and sacrifice Jakob again without her interference.
- Dark Is Not Evil: The only non-hostile Corrupted Soul we meet. Though maybe she just found a subtler way to harm the living...
- Posthumous Character: Her passing is what motivates Jakob to return to Paradise.
- Take Me Instead: She took her son's place as the sacrifice. Not that it helped.
Nicholas Eilander
Appearances: Rusty Lake: Paradise
Jakob's father.- The Bluebeard: Sacrificed his wife and son to learn Things Man Was Not Meant to Know.
- Lean and Mean: Not the softest man by any means. Lampshaded in the Plague of Frogs.
- Major Injury Underreaction: Gets impaled through the head early in the game. Doesn't seem to have inconvenienced him much beyond a headache.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: He's the best-dressed member of the family, and led the ritual to sacrifice Caroline. And later Jakob.
- Offing the Offspring: Rusty Lake: Paradise ends with his attempt to sacrifice Jakob, his own son.
- The Reveal: He becomes Mr. Deer from Rusty Lake: Hotel.
Margaret Eilander
Appearances: Rusty Lake: Paradise
Jakob's grandmother.- Evil Old Folks: Downplayed. She's never overtly malicious, but she's willing to sacrifice her daughter-in-law and later grandson.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Downplayed. She sacrificed her daughter-in-law, but there's no indication it was personal.
- The Reveal: She becomes Ms. Pigeon from Rusty Lake: Hotel.
Gerard Eilander
Appearances: Rusty Lake: Paradise
Jakob's uncle, and Nicholas' brother.- Body Horror: Boils and pus-y eyes and open heart surgery, oh my!
- Big Eater: To the point that, when all the livestock on Paradise are diseased, he still demands a hamburger.
- Ear Ache: He loses an ear after a haircut from his blind niece Elizabeth.
- Evil Uncle: He helps his relatives sacrifice his nephew Jakob.
- Literal Change of Heart: Saving Gerard after he eats plagued meat involves replacing his heart with a clock's.
- The Load: Rarely helps Jakob in any way. Many of the puzzles involve giving him something (like food) or helping him with something decidedly non-essential.
- The Reveal: He becomes Mr. Boar from Rusty Lake: Hotel.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Like the rest of his family, he sacrifices his nephew Jakob without a single qualm.
Elizabeth Eilander
Appearances: Rusty Lake: Paradise
Jakob's blind younger sister.- Alliterative Name: Both her first and last names begin with "E" (and also the letters L and I, albeit swapped).
- Evil Cripple: Maybe. She isn't openly antagonistic to Jakob, but she did willingly participate in sacrificing her own mother.
- The Quiet One: Very little of her personality is revealed over the course of the game. Not that she's harmless.
- This Means Warpaint: During the final plague.
- Self-Made Orphan: She participated in her mother's sacrifice. And, later, her brother's.
- The Reveal: She becomes Ms. Pheasant from Rusty Lake: Hotel.
David Eilander
Appearances: Birthday (as Mr. Rabbit), Paradox (voice only, as Mr. Rabbit), Rusty Lake: Paradise
Jakob's brother, and the youngest of Caroline's children.- Metamorphosis: Turns into a giant fly for a bit.
- Major Injury Underreaction: Is entirely unfazed by his transformation into a giant fly and getting turned into a Human Popsicle.
- The Reveal: He is, or rather becomes, Mr. Rabbit from Rusty Lake: Hotel. Cube Escape: Paradox shows that he's also the rabbit-masked murderer from Cube Escape: Birthday.
- Smug Smiler: His default expression.
Other Characters
Robert "Bob" Hill
Voiced by: Bob Rafferty
Appearances: Case 23, Theatre, The White Door, Underground Blossom
The Woman's ex-lover. First seen in Case 23 and Theatre, and the protagonist of The White Door.- Ascended Extra: The White Door greatly elaborates on his story, including how he ended up at the police station and the theater, why he shoots himself, and what happens to him afterwards.
- Beard of Sorrow: Has one in Theatre.
- Driven to Suicide: Theatre has Dale find a gun and give it to him, at which point he shoots himself. However, as we see in The White Door, it doesn't quite take.
- Drowning My Sorrows: In Theatre, he is the man at the bar that only cares about getting drinks.
- Early-Bird Cameo: His first appearance is in Case 23, where he's seen in the police station outside Dale's window; he later becomes a Corrupted Soul and kills the police officer. It's not until Theatre that we learn who he is, and it's not until The White Door that we get his side of the story (including the fact that he was there because he was being interrogated by the police, who suspected him of killing Laura).
- Expy: Of Robert "Bobby" Briggs.
- Trademark Favorite Food: He has a donut every day for breakfast at the White Door, and orders one at the Owl's Nest Cafe.
Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh in Cube Escape: Arles
Appearances: Arles
The famed painter. Protagonist of Arles.- Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: It’s not clear yet what, if anything, his game is meant to add to Rusty Lake’s plot.
- Boom, Headshot!: A self-inflicted one. After journeying through his own severed ear, and arriving back at his house in Arles at the other end, looking in the mirror again reveals his having turned into a Corrupted Soul. You must then make Van Gogh shoot his Corrupted Soul in the head to get the white cube which will unlock the front door
- Driven to Suicide: Of course. Or not. Maybe.
- Ear Ache: Cuts off his own ear with a knife.
- Historical Domain Character: Based on the real-life famed painter.
Sarah White
Voiced by: Sara Hill
Appearances: The White Door
A nurse employed at the White Door, a mental health facility that is overseeing Bob. She's briefly playable at the end of The White Door.- And Now for Someone Completely Different: The end of The White Door switches to her perspective after playing the majority of the game as Bob.
Paul Gauguin
Appearances: Arles
A friend of van Gogh.- Historical Domain Character: He was van Gogh's friend in real life.
The Newscaster
Appearances: Seasons, The White Door
A television news reporter who reports on the Woman's death, questioning whether it was suicide or homicide.- Expy: His appearance and job are an obvious reference to Ron Burgundy.
The Policeman
Appearances: Case 23, Underground Blossom (cameo)
An officer who works at the same precinct as Dale Vandermeer. Interrogated Bob, convinced that he was connected to the death of The Woman, and was killed by his Corrupted Soul.- Bit Character: Other than briefly showing up alongside Dale in their Underground Blossom cameo, his only other appearance is in part 2 of Case 23, where his only action of note is getting murdered by the Corrupted Soul of Robert Hill.
Old Woman
Appearances: The Mill
An old woman who lives in The Mill that processes the cubes. According to the Rusty Lake instagram, she is Mr. Crow's wife.[1]
She is killed by the Corrupted Soul that appears at the end of The Mill.- Awful Wedded Life: Implied, her and Mr. Crow's relationship seems to consist solely of her bossing him around, and he doesn't seem to have any reaction to her death nor does he bring her up at any other point in the series.
- Bit Character: She only appears in The Mill, holds an ambiguous relationship to Mr. Crow (or at least his human guise), and only helps solve the puzzles of the one game before being stabbed to death with her own knitting needles.
Patients At The White Door
Appearances: The White Door
Ten people who were admitted to The White Door and may have escaped with Sarah.- Dysfunction Junction: They (presumably) all have mental health problems, which is why they are at The White Door
- Multinational Team: They are all from a different country: the U.S., Canada, Italy, Russia, Poland, England, the Netherlands, Japan, China, and South Korea
- Secret Character: They can only be accessed by playing the ARG on The White Door's official website.
