Developer Rusty Lake has revealed the latest chapter in its titular point-and-click adventure series, Underground Blossom, is set to launch for PC, iOS, and Android on 27 September 2023. The game is an extension of the wider Rusty Lake universe, which sees players venturing into strange and surreal worlds to uncover hidden secrets about the past.
In Underground Blossom, players will explore a metro system that exists within the memories of Laura Vanderboom, a figure who has haunted the Rusty Lake games since their inception. Vanderboom is heavily inspired by Laura Palmer of Twin Peaks fame – and like Palmer, she dies under mysterious circumstances that must be solved to save the universe.
She eventually becomes the subject of a major investigation, as homicide detective Dale Vandermeer (inspired by Dale Cooper of Twin Peaks) sets about solving her murder, in a quest that takes him through a number of corrupted locales – the Mill, the Theatre, the Cave, and the odd Paradox Room. This journey is peppered with complex puzzles, each of which reveals more about the world of Rusty Lake, and the strange force that lives at the edges of this world, corrupting beings with dark energy.
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Laura Vanderboom will again take centre stage in Underground Blossom, as players travel between stations, attempting to piece together her history, and the role she plays as a muse in Rusty Lake. Here’s the game’s official description, per Steam:
Descend into the Rusty Lake Underground and travel through the life and memories of Laura Vanderboom. Travel from station to station, each metro stop symbolising a piece of Laura’s past and future. Solve various puzzles, find the correct metro to board and uncover one of Laura’s timelines, while simultaneously helping her make sense of her life and escape the corruption of her mind.
It’s unclear when Underground Blossom takes place in the Rusty Lake timeline – the Cube Escape series has a defined order, with each revealing new clues about Vanderboom and her past – but this makes the upcoming chapter all the more intriguing.
In recent years, Rusty Lake has branched out with its experimental tales, expanding the bounds of its storytelling in larger titles like The Past Within, Rusty Lake Paradise, Rusy Lake Roots, The White Door, and beyond. Each plays a key part in the Vanderboom myth, with clues to the world of Rusty Lake found along the way. If you’re somebody with even a vague interest in unsettling light-horror stories, they’re all well worth seeking out.
When Underground Blossom launches on 27 September 2023, you can expect Rusty Lake’s signature weirdness to shine through the adventure.
