Lakeview Cabin Collection

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Four pixel-art horror films where you work out how to survive the killer.

Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (92% of 1,941 reviews); Metacritic 70 (PC)
Players: 1
Made by: Roope Tamminen
Released: 2015

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store (PS4, PS5)Xbox Nintendo eShop (Switch)

What frightens Four episodes, each a 70s or 80s horror film you are dropped into with a group of friends: a masked assailant at Camp Lakeview, a mansion full of cannibals, a masked killer loose on Halloween night and shapeshifting aliens on a spaceship. Nothing tells you what to do, and the killers come for your group whether you are ready or not, ending in gory, bloody deaths.
Content: gore, nudity, sexual content.

Lakeview Cabin Collection is a 2D pixel-art horror game in four episodes, each modelled on a 70s or 80s horror film. You control a group of friends at a summer camp, a cannibals' mansion, a neighbourhood on Halloween and a spaceship, and must find out with no instructions how to survive what is coming for them.

About Lakeview Cabin Collection

Lakeview Cabin Collection is a horror game by Roope Tamminen, released on Steam in 2015. It asks a simple question: what would you do if you found yourself in a slasher film? Each of its four episodes drops a group of friends into the setup of a different 70s or 80s horror film and leaves you to work out the rest.

The console stores list the episodes. In Episode III, at the secluded Camp Lakeview, a masked assailant is terrorising you and your fellow counsellors. In Episode IV you search a cannibal-infested mansion across the lake for a way out. Episode V asks you to survive Halloween night while a masked killer roams the neighbourhood, and Episode VI ends on a spaceship where shapeshifting aliens take over your friends.

It is drawn in chunky 2D pixel art and played from the side. You switch between the characters, pick up whatever you find, and use it to build traps, find weapons or open a way out. Nothing tells you what to do, so most players learn each episode by failing it, and failure means a bloody death on screen. The maker notes that it includes low-resolution nudity and sex scenes to recreate the feel of trashy horror films of the period.

In 2024 it came to PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox and Switch. Its sequel, Lakeview Cabin 2, carries the idea on with new episodes and adds local co-op. The Collection suits players who like slasher films and enjoy working out a plan by trial and error.

How to play Lakeview Cabin Collection

Pick an episode and look around the area before anything happens.
Switch between the members of your group and pick up the objects you find.
Work out which items make weapons or traps, or open a way out.
When the killer arrives, use what you prepared to survive or escape.
If everyone dies, start again with what you learned about the episode.

Screenshots

Lakeview Cabin Collection: cross-section of a two-floor cabin with masks and antlers on the walls

Lakeview Cabin Collection: a red-lit living room with a grandfather clock and a bloodied character standing by the bookshelf

Lakeview Cabin Collection key art: three terrified pixel-art faces beside the game's yellow title

Tips

Explore every room first; many useful items are tucked away in corners.
Treat early deaths as lessons: each attempt shows a little more of how the episode works.
Spread your group out to do jobs, but do not leave anyone alone when the killer is near.
Traps set before the killer turns up are often worth more than a weapon in your hand.

Questions

What platforms is Lakeview Cabin Collection on?

It is on Steam for Windows and Mac, and on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

Is Lakeview Cabin Collection multiplayer?

No. The stores list it as single-player. Its sequel, Lakeview Cabin 2, has local co-op.

How is it different from Lakeview Cabin 2?

The Collection holds the first four episodes: a summer camp, a cannibals' mansion, Halloween night and a spaceship. Lakeview Cabin 2 is a separate game with new episodes and co-op on one screen.

Is Lakeview Cabin Collection gory?

Yes. The deaths are bloody, and the maker states it includes low-resolution nudity and sexual scenes in the style of 70s and 80s horror films.