title image

Rusty Lake Hotel

Adventure

Ratings

Age

13+

Category

Games

Languages

English

Rusty Lake Hotel is a surreal point-and-click adventure set in an eerie establishment where five animal guests have arrived for a week-long stay. As the player, you must ensure their visit is unforgettable by preparing five distinct dinners. Each night, a guest becomes the 'star' of the puzzles, and you must explore their room to find the necessary ingredients—often through macabre and unsettling means. This title is part of the larger Rusty Lake universe, offering a deep, atmospheric story, challenging puzzles, and an unforgettable art style that blends the whimsical with the horrifying.

Dinsun Expert Review

Our Expert Score

95/100

Rusty Lake Hotel is a surreal, dark, and utterly captivating puzzle experience. The art style is immediately striking—inspired by Twin Peaks and vintage illustrations—and it creates an atmosphere that is both cozy and deeply unsettling. Each guest at the hotel presents a unique challenge, and the 'dinner' mechanic ties the narrative together brilliantly.

The puzzles are clever and require a fair bit of lateral thinking. Unlike many room escape games that feel repetitive, every room in the Rusty Lake Hotel has its own logic and macabre secrets. It’s a game that lingers in your mind long after you’ve finished the final course. A must-play for anyone who likes a bit of mystery with their puzzles.

Dinsun reviewed on: Sun May 11 2025

Features

1

Deeply atmospheric and surreal storyline

2

Six distinct rooms filled with unique puzzles

3

Hand-drawn graphics inspired by vintage art

4

Suspenseful and original soundtrack

5

Part of the legendary Rusty Lake series

Tips & Walkthrough

Gameplays

Screenshot

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Q&A

While part of a larger series, Rusty Lake Hotel works perfectly as a standalone experience for newcomers.

Ratings & Reviews

Surreal logic puzzles
Sun Oct 30 2016 Don Coyote -><-

I've enjoyed the Cube escape games (even the very short ones - they «were» free), and this installment of the Rusty Lakes mystery was the best so far! They all have very strange, dreamlike, at times spooky and/or creepy, Twin Peaks inspired elements, some dark humor, and great puzzles. This one in particular had a nice balance, and the quest to get perfect meals adds replay value (a couple of the ingredients are somewhat difficult - but I was able to get them all. See end of my review for a vague hint). Definitely unsettling (I'm glad I'm a vegetarian), and I'm still befuddled as to exactly what's going on in the series, though I've followed the order of the games from their website), I can't wait to explore the next games of Rusty Lake. [ingredient hints: sometimes you have to do something more than once. Also, the king does not amount to one, that owl might be hiding something! Shocking that poor chick made me want to throw up. Good luck!]. ;)

Bugs and redo
Thu Aug 16 2018 Hulpy

I loved the Rusty Lake Roots, so I bought this one without reading reviews - big mistake. Like others have said, it’s not worth the money...for the same reasons others have said. Problem 1: You cannot reset a level/room, only the entire game. Why is that a big deal? Well, let me introduce you to Problem 2: If you don’t complete the puzzles in the precisely correct order, the game won’t let you beat the level/room. So, basically, the thing that makes these puzzle games fun is the trial and error of working the puzzle until you figure it out - but in this game, if you don’t do it right the first time, you can’t ever solve it and you have to reset the entire game. So, that leads to Problem 3: in the first level/room of Mr. Deer, if you don’t figure out catching the moth the first time...you have to reset. In the second level/room of Mr. Rabbit, if you don’t figure out the cup puzzle, you have to rest the whole game which means you have to redo the intro, Mr Deer, AND everything you already did in Mr. Rabbit’s room. Then, there is Problem 4: there is a bug in Mr Rabbits room - the cup puzzle will not give me the eyes - and I’ve reset 4 times!!!! Oh, and you won’t know you’ve done a puzzle wrong until you watch the walk through...stupid.

INCREDIBLE AS USUAL ❤️❤️💛💘
Tue Mar 01 2016 antennae ant

At first I was hesitant to buy this game, I worried that it wouldn't be worth the money, but it proved to be an incredible game. I spent around four hours finishing it and it's definitely worth the money because it keeps you busy and it's so interesting. I was never bored, it's a fantastic game and keeps your mind working. I've played every single Rusty Lake game, and they've never disappointed me once. I love the little elements of horror sprinkled in. What perfection. The voices, the graphics, the soundtrack, the characters, the storyline. All your games are so artfully crafted. The mystery of rusty lake is an incredibly interesting one and this game was just another great addition to the collection. I want to say keep up the good work to all the people working on these games because they're just amazing and probably the best thing I've ever played, so good job on that. I love you guys!💓💞💕

One of the most compelling games/series I've ever played
Fri Feb 03 2017 Dubs1

And its so hard to rate each game separately, as they all feel as 'one' and are all brilliant in their own way...I love the weirdness, the horror, the creepiness, the characters, the creative puzzles, the story reveals, etc. etc.....this game/series is something very special and everyone should at least give it a try...their earlier games are FREE to try out and see if it's your cup of tea..but I'm betting most won't be able to put it down and want to keep discovering more about the mystery of rusty lake....that's exactly what happened to me and here I am having downloaded all their games which includes buying the premium new ones which are well worth the price with the longer stories. My only regret is I didn't get on board with this thing sooner! An absolute mind-bending masterpiece. David Lynch would be proud.

Worth every penny
Sun Oct 09 2016 Dit-dah

If you like point-and-click puzzlers or room escape games, this is one of the best in the App Store. There are some mild horror elements, but if you've played the free Cube Escape series from these developers you'll know the levels of violence that you can expect. (And if you haven't played them, you really should. They're all phenomenal.) As always the artwork is lovely, the soundtrack and voice acting are perfect and add to the experience rather than distracting from it. There are one or two puzzles that really take some logical leaps (the deer in the hat?) but there are countless free walkthroughs online if you really get stuck. If you don't catch everything the first time through you can replay it to get a better result, with a prize that can be used in another game. I can't recommend this game, and everything in this series, highly enough!

Fast, fun, and a little messed up
Wed Aug 10 2016 summersun651

Welcome to Rusty Lake Hotel. Five dinners will be served to our guests and you're in charge of making sure each meal is worth dying for. You're sent to help gather the ingredients for each meal and notice the meat required happens to correspond with one of the 5 guests each night. Solve puzzles, riddles and search for clues in order to gain the proper tools to "gather fresh meat" from the guests. I heard about this game on the CoOptional Podcast. When Dodger described the premise, I immediately knew I needed to play it. This game did not disappoint. It is well worth the money and I'm intrigued to find out its part of a series of games which are free to play. If you like slightly creepy, macabre things and enjoy puzzles, pick up this game and give it a go. You won't regret it.

Not as good as the free games
Mon Sep 02 2019 zingo curmudgeon

I’ve played all the free games so finally tried this paid game. While I think the game is worth the small cost, it’s somewhat disappointing. The logic puzzles in “hotel” seem simpler and more straightforward than in the free games. What’s frustrating is how much the ordering of events is relevant to getting a top score. The result is that beating the game involves a lot of rote repetition to order your actions optimally. This makes the game last longer but at a cost of tedium, particularly because the ordering is arbitrary and not clued in any way. In particular there’s at least one instance (2nd guest meal if done in correct order) where an item is required twice in order to get a perfect score - but one of the two actions makes the item unusable. So those two actions have to be done twice, for no reason other than arbitrary choice. (If the item remaine available to be picked up again, ordering wouldn’t matter.)

would be 5 stars but... UPDATED
Fri Apr 30 2021 masonjar707

Updated Review: They released an updated version where they allow you to replay each room. (Yay!) I also realized that I neglected to talk about literally anything else about this game, and I wanted to take this opportunity to do so because I really do think it deserves 5 stars! The Rusty Lake series is awesome. There's no better word for it. It's creepy, interesting, unique, and the art/design... it is all awesome. Since my OP I have finished all of the games (including all Cube Escape games) and I highly recommend every single one, especially now that this one has been updated. The puzzles can be really hard, but if you take your time (and maybe have a pen and paper handy) you will definitely get to feel the sweet, sweet feeling of solving puzzles. Thank you devs!!! I'm pleased to know my fellow slow puzzle solvers will have a chance haha. _____ Original Review: I would give this game five stars if it weren't for the fact that (spoilers) if you miss the "optional" ingredient you cannot reset the individual levels. What this means is that you have to replay the entire game every time you go too far in the level just to get one ingredient. Because it is optional, it may not seem like a big deal. But that means that you have one leas puzzle to solve if you just let it go and don't grab it. I want go be able to do all the puzzles, especially since I paid for this game. Please, let us reset per room. Otherwise, I have to cheat and look at a walkthrough for the optional ingredient before I get to do each level just so I don't have to replay the entire game after each room. I'm starting to not want to play this anymore because I've had to reset the entire game three times now. I feel like I've made no progress and I also feel dumb because I basically didn't get enough time to explore the rooms at my own pace.

Some Youtube Videos found!

News found!

Rusty Lake's Servant Of The Lake, Reviewed - Kotaku

Rusty Lake's Servant Of The Lake, Reviewed  Kotaku

Kotaku Thu Aug 13 2026

Mid-week Android app deals and freebies: Google Play Mega Game Sale from $0.10, and more - 9to5Toys

Mid-week Android app deals and freebies: Google Play Mega Game Sale from $0.10, and more  9to5Toys

9to5Toys Wed Jun 24 2026

‘Servant of the Lake’ Opens Its Doors August 13 on Steam and Mobile - Games Press

‘Servant of the Lake’ Opens Its Doors August 13 on Steam and Mobile  Games Press

Games Press Mon Jun 08 2026

Servant of the Lake Is Rusty Lake’s New Mystery Adventure Set In The Studio’s Surreal Universe - GameDaily

Servant of the Lake Is Rusty Lake’s New Mystery Adventure Set In The Studio’s Surreal Universe  GameDaily

GameDaily Sat May 30 2026

Today’s Android app deals and freebies: Rusty Lake Paradise, Out There, Underground Blossom, more - 9to5Toys

Today’s Android app deals and freebies: Rusty Lake Paradise, Out There, Underground Blossom, more  9to5Toys

9to5Toys Tue Apr 21 2026

A family tree, a gorgeous painting, and 35 levels - Rusty Lake's new project will be their most ambitious yet - Pocket Gamer

A family tree, a gorgeous painting, and 35 levels - Rusty Lake's new project will be their most ambitious yet  Pocket Gamer

Pocket Gamer Tue Sep 23 2025

Rusty Lake is back with another deliciously macabre adventure, and if you've slept on the overlooked series you're missing out - eurogamer.net

Rusty Lake is back with another deliciously macabre adventure, and if you've slept on the overlooked series you're missing out  eurogamer.net

eurogamer.net Thu Aug 21 2025

Rusty Lake unveils first look at ‘Servant of the Lake’ during Future Games Show - Games Press

Rusty Lake unveils first look at ‘Servant of the Lake’ during Future Games Show  Games Press

Games Press Thu Aug 21 2025

Rusty Lake’s Cube Escape games still haunt me - GamesHub

Rusty Lake’s Cube Escape games still haunt me  GamesHub

GamesHub Sun Jul 20 2025

Rusty Lake Hotel now open to visitors

If a town inspired by David Lynch's Twin Peaks and populated by anthropomorphic animals sounds like just your twisted kind of place to visit,...

Adventure Gamers Sun Jun 29 2025