Don't Drain The Lake

Draining the reservoir

Don't Drain The Lake is a first-person incremental game for PC about emptying Hollow Creek Reservoir, a mountain lake Grandpa left you along with a warning not to drain it. You scoop water by hand, then place pumps to lift it over the dam. The bank wants its money by the first frost, and the mill downstream pays a dollar for every cubic metre sent over the dam.

The reservoir holds half a million cubic metres. There’s no progress bar: the lake’s changing level shows how far you’ve got. As it drops, pumps have a harder time lifting the water, and parts of the lakebed emerge. The game ends after one evening, lasting 60 to 90 minutes.