The Milk Lake is a survival adventure where you traverse a dark forest, guided only by your light. To survive you must flee from arrows and unseen enemies and then face off against huge monsters in combat. It stands out for its horror depiction of being hunted and the agonising ethical choices you must make in the midst of the terror.

You play Emmer, a young girl whose family and home are burnt to the ground by a rampaging dragon. Alone, you set out on a quest for revenge that takes you into dark and mysterious lands where ancient forces must be defeated in combat. It sounds like a familiar if disturbing, premise. However, not everything is as it first appears, and soon you discover that monsters are not the only evil in the world.

Play is a mix of traversal and combat as you snake your way through the trees with only the light of your glowing sword to guide you. You must react to avoid deadly arrows and other more mystical forces that appear as dark mists snatch away your light. The hunt is punctuated with moments of encounter where you face gargantuan foes in fights that demand expert timing. Only a close study of your enemy and experimenting with different strategies will succeed.

The result mixes its horror and combat to land not only jumps scares and fear but the uneasy context for thought-provoking choices.