Hello,this is my first guide here on steam.I got to know the series several months ago and I found it so amazing that I decided to make this guide. I also want to thank @Felixinius for providing me with great help for this guide. His guides are awesome,and you should never miss them!

If you're also interested in the wonderful series of games' eerie story, please send me a friend invite! If you want to know more about Rusty Lake, I'll do my best to tell you everything I've known so far!

Thanks for reading my guide and I apologize for any grammar mistake.Hope you guys like it!:D
P.S.MAKE SURE YOU'VE PLAYED RUSTY LAKE:ROOTS ALREADY!AND YOU'D BETTER PLAY OTHER RUSTY LAKE GAMES AS WELL AS CUBE ESCAPE SERIES BEFORE READING.A LOT OF SPOILERS ARE PRESENTED HERE.
(To know about them,read the chapter 'Advice for Playing' first)

[A--B:The same person of different identities during different periods of time.]

Jakob Eilander:
The first born of the Eilander family.Escaped from being the family's sacrifice for the lake as a boy.Returned to his home island Paradise after receiving the message of his mother's death.



--Mr.Owl(half-human shape and human shape):
The guardian of Rusty Lake.Also the owner of Rusty Lake Hotel and Rusty Lake Theatre.A great many unknown mysteries attached.Has always been trying to create the full elixir.Longs for the rise of Paradise.Seems that he knows the origin of all these eerie incidents.Or maybe he himself is the origin.Uses magic.



Aldous Vanderboom:
The alchemist.
--Mr.Crow:
The guardian of Rusty Lake.Also the ferryman there.Serves in Rusty Lake Hotel as well as Rusty Lake Theatre.Owns a mill with his wife.Seems he has known Mr.Owl for long.



*Mr.Crow's human shape:
Sometimes still looks like Aldous.AND HE'S NOT DALE'S GRANDFATHER!They look almost the same,though.



William Vanderboom[the last creator of the elixir of life and death]:
The alchemist.Created the elixir with four elements.
--Laura Vanderboom[the reborn mind]:
Daughter of Rose Vanderboom.Has a lover named Bob.May have depression.



The corrupted souls:
The dead whose painful memories of being murdered were extracted.Some kill any living thing brutally.Some are still conscious and tries to change their fate in any possible way.



Underlined words:Extracting painful memories COULD cause corrpution of the body.(The corrupted souls appeared mostly because of this.)

*Laura's corrupted soul



Mr.Harvey--Harvey(from half-human shape to bird shape):
The parrot that once appeared in the levels 'The Search' and 'The Stars'.Laura's pet.Once worked in Rusty Lake Hotel.Transformed into the bird shape by Mr.Owl to escape from the corrupted souls of the guests murdered in Rusty Lake Hotel.



Dale Vandermeer[the traveller]:
The homicide detective.Family shot at the age of 9.Got involved in Laura's death as investigator.Travelled in the past to find out the truth after descending into the lake.

You might as well try the games at www.rustylake.com or www.cubeescape.com. The Cube Escape series can be found there.And some new projects by Rusty Lake are coming very soon:)





Game List:
[LISTED IN A CERTAIN ORDER FOR PLAYING&SOME SECRET HINTS]

Game

Character in the first person(related information)

Rusty Lake:
Paradise

Jakob Eilander(Trying to find the truth of his mother's death)

Rusty Lake:
Roots

William Vanderboom(Using his family's sacrifices to get into the afterlife)

Cube Escape:
Seasons

Laura Vanderboom(Travelling back to change her past after her corruption)

Cube Escape:
The Lake

Laura Vanderboom

Cube Escape:
Arles

Van Gogh(Not about the main story line)

Cube Escape:
Harvey's Box

Harvey(After escaping from the hotel and becoming Laura's pet,being sent to Rusty Lake)

Cube Escape:
Case 23

Dale Vandermeer(As a detective investigating Laura's death)

Cube Escape:
The Mill

Mr.Crow(Extracting Laura's memories but extracted the painful memories by mistake)

Rusty Lake Hotel

Mr.Harvey

Cube Escape:
Birthday

Dale(At the age of 9)(Travelling to the past after Case 23)

Cube Escape:
Theatre

Dale

Cube Escape:
The Cave

Mr.Crow(Preparing for Dale's journey ahead and the completion of the full elixir,gathering the memories in the great depths of the lake)

Another possible version:
[For players that want to get to know the characters and their stories better,according to different characters in each game.][For playing the second time,maybe]

Story of Mr.Owl:
Rusty Lake:Paradise
Story of Mr.Crow:
Rusty Lake:Roots--Rusty Lake Hotel--Cube Escape:The Mill--Cube Escape:The Cave
Story of Laura:
(Rusty Lake:Roots--)Cube Escape:Seasons(--Cube Escape:The Lake)--Cube Escape:The Mill
Story of Dale:
Cube Escape:Case 23--Cube Escape:Birthday--Cube Escape:Theatre
Story of Harvey:
Rusty Lake:Roots--Cube Escape:Seasons--Cube Escape:Harvey's box
Extra story:
Cube Escape:Arles


Cube Escape: Seasons

Cube Escape: The Lake 

Cube Escape: Arles 

Cube Escape: Harvey's Box

Cube Escape: Case 23

Cube Escape: The Mill 

Rusty Lake Hotel
Cube Escape: Birthday
Cube Escape: Theatre
Rusty Lake: Roots
Cube Escape: The Cave
Rusty Lake Paradise

[The story of Rusty Lake Series]
(Rusty Lake Hotel and Rusty Lake:Paradise can also be found on Steam)

Closer and closer...

The small island in sight did not change much,thought Jakob,the first born of the Eilander family,which had been existing on the island for a long time.How long had he been away?He could not remember.It's been a while,though.

'...Paradise has been suffering since your mother died...'

'Please...help us son.'

Father said in a frustrated tone.

Yes,indeed.This place cursed by Plagues of Egypt did seem a little different.Slowly,the blurred childhood memories started to become more clear.Every step he took,the truth of Mother's death approached.

'It's time.'

'You're ready to meet your destiny.'

That's what his family said to him,wearing animal-shaped masks.The torches in their hand painted the sky red.

...

'Our time has come.Paradise will rise again.'

The owl's eyes were shining through the dancing flames.

The alchemist brothers William and Aldous Vanderboom found the elixir of life and death.It could bring people either sudden death or eternal life...

'You drink first,brother.'Said Aldous.

...

William fell dead while Aldous didn't.He stared at the dead body,with eyes sharp as a crow's.Actually,they were.

'Don't worry...'

'...We are always here in our past and future lives.'

'I have to go now,Mr.Owl needs me.'

...

'...But we will meet again,in this life or the next.'

Soon it was 1893.(1)The lake disired fresh memories.Mr.Crow and Mr.Owl tried to gather the guests' memories by killing them in Rusty Lake Hotel.Mr.Harvey was working for them at that time.

'We'll be having 5 dinners.'

'Make sure everyone is worth dying for...'

Not far from the hotel,Laura Vanderboom was born unusually in Spring,1935.So many years passed,William finally got a second life with the famlily's sacrifices and Mr.Crow's help.The Vanderboom family's story of hatred and misery came to an end.

But it just seemed to be a new beginning...

'...in this life or the next...'

[P.S.(1)Close to Emma Vanderboom's death in Rusty Lake:Roots,and part of Rusty Lake Hotel is related to the level 'The Staircase' in it as well.]

[mainly the story of Cube Escape series]
[There're some explanations about the underlined contents below in the next chapter]

Laura lived a peaceful life with her pet parrot Harvey.However,she died under mysterious circumstances(1) afterwards.Everything changed.

The detective Dale Vandermeer involved himself in it because of his investigation(2) about Laura's death.Dale continued with it after he had been to the murder scene and found some evidence.He got two of the four cubes(3)--the black one and the white one,and placed them into the squares appearing on the TV screen. He then fainted in his own office and woke up on the floor of a chapel by the lake,the one he had seen on a photo.After finishing a few puzzles,Mr.Crow took him to a cabin on the lake.Dale escaped from the corrupted soul which was trying to kill him(4) in the cabin,and then descended into the lake in an elevator.

'I could not feel my body any more...'

'All my memories captured in little cubes,floating around the lake.'

The time felt different to Dale,like he did not only lived that moment,but also his past.He decided to travel to the past to find out the truth.

He first stopped his family from being killed by the corrupted soul of Mr.Rabbit(5) on his 9th birthday.And at Rusty Lake Theatre,he watched six plays about the past,the present and the future,as well as a real tragedy:He met Laura's lover Bob,who was keeping drinking at the bar in the theatre because he couldn't accept that Laura had gone.Dale watched him shoot himself and become one of the corrupted souls.

'Your mind is reaching a higher state of consciousness.'

'You're learning about your past and your future...what you may become.'

'Now,continue your journey.'

Mr.Owl's expression could not be seen under the mask.

Still wondering what might happen,Dale walked towards the approching elevator.He knew that this small step would make him get much closer to the truth.

In the mill,after Laura's dead body had been taken away mysteriously in Case 23--

How could it be...

'There will be blood...'

All that Mr.Crow saw was blood and dead bodies.Laura was standing there,grabbing Harvey in her hand.Obviously,she had corrupted completely.

The black cube of memories...

'Use the machine wisely...'That's what Mr.Owl told him.

There's no other choice now.

'Please leave...'

...

Mr.Crow persuaded her not to begin the endless and meaningless killing.She travelled to the past to change her fate.(6)

'What...do I remember...'

Laura tried to recognize the strange room,where she used to live.It still looked the same as the small room before 'that' happened.

The terrifying shadow out there...The prozac...She couldn't imagine what she 'was' experiencing.

...

'That's...me...'

She continued staring at the mirror.A familiar shadow was standing right in front of her.

Of course,that was not a shadow...

(1)Maybe Laura died because of her fate:according to a secret hint by Rose Vanderboom in Roots,one of the Roots' 16 achievements,saying that her daughter(referring to Laura) will return to Rusty Lake.

(2)Maybe Dale's involvement was planned:according to another letter hidden behind an old photo on the wall in Cube Escape:The Mill,saying that he might be the one who could stop the endless killing of the corrupted souls that were still wandering around the lake.

(3)The four cubes--Cubes of four different colors.Have different meanings.More detailed information in the chapter 'Extra contents'.

(4)The corrupted soul...in the cabin--Maybe it was the corrupted soul of Mr.Deer,one of the guests murdered in Rusty Lake Hotel.

(5)Mr.Rabbit--Another guest murdered in Rusty Lake Hotel.

(6)Laura travelled to the past to change her fate in Cube Escape:Seasons.

(UNCOMPLETED,for the new games haven't been available yet.)

'Dale's journey is about to start...'

'You have to gather the memories.We need them for our future,the full elixir.'

'Descend into the great depths of the lake.'

'...Take care Aldous.'

Mr.Owl handed him something.

Dale is the key to solving the problems they've left.Apparently,Mr.Crow knew that.No mistakes allowed.

The submarine started...

Finally the three cubes of time and memories were ready.A mysterious room appeared underwater.Dale and Laura were sitting right there.

A corrupted soul and a traveller chosen by the fate...

Mr.Crow began to hesitate.What if...he's not able to control the power?

But there was no time left.

He had to do it.

The mechanical arm moved,and created a golden cube out of the white,black and blue ones.

The golden cube...the book...

...The memories are not only the key to the past but...also to the future...

Mr.Crow watched Dale vanish from his eyes,with the cube in his hand.
[TO BE CONTINUED]

In Cube Escape:the Cave,the book you find in the cave can show you something about Roots(the family tree),how William became Laura,how Laura and Dale created the golden cube,the meanings of the cubes and even how the ending will be like.Showed in the following pics.





[Words on the book:
White Cube:Relive your past life.(The cube of happy memories)
Black Cube:Face your demons.(The cube of painful memories)
Blue Cube:The past is never dead,it is not even past.(The cube of the past)
Golden Cube:The memories are not only the key to the past but...also to the future.
(maybe the cube of future)]



[Words on the book:
Rusty Lake mental health and fishing
Let the cubes guide you
Balance the substance of your past lives
Create the elixir of life and death
Find enlightenment(I've seen something like this in their work Samsara Room before the series are available,so maybe the studio has thought of the ending since long ago.Similar expression is recnetly found in Rusty Lake:Paradise as well.)