One Lake at a Time
Small moments. Beautiful change.
A calm game about taking a small boat out on a murky lake and lifting out what doesn't belong, one piece at a time, until the water runs blue again. There is no clock and nothing to lose. The lake waits for you, exactly as clear as you left it.
- Kandy Lake is free, always
- Three levels of clean, from light to full
- No ads, no timers, no way to fail
- Plays without a signal
Coming soon to Google Play and the App Store
Out on the water
Everything in the game comes back to three things, and none of them can go wrong.
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Steer
Take the boat out with the joystick, or the arrow keys on a computer. It glides, it turns, and it bumps gently off the bank. Nothing on the water can harm it.
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Lift
Bottles, cans, bags, cups, the odd tyre. Drift your net through them and they're gone. The net helps a little when you're close. A glass bottle left too long sinks, then surfaces again later, because only the net ever clears the water.
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Watch it clear
The water clears where you have been. Past about four fifths clear the birds begin to sing again, and when the last piece is lifted the ducklings come out.
You brought the blue back
Kandy Lake, restored.
Three levels of clean
Every lake can be cleaned three ways. Choose the one that suits the time you have, before you set out.
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Light clean
A short outing
The fewest pieces on the water. Good for a few quiet minutes, or for your very first lake.
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Medium clean
An unhurried afternoon
About three quarters more to lift than a light clean. Room to settle in and take your time.
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Full clean
The whole day
Two and a half times a light clean. Every corner of the lake, taken slowly.
Every level is worth the same once the lake is clear. A longer clean simply means more time on the water.
Your choice carries on to the lakes you haven't started yet, and once the first piece is lifted it stays fixed for that lake, so the finish line never moves.
Ten lakes. Choose one.
Ten real lakes, listed in the order the game suggests. Play them in any order you like. Kandy Lake is open to everyone and always will be. The other nine open together with a single unlock.
- Kandy LakeLake 1 of 10Free, always
- Lake GregoryLake 2 of 10In the unlock
- Beira LakeLake 3 of 10In the unlock
- Diyawanna LakeLake 4 of 10In the unlock
- Bolgoda LakeLake 5 of 10In the unlock
- CastlereighLake 6 of 10In the unlock
- NortonLake 7 of 10In the unlock
- MaskeliyaLake 8 of 10In the unlock
- CanyonLake 9 of 10In the unlock
- VictoriaLake 10 of 10In the unlock
The gold rosette is the same one you'll see in the game. It marks the nine lakes that open with the one-time unlock.
What's in the game
Not much to manage, and nothing that asks for you. Everything below is there when you want it.
The lake remembers
Come ashore whenever you like. The lake stays exactly as clear as you left it, however long you're away. Nothing spoils, and nothing needs looking after.
Life on the water
Ducks and herons share the lake with you, and more of them arrive as it clears. Nothing on the water can be harmed, and nothing can harm you.
The Journal
A waste log with a curious fact about each kind of thing you lift, a page for every lake, and a logbook of your seasons. Open it when you feel like it. It never nags.
Seasons
Restore all ten and the season goes into your logbook with its date. Begin another whenever you choose. The waste returns to the water, and nothing you've earned is taken away.
The Boatyard
The coins the lake pays you can fit a bigger net, a swifter hull or a wider wake. Take your time. The boat you start with is always enough.
The birds come back
Gentle sound, a choice of music style, and real birdsong that only comes back once the water is clear. Turn any of it off, along with vibration and motion, in Options.
What you won't find
A calm game has to stay calm all the way through, including the part that pays for it.
Every moment is a good place to stop.
- No timers, energy or waiting to play
- No way to fail, and nothing to lose
- Nothing that spoils while you're away
- No daily streaks or login rewards
- No advertising of any kind
- No leaderboards or comparisons
- No loot boxes and no paying to skip
- No account, and nothing collected about you
Free to start
Kandy Lake is yours to keep, free. The other nine lakes open together, whenever you're ready.
The whole game, on the first lake: the boat, all three levels of clean, the Journal, the Boatyard and every sound. Free now, and it stays free.
- A single one-time purchase through Google Play or the App Store
- No subscription, and nothing further to buy
- Linked to your store account, so you can restore it on a new phone
Questions
When can I get it?
One Lake at a Time is coming to Google Play first, and then to the App Store. The buttons on this page will appear as soon as each store is live.
Is Kandy Lake really free?
Yes. You can play Kandy Lake in full, with every part of the game, for as long as you like. You only pay if you want the other nine lakes, and then only once.
Do I need an internet connection?
No. Everything the game needs is inside it. The only time it goes online is when you buy or restore the unlock, so your store can confirm it.
What does it collect about me?
Nothing. There's no account, no advertising, no analytics and no tracking. Your progress is saved on your own phone and nowhere else. When you buy the unlock, the only thing sent is the store's receipt, so the purchase can be checked.
Can I stop in the middle of a lake?
Any time, even mid-stroke. Close the game and the lake will be waiting, just as clear, whenever you come back. Nothing decays, expires or runs out.
Is it suitable for children?
There's nothing violent or frightening in it, no chat, no advertising, and nothing can be lost. The one purchase goes through the app store, where parents can set their own controls.
Does playing help the real lakes?
Playing doesn't clean a real lake, and we won't pretend it does. What it can do is put ten real waters in front of you for a while, and let you notice them.
How is my progress kept if I change phones?
The unlock belongs to your Google or Apple account, so it comes with you and can be restored from Options. Your lakes and journal are saved on the phone you play on.