Being a relatively short and simple game, Lake clearly isn't the first choice for gamers to hunt for Easter eggs. However, Lake's cozy setting and relaxing atmosphere make it a perfect place to include fun bits of Easter eggs, with one of them being a nod to Nickelodeon's mascot, SpongeBob SquarePants.
For those unfamiliar, Lake is an interactive story game from indie studio Gamious that was originally launched back in September 2021 on PC, and later was added to Xbox Game Pass on December 2021. Lake sees players take on the role of Meredith Weiss, who arrives in her hometown to take over her father's job as a postal carrier for two weeks. The game employs open-world mechanism and let players explore the small, picturesque town of Providence Oaks, and this exploring sessions can sometimes lead players to fun, unassuming Easter eggs.
Over on Reddit, user Lhill1010 posted a screenshot of the game showing Meredith standing next to a table with fish scattered on top of it. Under the table, there's a yellow, rectangular sponge lying on the floor, and next to it, a pink sponge resembling a star. The whole set is somewhat easy to miss, but other users were quick to point out that this is a clear nod to SpongeBob and Patrick, which are two of the main characters in the franchise. While not as recognizable, Patrick is popular enough to get its own TV show that serves as a spin-off to the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise.
One user also noted that the metal bucket next to the sponges also bears semblance to the Chum Bucket. In the SpongeBob SquarePants TV series, the Chum Bucket is an unsuccessful fast food restaurant that is located right across the street from the Krusty Krab, which is where SpongeBob works. The Chum Bucket is owned by Plankton, one of the two main antagonists of the SpongeBob SquarePants franchise.
Given the popularity of the franchise, Lake is definitely not the first game to include a SpongeBob Easter egg. Nonetheless, the quaint and nostalgic nature of Lake puts it in a great spot to pay homage to the long-running animated franchise. Easter eggs have always been a fun way for players to discover in open-world games, and it's great to see a game as simple and laid-back as Lake also incorporates a whole host of entertaining Easter eggs and references like this one.
Lake is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.