Game version: 0.20d
tl;dr: fantastic writing, creative but hobbled execution
Cabin by the Lake is a Groundhog-Day-esque VN where the MC’s actions in previous iterations of the time loop “opens up” the LIs for more depravity in the next. In my opinion, this is simultaneously a great strength and the game’s biggest roadblock.
Integrating timeline manipulation as the core aspect of a porn game is a gargantuan undertaking. Having to manage the cause-effect relations across multiple LIs and their events, and then reflecting said changes to “past” events, demands a lot from the developer. I’m happy to say that Cabin by the Lake, having made the sensible choice of constricting its loop to an in-game weekend, largely delivers in this regard.
Remember the montage in Groundhog Day where the anchor guy was just going by the motions, frustrated by his inability to escape the loop? You will inevitably experience a similar “burnout” unless you religiously consult the in-game walkthrough and follow it to the letter. “Empty” loops where few unlocks happen become somewhat common if you, like me, prefer to play by the ear. To the dev’s credit, some corruption paths have multiple ways to satisfy their conditions. However, navigation by intuition is practically done by chance since there are also events that are dependent on LIs having a very specific corruption level (so if you progressed beyond that, you’d have to fiddle with their corruption levels in the post-game, thereby going back to content you’ve seen before).
That said, you can terminate your current loop at any time and can access the walkthrough post-game. It shows that Cabin by the Lake is a reasonably well-tested product. This, combined with its stellar writing (an absolute godsend among VNs which, let’s not kid ourselves, tend to have very mediocre writing), leads to a favorable rating from me, even if I don’t particularly care for its primary fetish.