Day of the Devs rarely disappoints. Each edition of the showcase offers at least one game that is both delicious and truly quirky (Build relationships often comes to mind in this regard). Lazy River was one such project that appeared during the latest Day of the Devs stream at Summer Game Fest. It is, fundamentally, a cooperative survival shooter with some base building, but the concept and fun ideas that the developers have incorporated into Lazy River are what help it stand out.
The game takes place in “the most unregulated water park in the galaxy”, called Water Station One. It features an artificial river that winds throughout the park. This sounds lovely and would probably make for a pleasant day out. Unfortunately, things won’t go as planned.
“Since the water park is on a space station, they can only use special space water,” explained creator Mike Boxleiter. “Due to the special properties of space water, you should not pee in the pool. If you pee in the pool, the pee will flow up into you and turn you and everyone else in the water into zombies.”
Someone clearly couldn’t help but follow this important rule. You and up to three of your friends are the only non-zombified guests in the park. Everyone else wants to kill your group. Luckily, zombies explode once they get too wet and there are plenty of water balloons and water guns around the park. You can also garnish them with pool noodles.
To get out of Water Station One in one piece, you’ll need to build a raft and ride it to the other end of the park. You’ll start by tying the inner tubes together, then upgrade your raft with things like walls, sails, and motors. It’s important to keep the raft balanced and not too heavy, and you’ll need to watch out for zombies coming aboard (water cannons can help keep them at bay).
There are dams along the river. These feature robotic security teams that can damage your raft. Triggering the alarm system is something you will also want to avoid, as this will trigger a self-cleaning process that will eliminate all organic life forms in a given area. To replenish your health, you’ll need to find and grill nutritious foods like hot dogs, onion rings, burgers, and tater tots.
Boxleiter – who has previously worked on projects like Solipskier And Touch toneas well as the board game Secret Hitler – teamed up with a few friends to create Lazy River. The game, in development for four years, will arrive on Steam in Early Access in summer 2027. It is expected to cost $20.
