Four scouts on an end-of-year trip, flying across the world for what should be a life-changing experience. What could go wrong? An engine malfunction. The squad crash-lands somewhere in the Pacific. They’re the only survivors on a mysterious island that only grows stranger the deeper they venture and the longer they stay. This is Peak.
Sound familiar? The stories of Lost, the Emmy-winning 2004 mystery-laden drama series, and Peak feel like two parallel tracks that move in an eerily similar and magnificent way. The mystery only grows–in both depth and complexity–the further you get, whether you’re marathoning episodes or climbing up a volcano in search of rescue.
Lost worked because of that mystery. A group that crash-landed on an isolated island runs into underground bunkers, hidden groups of strangers, and a smoke monster as they try to survive and find their way home. Every new discovery widens the gap between what you think you understand and what’s actually happening.
Peak finds some of its own success through that same sense of the unknown. Underground tombs, undead scoutmasters, and magical items that bend the rules of time and space make the mountain feel twisted and storied. The simplicity of the climb draws you in, but it’s the mystery–hidden behind statues, items, and the strange mechanics of Peak–that makes you want to stay on that island. Even if it’s only because your body was never found.
One anonymous member of the Lost writing staff said the team would sometimes toss around whatever odd or surprising twist came to mind and add it in without stressing too much about how it might wrap up later. They admitted they knew they were essentially messing with the audience, but for six seasons, it worked–although there are some wide-ranging opinions about how the story ultimately wrapped up.
Not having to pay things off later, while definitely a hindrance, helped the mystery of Lost deepen in so many ways. The fact that it became a sensation–finding its way into the homes of millions–made that mystery even thicker in the air of everyday life.
While Peak was originally meant to be part of a project to bring its developers a simpler, commercially viable product, its development story has followed a surprisingly similar path since launch. Peak was something Aggro Crab and Landfall planned to make and then move on from. They didn’t have a detailed content roadmap for the future. But once the game launched–and a million copies were sold in a matter of days–the need for a plan for post-launch content became suddenly, overwhelmingly obvious.
The result is magical underground tombs containing idols that protect scouts from freezing weather and scalding lava, a book that removes your skin and internal organs, and a strange pair of eyes staring at you from behind a distant rock.
Even something as simple as the Looker–a mysterious scout who watches from a distance before vanishing–adds another layer to the island’s mystery. Who is this scout? How have they survived here? This small feature–one that can be turned off in the settings–raises even more questions as you make your way up the climb.
These elements makes the climb in Peak more enjoyable, while building a world that never quite connects in a logical way. It’s tantalizing to think everything players have experienced so far might be part of some sinister ritual, or that the scouts are already dead, as fan theories keep postulating. The climb–and the peak–might just be an eerie passageway to the afterlife.
Nobody knows for sure, but with Peak continuing to expand for at least the foreseeable future with more and more updates, just like Lost’s writers, the creators of Peak have a chance to keep building on those mysteries. Hopefully they’ll also come up with a satisfying conclusion along the way.
