Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is the kind of game that trusts you to figure things out. You wander a dim, interconnected world carrying a lantern that reveals paths but also draws attention from things you'd rather avoid. Managing when to shine it is the core tension.

The atmosphere is the star here. Sound cues do a lot of the storytelling, and I found myself stopping just to take in the environments. Puzzles are woven into exploration rather than dropped in as obstacles.

It's not a long game, maybe six or seven hours, but every hour is deliberate. I finished it in two sittings and immediately wanted to replay it for the routes I missed.

What we liked

• Strong, moody atmosphere
• Clever light-based mechanics
• Exploration that respects your intelligence