Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is the kind of quiet adventure that trusts you to pay attention. You guide a lamp-carrier through a flooded town, tapping to move and to examine, and the story comes out in letters, murals, and the things people left behind. Nothing explains itself in a cutscene, and that restraint is why it stuck with me.

Puzzles are environmental and fair. Most involve routing light to open paths, and the satisfying part is that solutions always make sense once you see them. I never reached for a walkthrough, which is rare for me.

It's short, maybe four hours, and some players will want more hand-holding. I loved that it respected my time and ended before it overstayed its welcome.

What we liked

• Atmospheric storytelling without exposition dumps
• Fair, logical light puzzles
• A tight, well-paced length