Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is quiet and atmospheric, the kind of game that pulls you in with mood more than mechanics. You explore an abandoned town holding a lantern that reveals hidden paths and clues, and most of the game is about paying attention, connecting notes, and slowly piecing together what happened here.

The puzzles are woven right into the exploration, so you're never stuck at an obvious puzzle screen. Instead you notice a detail, remember something from an earlier room, and the world quietly opens up. It respects your curiosity a lot.

It's a short game, maybe four or five hours, and I mean that as praise. It doesn't pad itself out. Play it with headphones at night for the full effect.

What we liked

• Beautiful, unsettling atmosphere
• Puzzles that flow naturally from exploration
• Short and tightly paced, no filler