Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is an atmospheric adventure that trusts you to figure things out. You wander a flooded, half-abandoned town carrying a lantern whose light reveals paths, clues, and the occasional unsettling shape. There's no combat and barely any text — the storytelling happens through what you find and the order you find it in.

The puzzles are environmental and fair. Early on I got stuck at a locked gate for far too long before realizing the answer was something I'd walked past three times. That moment of 'oh, of course' is the game at its best. Controls are a simple tap-to-move with a drag to aim your light, and it never fights you.

It's short — maybe four hours — but it lingers. I finished it on a rainy night and sat there for a minute afterward, which is more than most games manage.

What we liked

• Gorgeous hand-drawn world
• Fair environmental puzzles
• A quiet, memorable ending