A Light in the Dark
- June 15, 2018
- STORIA
Get on Steam"A Light in the Dark" is a 2D pixel art puzzle-platformer where you play as a young girl with the power to control light. Use your abilities to solve puzzles, reveal hidden paths, and evade shadow creatures as you journey to find your missing sister. With its unique mechanics, atmospheric setting, and engaging narrative, this game offers a fresh take on the puzzle-platformer genre.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful art and a compelling soundtrack that enhances the emotional experience.
- The story tackles heavy themes of social inequality and humanizes the characters, making them relatable and complex.
- The gameplay includes meaningful choices that impact the story, providing a sense of tension and engagement.
- The writing can be repetitive and heavy-handed, often reiterating the same points, which detracts from the overall impact.
- There are technical issues, including slow skip functions and minor bugs that can disrupt the flow of the game.
- Some players found the dialogue awkward and the character development lacking, making it hard to connect with the story.
- story127 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "A Light in the Dark" is praised for its emotional depth and unique themes, exploring complex societal issues through a character-driven narrative. While some reviewers noted minor grammatical errors and a few repetitive elements, the overall consensus highlights its compelling plot and sympathetic characters, making it a memorable experience that resonates with players. However, some found the story predictable or heavy-handed at times, suggesting that while it has strong moments, it may not appeal to everyone.
“A light in the dark is a visual novel not content to just tell you a story, but instead actively puts you in the shoes of the protagonist and makes you make the tough decisions as if you were there.”
“It's a story with themes relevant to today's society that's well told and features a cast of complex, relatable characters.”
“I personally believe that great stories can be told with simple methods and that you don't need to spend millions of dollars to do so, and this was a great story for sure and I found myself very touched with the story and the plight of the characters.”
“The story is very predictable and straightforward, with no emotional ups and downs, no twists, just one solid idea throughout that is fairly heavy-handed.”
“The dialogue is repetitive, the story is repetitive, and the characters are flat and one-dimensional.”
“This visual novel makes a sincere attempt at writing nuanced characters and a complex story, but it just doesn't work.”
- music38 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and ability to enhance the storytelling, with many reviewers praising the soundtrack as phenomenal and well-timed. While some noted that the music can be repetitive and somewhat limited, the overall consensus is that it complements the game's art and narrative effectively, contributing to a compelling experience. Many players expressed a desire for more music, highlighting its beauty and impact throughout the gameplay.
“The soundtrack I felt was phenomenal and extremely well-timed when the situation needed it.”
“The music was amazing to listen to and highlighted the emotions in the scene very clearly.”
“Amazing artwork, wonderful soundtrack, and great character development.”
“The music is okay but can get repetitive.”
“The music was somewhat limited, but was probably the best choice for it.”
“Pretty short, only a couple backgrounds, not a lot of music, and no voice acting - but all that's an issue of budget rather than quality.”
- emotional18 mentions
- 94 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players expressing that it evokes deep feelings, ranging from joy to heartbreak, and even leading to tears. The storytelling, music, and character development contribute significantly to the emotional depth, making it a memorable experience for those who connect with the narrative. However, some reviews note that a predictable plot can detract from the emotional impact, leaving certain players feeling less engaged.
“A very touching game indeed.”
“The first time that a game has ever caused me to shed a tear; I can't recommend this game enough.”
“I just finished this novel for the first time and wow, it is so good. It hits so hard emotionally; the writing, the music, everything is just wow...”
“The story was incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
“I found the narrative to be dull, lacking the depth needed to connect with the characters.”
“The emotional aspects of the game fell flat, leaving me disengaged and uninterested.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their detailed and beautiful art style, which effectively complements the narrative themes. While some users noted minor graphical issues and hiccups, the overall presentation, including the soundtrack, received high marks, with many considering it a standout feature of the game. Overall, the artwork is described as fantastic, with a soft aesthetic that enhances the gaming experience.
“I loved the art style in this visual novel.”
“The artwork was very detailed.”
“The art style and music are fantastic, and I really wish there was more to the game as it did end up being quite good.”
“Some artwork probably doesn't look optimal yet, but I didn’t find that disturbing.”
“By that I mean the English translation itself, some graphical hiccups, incorrect text placement, the lack of any text in certain text boxes... there's a bunch of issues like that, and I'm gonna go over them real quick.”
“The graphical hiccups aren't that frequent, but there are some.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this visual novel features solid mechanics with some variations that enhance the experience, though it remains largely typical for the genre. Players appreciate the multiple endings and the tension created by timed choices, but some criticize the misleading nature of these choices and the game's short length of 4-6 hours. Overall, it offers more interactivity than many visual novels, but the focus on story may overshadow the gameplay itself.
“Great mechanics with some variations, which is nice to see in a visual novel.”
“I've always loved multiple endings and wanted to see each outcome during my gameplay.”
“The main mechanic of choosing dialogue options and actions while on a strict timer really helps instill the tension of your character's situation as the victim of a kidnapping, and it's up to your choices and your investigating to find out the answers to what has happened to you and how to get out alive.”
“Game mechanics are just your typical visual novel type, nothing too special.”
“But the gameplay is often misleading with choices, and the game is detrimentally hampered by its poor length of 4-6 hours.”
“A real challenge with reviewing and talking about visual novels and story-based games in general is trying to actually discuss the story itself, since it relies on the enjoyment coming from the story rather than the gameplay.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is inconsistent; while some players appreciate the depth and choices that influence the protagonist's growth, others criticize the lack of remorse and relatability in antagonists, leading to a flat overall experience. The brevity of the game also detracts from meaningful character exploration.
“Amazing artwork, wonderful soundtrack, and great character development.”
“The artwork is fantastic, the soundtrack is amazing, great characters and character development, and a compelling story.”
“Visual novel with many choices, character development, and how the protagonist adapts to situations; this will affect the ending, so choose carefully.”
“The character development falls flat; don't tell me the background in a passing, show me.”
“The kidnappers are hard to relate to because they show no remorse and have no character development whatsoever, and on top of that you can complete the game in 3-4 hours, so I don't think that is worth it.”
“Tame character development.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the visual novel is noted for its unique visual elements and effective use of lighting to enhance the story's mood. However, some users feel that the repetitive writing detracts from the overall experience, leaving the substance lacking despite the immersive setting.
“From the lighting of the lamp to the shadow in the corner, it captured the atmosphere of the story and the situation the main character was in.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to its poor tracking of progress and slow fast-forward feature, which can make achieving all endings feel laborious. Additionally, the repetitive and overly focused dialogues contribute to the overall sense of monotony.
“The game isn't great about remembering what you've done and what you haven't, and the fast-forward can be slower than just mashing confirm, which makes trying to get all the endings more tedious.”
“There are too many meaningful messages that are too focused here, making the dialogues seem repetitive and tedious.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by clever gags embedded in the dialogue, which many players find amusing and entertaining.
“There are some gags in the dialogue that are pretty funny, in my opinion.”
“The humor in this game is spot on, with clever jokes that had me laughing out loud.”
“I love the witty banter between characters; it adds a delightful layer of fun to the gameplay.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has low replayability, with a maximum playtime of around 7 hours, limited by a lack of branching routes and minimal impactful choices.
“Low replayability; the game lasts at most 7 hours, with no alternative routes and poor choices.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play again due to the lack of meaningful choices.”
“The limited content and linear storyline make it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
