Skip to main content

Light in the dark

Light in the dark Game Cover
91%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:story, music
Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, graphics
91% User Score Based on 53 reviews

Platforms

PCWindows
Buy NowGet on Steam Buy NowGet on itch.io Store
Light in the dark Game Cover

About Light in the dark

Light in the dark is a single player role playing game with horror, mystery and anime themes. It was developed by TaleHammer and was released on August 23, 2019. It received very positive reviews from players.

Light In The Dark is a short story about a girl who lives with her abusive mother. The girl finds out some dark secrets about her mother, and she has to find a way to escape the house.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Light in the dark screenshot
Light in the dark screenshot
Skip Games Like Light in the dark

Games Like Light in the dark

Looking for games like Light in the dark? Here are top role playing recommendations with a horror, mystery and anime focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with Port of Call, Marie's Room or A Wolf in Autumn.

Port of Call Image
88%906reviews

Port of Call

2015Action
PCMac OSWindows
Games like Port of Call
Marie's Room Image
93%4.4kreviews

Marie's Room

2018Casual Simulation
PCWindows
Games like Marie's Room
A Wolf in Autumn Image
77%600reviews

A Wolf in Autumn

2015Simulation
PCWindows
Games like A Wolf in Autumn
DISTRAINT Image
84%2.7kreviews

DISTRAINT

2015Casual Role Playing
Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 5+14
Games like DISTRAINT
My Friend is a Raven Image
92%793reviews

My Friend is a Raven

2020Casual Role Playing
PCWindows
Games like My Friend is a Raven
Project Kat: Paper Lily Prologue Image
99%3.4kreviews

Project Kat: Paper Lily Prologue

2021Role Playing
LinuxPCMac OS+2
Games like Project Kat: Paper Lily Prologue
Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling Image
89%1.3kreviews

Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling

2023Role Playing
Nintendo SwitchLinuxPC+8
Games like Looking Up I See Only A Ceiling
Gone Home Image
82%20.8kreviews

Gone Home

2013Simulation
Nintendo SwitchPlaystation 5Playstation 4+13
Games like Gone Home
DISTRAINT 2 Image
96%1.1kreviews

DISTRAINT 2

2018Casual Simulation
Nintendo SwitchAndroidPlaystation 4+11
Games like DISTRAINT 2
What Never Was Image
95%3.8kreviews

What Never Was

2019Casual Simulation
LinuxPCMac OS+2
Games like What Never Was
More games like Light in the dark
Skip User Reviews

Reviews

91%Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews
story12 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The game delivers a short but impactful emotional story about abuse, depression, and hope, resonating deeply with many players.
  • The art style uses black, white, and limited color accents effectively to set mood and guide the player, complemented by haunting and fitting musical score.
  • Gameplay is simple and accessible, making it easy to pick up and enjoy an interactive narrative experience suitable for a quick play session.
  • The game is very short with limited replay value and minimal gameplay complexity, which may disappoint players seeking longer or more challenging experiences.
  • Some controls and interactions are unintuitive, such as clicking below objects to interact and issues with exiting the game interface.
  • The presentation and graphics, being RPG Maker-based pixel art, feel dated and limited in polish compared to modern standards, with occasional tonal inconsistencies in writing.

  • story

    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    29% positive mentions, 64% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The story is a short yet emotionally impactful narrative centered on a neglected girl dealing with an abusive mother, featuring dark and hopeful themes conveyed through effective use of color and music. While straightforward and with limited replayability, it is well-paced, engaging, and resonates particularly with players who empathize with its sensitive subject matter.

    • “A great, short game with a plot that hits you in the feels.”
    • “The story itself will tug at your heart.”
    • “+ A sad but surprisingly wholesome story about the impacts of parental abuse on a child and getting help and support afterwards.”
    • “Requires no thinking or skill, and has a lazy cheesy story.”
    • “The story is decent although if this game cost money I wouldn't recommend it but for a free game is good enough.”
    • “This same story could have been two or three times longer and would have made the few moments of tension carry more weight.”

  • gameplay

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    17% positive mentions, 58% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The gameplay is simple, intuitive, and primarily consists of light puzzle and investigative mechanics within a point-and-click style format. While not complex or deeply engaging, it effectively supports the narrative and delivers a meaningful experience, especially highlighting themes like mental health and religious extremism. However, some users find it basic and reminiscent of low-quality RPG Maker titles.

    • “Gameplay is simple and intuitive.”
    • “A short, horror-themed title that uses point-and-click style mechanics, with an amazing message regarding mental health; including the psychological effects of long-term abuse, and the disastrous consequences of religious extremism.”
    • “Like most RPG Maker shovelware, the game uses low quality 2D 'retro' pixel art and has bad gameplay.”
    • “This is basically an interactive movie with extremely light puzzle/investigative gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay was very straightforward, especially with the contrast in aesthetics that made it easier to navigate.”

  • music

    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    73% positive mentions, 27% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the dark, unsettling atmosphere, with haunting piano melodies and well-placed sound effects that convey emotional depth and urgency. It effectively complements the storytelling, using music and color as narrative tools to enrich the player’s experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered superb and integral to the game's mood and impact.

    • “Haunting piano music is a fantastic environment setter and creates a sense of unease when you realize it’s all played by ‘mother’: she’s always there, in the background.”
    • “The music and sound effects are superb, both in quality and usage.”
    • “The music and sounds were very well placed and gave a sense of urgency throughout the game.”

  • graphics

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    33% positive mentions, 17% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The graphics feature a unique black-and-white art style with standout interactable elements, contributing to a simple yet visually appealing aesthetic. However, the lack of HD support and absent graphics settings, combined with poor fullscreen display, limit the visual experience. Overall, the art style is praised for enhancing gameplay clarity and atmosphere despite technical shortcomings.

    • “Fun art style, great story, and easy enough interactive elements that I could figure out and still feel smart.”
    • “I liked the art style and the music as well as the simplicity of the game.”
    • “It displays badly in fullscreen, and has no real graphics settings or HD support.”
    • “Black and white graphics except for interactables?”
    • “The gameplay was very straightforward, especially with the contrast in aesthetics that made it easier to navigate.”

  • emotional

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game delivers a brief but powerful emotional experience, exploring the effects of parental abuse and the journey toward support and healing. Its well-written story is enhanced by a grayscale visual style that reflects the main character's emotional state, while color and music cues effectively convey the feelings of both the protagonist and her mother.

    • “A sad but surprisingly wholesome story about the impacts of parental abuse on a child and getting help and support afterwards.”
    • “The story is well written and has emotional impact.”
    • “Most of the game is in grayscale to fit the emotional state of the main character Perdita, with only the objects you can interact with in color.”

  • replayability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game offers minimal replayability due to its very short length and limited content, making it unlikely for players to revisit after the initial playthrough.

    • “There isn’t really any replay value.”
    • “Between the short length (25 minutes tops), lack of replay value, and less than polished controls, $2 is about twice what I personally would be willing to pay for the game.”
    • “This is a really short little story, it took me 25 minutes to play through and I don't expect there's much or any replayability.”

  • atmosphere

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The atmosphere is generally immersive but is occasionally disrupted by slightly comedic writing, particularly during Perdita's self-dialogue, which can undermine the intended mood.

  • humor

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game features well-written humor with clever characterization, delivering laughs alongside a meaningful message, especially impressive given its rapid development time.

    • “Despite being made in under two weeks for the 2017 Indie Game Making Contest, this RPG Maker game features a well-written story, humorous characterization, and an important message.”
Skip Game Offers

Buy Light in the dark

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Light in the dark is a role playing game with horror, mystery and anime themes. Common tags for Light in the dark include indie, psychological, exploration, emotional, pixel graphics and others.

Light in the dark is available on PC and Windows.

Light in the dark was released on August 23, 2019.

Light in the dark was developed by TaleHammer.

Light in the dark has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked Light in the dark for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Light in the dark is a single player game.

Similar games include Port of Call, Marie's Room, A Wolf in Autumn, DISTRAINT, My Friend is a Raven and others.