The Lightbringer
- October 7, 2021
- Rock Square Thunder
A solid platformer with missed opportunities for polish and depth.
Get on Steam"The Lightbringer is a poetic adventure/puzzle platformer, drawing inspiration from classic Zelda games. As the chosen one, you must cleanse corruption from monoliths using harnessed light energy. Explore levels, fight enemies, and gather light motes in this nostalgic, atmospheric journey to save the world."
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Charming art style and character designs, with a pleasant soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Engaging platforming mechanics with a mix of exploration and collectibles, reminiscent of classic platformers like Spyro and Crash.
- Levels are well-designed with varied environments and a gradual increase in difficulty, making it enjoyable for both casual and experienced players.
- Frustrating controls and a lack of checkpoints lead to repeated level restarts, which can be discouraging for players.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay and can result in unfair deaths.
- The rhyming dialogue and voice acting are often criticized for being unnatural and detracting from the overall experience.
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as visually clean but lacking depth, with users expressing a desire for more mechanics and usable resources. While some appreciate the overall experience, significant bugs detract from the core gameplay, highlighting a need for improvements.
“Especially the core gameplay is engaging and enjoyable!”
“The game is very clean, both visually and in its gameplay.”
“Overall, great game; however, it could benefit from more mechanics and usable resources.”
“Ok looking game, but with a story written in awful rhyme, and very mediocre gameplay.”
“Especially the core gameplay...!”
“The game is very clean, both visually and with its gameplay.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their pleasing art style and high quality, contributing to an enjoyable gameplay experience. While the design is simple, it effectively complements the game's overall aesthetic, though some users noted minor graphical bugs and issues, particularly on certain platforms. Overall, the visuals enhance the game's charm and playability.
“The art style is very pleasing.”
“I didn't think this would be a negative review when I first played this game as I loved the art style and soundtrack.”
“The graphics are simple but consistently high quality and appropriate to the game.”
“It's cute, not too difficult (yet?), with a few minor graphical bugs. A warning for anyone with epilepsy: the shadows z-fight like crazy in some sections; though I'm on Linux, so that could be part of it.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the distinct themes and overall beauty of the soundtrack, others find it unhelpful or even frustrating. Overall, the soundtrack is noted for enhancing the game's aesthetic, but opinions on its effectiveness vary.
“I didn't think this would be a negative review when I first played this game as I loved the art style and soundtrack.”
“The game is beautiful with a great style that seems to have 4 distinct themes across the floors, and the soundtrack adds another layer.”
“Chilling music and overall vibe doesn't help, so if you want to waste your nerves - go ahead.”
“The music's pretty alright.”
- story4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered mediocre, with some users finding the rhyming narrative annoying and unengaging. While it is described as short and not overly time-consuming, it fails to captivate players, leaving a mixed impression overall.
“The story is short and interesting.”
“The narrative is engaging and keeps you invested throughout the experience.”
“The plot twists are well-crafted and add depth to the overall storyline.”
“The little rhymes to tell the story were very annoying.”
“An okay-looking game, but the story is written in awful rhyme and features very mediocre gameplay.”
“The story isn't captivating; it's not really bad, but it doesn't take up much time.”
- stability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game exhibits significant stability issues, with numerous glitches and bugs that detract from the overall experience. Many users feel that the game is unpolished and abandoned by the developers, leading to a lack of confidence in its future improvements. As a result, players do not recommend it until these stability problems are addressed.
“It has amazing speedrun potential, but is sadly hindered by too many glitches and inconsistent bugs that are never going to be fixed, as this game, like so many others, seems to be abandoned by the developers.”
“However, the more you play, the more you realize how buggy and unpolished this game is.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users appreciate the character designs, indicating a positive reception towards the visual representation of the characters, though specific details about their development are not mentioned.
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character.”
“I love how the characters evolve throughout the story, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
“The backstories and growth of each character are well-crafted, adding layers to the overall narrative.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users feel that while the controls are generally acceptable, there is room for improvement in optimization to enhance the overall gameplay experience.
“The game's performance is impressive, with seamless optimization that enhances the overall experience.”
“I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, making the gameplay smooth and responsive.”
“The controls felt generally okay but could probably be optimized.”
“The game suffers from significant performance issues that hinder the overall experience.”
“There are too many bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the lack of checkpoints in levels and clunky camera mechanics, which detract from the enjoyment of boss battles. Additionally, the limited number of only 16 platforming levels leaves some feeling that the experience is too short and could benefit from more originality in character development.
“Many of the boss battles feel more tedious than fun.”
“The lack of checkpoints in levels makes grinding feel unnecessarily frustrating.”
“Only 16 platforming levels feels short, leading to repetitive grinding.”
Critic Reviews
The Lightbringer Review – The light within
The Lightbringer definitely brings some platforming joy to the surface but stumbles with uneven boss encounters. The game is easy to pick up with a gradual increase in platforming difficulty, though the lack of a checkpoint system may be a drawback for those less tried and tested to the ways of platformers. There is depth here if you’re after a challenge but The Lightbringer may end up leaving you a bit wanting.
60%The Lightbringer Switch Review
A solid platformer with missed opportunities for polish and depth.
60%- 80%
