The Market of Light

About

The Market of Light is a single player action game. It was developed by historia Inc. and was released on September 28, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

A short game and tech demo created with Unreal Engine 5. The player is a small firefly that collects orbs of light scattered around the market. Experience a meticulously rendered world from a micro view point!

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Single-Player

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 181 reviews

graphics24 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Visually stunning and showcases the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 with impressive detail and lighting.
Free to play, providing a short but enjoyable experience that allows players to explore a beautifully rendered environment.
Demonstrates the potential of next-gen graphics technology, particularly with Nanite and Lumen features.

Controls are clunky and frustrating, making it difficult to navigate the environment smoothly.
Lacks essential settings options, such as resolution adjustments and graphical tweaks, leading to a suboptimal experience.
Performance issues, including frame drops and texture pop-in, especially on lower-end hardware, detract from the overall experience.

graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The graphics in this game are a mixed bag, with many praising the stunning visuals and impressive use of Unreal Engine 5 technologies like nanite and lumen, showcasing a significant leap in graphical fidelity. However, several users criticize the lack of graphical settings and optimization, leading to issues like poor textures, bad lighting, and limited gameplay experience. Overall, while the graphics are often described as breathtaking and a strong demonstration of next-gen capabilities, the absence of customization options detracts from the overall experience.
- “Some of the best graphics ever created on Steam.”
- “The graphics of Unreal Engine 5 are astonishing.”
- “The graphics are truly gorgeous and the clutter, textures, and details of the level are very well executed and impressively done from the human elements on the market to the smallest little plants in the drain.”
- “Personally, I don't think the graphics are all that impressive. There are pop-up details, some dreadful textures, bad lighting on objects, and terrible water. It looks fine, but as a tech demo... nah, not impressed. As for gameplay, you're just a bug flying around finding orbs, which is fine for a few minutes of exploring, but the controls are awful.”
- “The incredible environment can't be properly enjoyed; for some inexplicable reason, the resolution is locked and there are zero graphics/quality tweaks.”
- “I am surprised that, for a tech demo like this, it does not allow you to change graphical settings to test your system's output while playing this game.”
optimization
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
44%
28%
Overall, the optimization of the demo has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its performance on higher-end hardware like the RTX 3070 and 2070 Super, while others report poor performance on older GPUs like the GTX 1060 and 960. Many players noted stuttering issues, particularly during cutscenes or shader caching, indicating that while the demo showcases the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5, it still requires further optimization for a smoother experience across a wider range of hardware configurations.
- “I think I'm more impressed at that than at Lumens, in all honesty. It's just crazy to me the level of detail one can cram into UE5 without loss of performance.”
- “It does seem optimized to run as good as it can on whatever hardware configuration you have currently, so that's nice for people who want to simply jump in and play.”
- “Market of Light works well as a tech demo both for showcasing what UE5 is capable of and how some configuration and optimization will be necessary for proper games.”
- “A tech demo should have graphic settings, fps indicator, resolution options, etc. Very poor optimization even using a 3070.”
- “Clearly, proper UE5 games will require more optimization and actual settings.”
- “It's not very optimized at the moment, so you kind of have to appreciate what these developers are showcasing with a grain of salt.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its beautiful and nostalgic qualities reminiscent of Disney classics, while others find it repetitive, too loud, and annoying. Despite the varied opinions, many agree that the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, even if it can be overwhelming at times. Overall, the music is a highlight for some, but a point of frustration for others.
- “I loved the music, by the way.”
- “Everything looked so real, and the soundtrack, even though it was only a few songs, was so amazing and gave me vibes like I was playing a Disney classic.”
- “Oh, and the music is cute as well.”
- “Beautifully rendered, but the controls are weird and the unstoppable music is repetitive and way too loud.”
- “Controls are awful, can't change the resolution, the music's too loud, annoying, and can't turn it off.”
- “Enjoying some plotless high-end tech demo with the worst controls ever, accompanied by unbearably annoying and tasteless background music, taken straight from some 'match-three' game for smartphones.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
45%
33%
The gameplay is described as visually appealing but fundamentally lacking in depth and complexity, often compared to a simple Dreamcast title. Players note that the experience is short, lasting around 15 minutes, and while it showcases impressive graphics, it suffers from bugs and limited mechanics, making it more of a tech demo than a fully realized game. Overall, the emphasis on stunning visuals overshadows the need for engaging gameplay and storytelling.
- “On the gameplay side of things, I liken this to a Dreamcast game with a really simple plot in a level with a lot of detail in its world.”
- “My wonderment only lasted as long as it took for me to see the first glowing orb; I used the game mechanics and immediately boosted over to it, collecting it in an explosion of beautiful particles.”
- “Gameplay is not very complex, and it's done in about 15 minutes, but hey, it is a nice sneak peek into UE5.”
- “A short, free 'game' with not much gameplay.”
- “Short and without much in the way of actual gameplay, and the controls could be better, but it's gorgeous, a lovely showcase for the possibilities of UE5, and a good workout for your GPU if you want one.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The story is described as an epic odyssey that deeply resonates emotionally, evoking strong feelings and even tears by the end. However, it is noted that the narrative is relatively simple and serves more as a technical showcase than a source of gripping plot twists or complex storytelling.
- “This odyssey-like epic story will rock the very foundations of your soul.”
- “I teared up a bit at the end because of the beauty of the entire concept and what it may allow game developers and storytellers to produce in the near future.”
- “On the gameplay side of things, I liken this to a Dreamcast game with a really simple plot in a world filled with a lot of detail.”
- “The story left me feeling underwhelmed, as it felt disjointed and lacking depth.”
- “The characters were one-dimensional and the plot twists were predictable, making it hard to stay engaged.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The stability of the game is mixed, with reports of buggy lighting and occasional stuttering at the start due to shader caching. While some users experience performance issues, particularly with certain graphics cards, others find the demo runs smoothly overall.
- “The demo runs great with just a little stuttering at the very beginning due to shader caching (Epic really should fix this old UE issue).”
- “Runs great too.”
- “The lighting is buggy and flickers a lot, making the experience very short and the controls unenjoyable.”
- “It's obviously buggy, and for some people, it runs poorly; a 1080 Ti seems to do the job, though. However, it doesn't really have gameplay, but these issues don't seem to matter in a tech demo.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is perceived as mediocre, with players noting that while it may have some amusing moments, it pales in comparison to the humor found in other games that offer better visuals and performance.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive and detailed representation of a market plaza inspired by Rome, making players feel as though they are truly walking through the streets of the city.
- “I live near Rome, and the atmosphere of the represented market plaza is clearly inspired by my city. It is depicted with immense detail; it feels almost like taking a walk in the streets.”
- “I live near Rome, and the atmosphere of the represented market plaza is clearly inspired by my city. It is represented extremely well, with immense detail; it feels almost like taking a walk in the streets.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the asset textures in the game are praised for their quality and realism, the motion blurring effect detracts from the overall emotional experience, causing discomfort for some players.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Market of Light is a action game.

The Market of Light is available on PC and Windows.

The Market of Light was released on September 28, 2021.

The Market of Light was developed by historia Inc..

The Market of Light has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its optimization.

The Market of Light is a single player game.

Similar games include Mýrdalssandur, Iceland, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided™ - VR Experience, Gnomes & Goblins, Lossless Scaling, NVIDIA VR Funhouse and others.

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