The Strange Lights

About

The Strange Lights is a single player simulation game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by JustTomcuk and was released on February 7, 2026. It received positive reviews from players.

You have arrived in a forest where people are rumored to disappear and strange things happen... Locals often see bright flashes and hear strange sounds...

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 53 reviews

atmosphere6 positive mentions

story5 negative mentions

Exceptional atmosphere and sound design that build tension and unease effectively.
High-quality visuals with realistic lighting and textures that enhance immersion.
Well-timed jump scares and ambient noises that keep players on edge without overwhelming.

Very short gameplay length with little narrative or story development.
Lack of settings options, including inability to disable head bobbing or VHS filter.
Some technical issues such as poor optimization causing frame rate drops and forced control during jump scares.

atmosphere
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its eerie, tense, and immersive qualities, enhanced by excellent visuals, sound design, and jump scares that effectively build and maintain tension. While some find it a perfect setting for horror, a few note that the scare potential isn't fully realized. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as the game's strongest and most captivating feature.
- “Strange Lights is a solid horror experience that truly shines in its atmosphere.”
- “From the very first moments, the atmosphere pulls you in and never lets go.”
- “The atmosphere pulls you in fast, and the sound design is incredible—it does a great job building tension and keeping you on edge.”
- “There's atmosphere, slight tension, but nothing that really sets you up to be scared.”
- “Atmosphere, thick.”
- “The atmosphere and sound design in this game was so tense, I was on edge the entire time.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
50%
31%
The story is widely criticized for being almost nonexistent, with many users describing the game as a short, aimless walking simulator lacking meaningful narrative or character development. While some acknowledge the creepy atmosphere and visuals, the absence of a compelling story or backstory leaves players disappointed and disinterested. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point that significantly detracts from the horror experience.
- “Anyhoo... it's short (under an hour of playtime), it's creepy, it has a few jumpscares, and I wish some more backstory would be present.”
- “A walking sim short story — lovely!”
- “I do wish it was longer and had a story though.”
- “Scam, don't buy, super short, finished it in 50 minutes, it's just an asset flip. You don't do anything, just walk around and hear noises and get cheap jumpscares. The fact that they're selling it is mind blowing. It's more like a demo, just random stuff they made, no story, nothing. The alien animations are atrocious.”
- “Excellent visuals, terrifying atmosphere, cheap jumpscares, audio that will keep you on the edge of your seat, zero story, and no idea what is going on.”
- “If you love walking for 30-45 minutes with not even a line of story, the most predictable scares, and one puzzle in between, then, yeah, sure, this is a huge thumbs up.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
42%
The graphics are highly praised for their realistic and immersive visuals, with standout use of lighting, detailed environments, and effective VHS-style effects that greatly enhance the eerie and terrifying atmosphere. These strong visuals, combined with sound design, successfully create a compelling and frightening walking simulator experience.
- “These graphics looked so realistic, almost like he really filmed the game and went to this place.”
- “The VHS aesthetic, the lens grime, chromatic aberration, the level details are all excellent.”
- “The abandoned factory, creepy woods, the sounds and graphics really helped create the fear factor.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The gameplay is generally simple and straightforward, resembling a walking simulator with minimal puzzle elements, but is praised for its engaging intensity and visually appealing experience.
- “Justtomcuk never fails to deliver on epic intensity of sounds during gameplay.”
- “Super fun gameplay and full of eye candy 10/10”
- “The gameplay is as simple as any walking simulator can get with one simple puzzle that you encounter near the end.”
- “Here's my condensed playthrough for anyone who wants to check out gameplay before purchasing”
- “Gameplay below.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing jump scares and quirky, trippy elements, creating a uniquely entertaining and immersive experience that fans of the developer greatly appreciate.
- “This developer is one of my all-time favorites. I've beaten all of his games and will continue to. As for this game, it's super trippy, full of hilarious alien jump scares, colorful lighting, and top-notch immersion.”
- “I found the jump scares funny lol”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, with users indicating that it feels unpolished and lacks proper performance improvements. This negatively impacts the overall experience.
- “And last, but not least, to say this is optimized poorly would imply it's been optimized at all.”
- “All in all, I just can't recommend this game as a horror game due to its poor horror execution, short length, poor optimization, nonexistent story, and slow pacing.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization is criticized for being tedious and less enjoyable than watching YouTube ads, suggesting a poor and unengaging approach to in-game advertising or purchases.
- “I've watched YouTube ads longer than this game.”
- “The only difference is that YouTube ads were more enjoyable.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is notably time-consuming and may require significant effort or multiple attempts to progress effectively.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a strong horror atmosphere that creates an emotionally intense and heavy experience for players.
- “Strong horror presence, emotionally heavy.”

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Strange Lights is a simulation game with horror, mystery and thriller themes.

The Strange Lights is available on PC and Windows.

The Strange Lights was released on February 7, 2026.

The Strange Lights was developed by JustTomcuk.

The Strange Lights has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked The Strange Lights for its atmosphere but disliked it for its story.

The Strange Lights is a single player game.

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