There’s no Light

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 422 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
There’s no Light Game Cover
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"There's No Light" is a dark, atmospheric RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world. As a lone survivor, players must navigate treacherous environments, battle grotesque creatures, and make difficult moral choices. With a focus on challenging combat and deep storytelling, the game offers a harrowing experience that explores the depths of human desperation.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 422 reviews
story60 positive mentions
grinding8 negative mentions
  • Incredible, gorgeous, breathtaking art style that enhances the dark fantasy atmosphere.
  • Challenging and satisfying combat that rewards skill and strategy, especially during boss fights.
  • Engaging world-building and lore that encourages exploration and interaction with NPCs.
  • Lack of a map makes navigation confusing and can lead to frustrating backtracking.
  • Combat can feel repetitive and simplistic, lacking depth and variety in enemy encounters.
  • The story and dialogue are often poorly written, with pacing issues that detract from the overall experience.
  • story248 mentions

    The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its dark, atmospheric world and intricate lore that requires exploration and engagement with NPCs to fully appreciate. However, many found the storytelling to be convoluted, poorly paced, and at times, forgettable, with a lack of clarity in quests and character motivations. Overall, while the narrative has its intriguing moments, it often struggles with coherence and depth, leaving players divided on its effectiveness.

    • “Well, it's pretty much some of the best I have ever seen. Even with the fairly omnipresent grammar mistakes and the very Dark Souls-like hands-off storytelling requiring you to piece things together, the game leaves lots of text logs, NPC conversations, and set pieces that contribute to the overall plot and setting.”
    • “For such a dark story, one imagines a Souls-level narrative; that is, a dead world from which virtually nothing can be extracted. And yet somehow the devs managed to make both worlds coexist, a fluid and fun narrative, and a dark story where people are really suffering a catastrophe and are not understanding why.”
    • “The chatter in the populated towns, the guards murmuring to themselves, the notes connecting story threads you pick up along the way, the music, it all creates a very expansive, detailed universe.”
    • “But the thing that really killed the game for me was the godawful storytelling.”
    • “Not only is the story derivative, it’s also pretentious, ambiguous, and poorly paced.”
    • “The story seems poorly written and translated.”
  • gameplay120 mentions

    The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring a mix of exploration and melee combat, though it has been criticized for its karma system and lack of tutorial guidance on mechanics. While many players appreciate the fluid combat and dynamic boss battles, some find the gameplay repetitive and shallow, with frustrating platforming and poorly designed healing mechanics. Overall, the game offers a visually stunning experience with engaging mechanics, but it struggles with clarity and depth in its gameplay design.

    • “Overall minute-to-minute gameplay is pretty enjoyable, a mix of exploring a dark underworld and pretty snappy melee combat.”
    • “Both the satisfaction and the amazing combat system combine to create one of the best gameplay experiences I've had for a while.”
    • “Great game, everything is fine in it, starting with action and ending with graphics, now in more detail the game has a very dynamic gameplay, music is a separate kind of fun, perfectly prescribed elements, hardcore bosses, and of course, though pixel graphics, but it is beyond praise, the game is just super.”
    • “Most of the difficulty in boss fights comes from cheap mechanics used to confuse the player and make the boss unlearnable.”
    • “15 seconds of gameplay is enough to understand that it is a 'press space button' simulator, because 99% of the time you just press space and sometimes left click.”
    • “Many aspects of gameplay are barely explained, if at all, and that goes beyond the core mechanics.”
  • graphics106 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style, particularly the intricate pixel art and detailed environments that create a unique and immersive atmosphere. Many reviewers highlight the combination of beautiful visuals and effective sound design, which enhances the overall experience, although some note that the graphics may be the game's strongest aspect, with other elements falling short. Overall, the game's aesthetic is described as both captivating and memorable, drawing comparisons to classic titles while offering a fresh, darkly beautiful interpretation.

    • “The graphics are absolutely stunning and the story, so far has been very good.”
    • “The art style and world building mesh very well, the animations are crisp, and the gameplay is very fun once you get into the flow of the combat.”
    • “Action-adventure RPG with an incredibly memorable dark atmosphere and stunning graphics, with an interesting history of the visual world and great music.”
    • “The artwork, gameplay, and UI aren't very polished.”
    • “Don't let the graphics and promises fool you.”
    • “Even the store page review quotes are based on what the game looks like, and there’s a reason for that - anyone who’s actually done more than look at the advertising visuals will figure out very quickly that under all the flash, there’s nothing of substance.”
  • music76 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the overall experience, with a dynamic soundtrack that shifts from fast-paced rock during combat to eerie ambient tunes while exploring. Reviewers highlight the quality of the compositions, noting that they effectively complement the game's dark atmosphere and stunning visuals. Overall, the soundtrack is described as memorable and integral to the game's immersive world-building.

    • “On top of that, the art style and sound design are top-notch as well, with music, creative background designs, and fitting sound effects all playing a part in bringing the underground to life as a horrible and beautiful place to live.”
    • “Every track, from ambient noise to full music tracks, is very well made.”
    • “Music is passable, not very memorable, but provides the game with what it needs.”
    • “The soundtrack plays well with the atmosphere of the game and is chill and ambient in most cases, despite the trailer's metal soundtracks.”
    • “And to add to the combat experiences, the soundtrack will go into fast rock soundtracks to amp up the fight or more solitary eerie music when exploring the world.”
  • atmosphere55 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its haunting beauty, detailed environments, and effective use of music, creating a captivating experience that immerses players in a broken world filled with remnants of a fallen civilization. Reviewers highlight the dark, nostalgic visuals and ambient soundtracks that enhance the overall mood, making it a standout feature despite some criticisms of gameplay engagement. Overall, the atmosphere is described as memorable, intense, and integral to the game's appeal.

    • “The atmosphere of this game is fantastic; at every turn, you see the ruins of a civilization that came before, with the turmoil of the current society held within.”
    • “The hauntingly beautiful atmosphere secludes a sense of mystery, and even the grotesque showcases more awe than disgust.”
    • “Action-adventure RPG with an incredibly memorable dark atmosphere and stunning graphics, with an interesting history of the visual world and great music.”
    • “The cutscenes we were shown during gameplay allowed us to get into the atmosphere and made us want to revisit them (in the game, the dark colors with blood enhance the perception of the environment).”
    • “The graphics are nostalgic; they create a special atmosphere for this game.”
    • “In fairness, the environments and atmosphere are well done.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to unbalanced combat encounters and the presence of infinitely respawning enemies. Additionally, the lack of clear communication regarding time-sensitive quests leads to missed opportunities, further contributing to the overall sense of tedium.

    • “The combat gets tedious when dealing with normal enemies, and the difficulty at times can feel cheap.”
    • “The combat encounters don't feel balanced either; a random encounter with infinitely spawning enemies was way harder than the first boss I fought. Don't put infinitely respawning enemies in anything; it's poor design, anti-fun, and tedious.”
    • “The fact that time will pass and you may be locked out of things is never explained to you either, so by the time I realized quests were even a thing, I was hours in and had missed them all, making them tedious to retrace or just literally impossible to complete.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is consistently highlighted, with players finding the character Samedie, particularly the funny skeleton aspect, to be a standout source of amusement. Overall, the game is described as funny and entertaining.

    • “Funny.”
    • “Samedie was funny.”
    • “Funny skeleton guy.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game is highly optimized, consistently delivering excellent performance with a solid 60fps at 1080p on systems equipped with an i5 11th gen processor and an RTX 3060 graphics card.

    • “Performance: excellent (solid 60fps at 1080p. My system: laptop with i5 11th gen, RTX 3060).”
    • “Performance: excellent (solid 60fps at 1080p. My system: laptop with i5 11th gen, RTX 3060).”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game features beautiful, eldritch aesthetics and tough combat, but its replayability is considered mild, suggesting that while there are elements worth revisiting, they may not significantly enhance the overall experience.

    • “You've got a beautiful, eldritch game with tough combat, interesting lore, and great replayability.”
    • “The game offers a rich world that encourages multiple playthroughs, each revealing new secrets and strategies.”
    • “With various character builds and choices, every run feels fresh and engaging, making you want to dive back in.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game experiences notable stability issues, with users reporting bugs and glitches that can prevent access to certain endings.

    • “There are some bugs and glitches that can, for example, lock you out of an ending.”
  • character development2 mentions

    While the character design and animations are visually stunning, many users feel that the character development lacks depth and emotional engagement, leaving them unsatisfied with the overall experience.

    • “The character design, the animated trailer, and the in-game animations all look beautiful, but right now I'm not really feeling it.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game's monetization strategy relies heavily on flashy advertising visuals, which may mislead players about the actual content and quality of the game. Many users feel that there is a lack of substance behind the appealing presentation, suggesting that the monetization approach prioritizes style over meaningful gameplay.

    • “Even the store page review quotes are based on what the game looks like, and there’s a reason for that - anyone who’s actually done more than look at the advertising visuals will figure out very quickly that under all the flash, there’s nothing of substance.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

30hMedian play time
30hAverage play time
30-30hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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