When the Light Dies Game Cover
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"When the Light Dies" is a survival game with roguelite elements, where players must fend off monstrous hordes in a desolate, frozen wilderness with a limited oil lantern light source. As light levels drop, so does sanity, resulting in faster and deadlier enemies. Utilize an array of weapons to hold back the approaching darkness and maintain survival.

  • PC
  • Windows

Reviews

51%
Audience ScoreBased on 27 reviews
gameplay9 positive mentions
grinding3 negative mentions
  • When the Light Dies offers a unique twist on the roguelike genre with its resource management mechanics involving light, sanity, and temperature, creating a sense of urgency and challenge.
  • The gameplay is solid, with satisfying shooting mechanics and a well-paced difficulty curve that keeps players engaged.
  • The game's atmosphere and art style are praised for their charm, contributing to an immersive experience that enhances the overall enjoyment.
  • The game suffers from a lack of variety in enemies and bosses, leading to repetitive gameplay after a few hours.
  • Resource management can feel punishing, with upgrades often locked behind difficult progression, making it frustrating for players to advance.
  • Some mechanics, such as stamina recovery and the impact of darkness, can be poorly balanced, leading to moments of annoyance rather than challenge.
  • gameplay27 mentions

    The gameplay is a blend of intense survival mechanics and engaging twin-stick shooting, with a strong emphasis on light, heat, and sanity management that adds depth to the experience. While the shooting feels satisfying and the challenge is well-balanced, players note that the gameplay can become repetitive and that certain mechanics, like stamina and sanity management, could benefit from refinement to enhance overall enjoyment. Despite some criticisms regarding variety and certain mechanics feeling underdeveloped, the core gameplay loop remains addictive and offers a unique twist on the genre.

    • “The game combines brutal survival mechanics with a relentless twin-stick shooter, with some shades of Vampire Survivors.”
    • “When the light dies, gameplay is solid, and the shooting feels great, with just the right challenge.”
    • “The temperature, sanity, and light mechanics are so nice and refreshing if you play lots of games similar to this one!”
    • “The aim mechanics are bad.”
    • “Make sanity drain and recover slower; right now it's basically a pointless mechanic that just acts as a gate on using the painfully slow and largely useless occult abilities.”
    • “Stamina cost for firing is a dumb mechanic. Try making stamina just not recover while shooting as if you're still walking, rather than making my gun cost stamina for no reason other than to make me have to periodically hold down the right mouse button for ten minutes during combat just to get stamina back since it takes forever to start regenerating.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its eerie and cohesive design, enhancing the overall experience with impactful gameplay and a varied tool set. Players appreciate the fun premise and well-paced early game progression, although some note that the difficulty curve can be quite steep.

    • “The game features an eerie atmosphere that allows for a more varied toolset, including dark arts and abilities.”
    • “The atmosphere is cohesive and enhances the overall experience, making the impactful shots and controls feel even better.”
    • “Great atmosphere, fun premise, and well-paced early game unlocks.”
    • “The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
    • “Despite the attempts at creating tension, the atmosphere often falls flat and lacks the necessary depth.”
    • “The game’s atmosphere is inconsistent, swinging between dull and chaotic without a clear direction.”
  • graphics2 mentions

    The graphics are highly praised for their top-notch theme and visuals, with particular appreciation for the distinctive art style.

    • “The theme and visuals are top-notch!”
    • “I also love the art style.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and uninspired, criticizing the minimal percentage upgrades across five stats as lacking creativity and enjoyment.

    • “Having 5 stats and only 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% upgrades feels tedious, lacking imagination, and is not fun at all.”
    • “The grinding in this game is mind-numbing and feels like a chore rather than an engaging experience.”
    • “Repetitive tasks with minimal rewards make the grinding aspect feel like a never-ending slog.”
  • music1 mentions

    The music in the game is considered solid, though it lacks standout qualities that would make it particularly memorable.

    • “The music is solid, but nothing to write home about.”
    • “The soundtrack feels repetitive and lacks variety.”
    • “The background music is forgettable and doesn't enhance the gameplay experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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Negative mentions (%)Negative

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