The Town of Light Reviews
The Town of Light explores the most terrifying horror that exists, the kind man perpetuates on others on the basis of false beliefs and prejudices.
Sticking with The Town of Light's slow, meandering storytelling and linear exploration in the early chapters does pay off eventually, but if the dark and often distressing tale of Renee and the happenings in World War II era insane asylums doesn't interest you, there is very little to see that wouldn't be even more of a turn off.
A haunting, personal horror story that does not need lazy jump scares or cheap shocking moments to be effective.
Review in German | Read full review
There are plenty of engaging moments, despite the annoying puzzles, that make this game worth recommending. It's also a great representation of mental illness, portraying the patients not as cackling sociopaths, but as victims of tragedy. While it's not for everyone, especially those who want a more "in-your-face" kind of horror, the historical setting and creeping dread make for a very memorable experience.
The Town of Light's unique setting and a handful of standout scenes aren't enough to save the game from boring puzzles, nonsensical plot, and a general lack of direction.
The Town of Light is a thoughtfully written, painstakingly designed walking simulator set in an early 20th century asylum. Though load times and sections that are less than intuitive cause frustration, they do not dissuade my recommendation. You'll quickly become caught up in the story of Renee, a young girl whose circumstances were depressingly real for many women during that time.
An uncompromisingly bleak look back at a time when mental illness was completely, horribly misunderstood, The Town of Light is an interesting psychological horror, of sorts. However, technical shortcomings and repetitious, often dull gameplay makes for an experience that's severely lacking.
Explores a hard-hitting, if somewhat familiar story in gorgeous visuals without quite offering enough in terms of gameplay.
The Town of Light is a beautiful title, with great sound and reworked voice-overs that improve on the original release, but it needs harder puzzles, some work on the camera and maybe be a bit darker to give the flashlight some purpose. Besides that, The Town of Light accomplishes what it promises, and is a game people need to try, because it is something different to experience within the video game medium.
Genuine creative potential, but lacks polish
Even though it is short and repetitive, The Town of Light's powerful, mature story along with its strong presentation makes it a worthwhile experience.
Depicting the horrors of an asylum with animated pictures was a tender touch to sensitive imagery. Even the 3D animations conveyed moments with care. But the story is confusing and painfully disappointing and the translation errors make matters worse. So I can commend LKA's efforts, but I can't recommend The Town of Light.
What LKA has created here transcends being "just another video game"; The Town of Light is an incredibly important insight into a dark part of history that, thankfully, most of us are too young to have lived through.
[The Town of Light is] a game that tries to open people's eyes to the very real problem of mental health
A dark and depressing exploration of a dark and depressing aspect in history. If you like the idea of that it will probably deliver.
While the research and attention to detail that went into Town of Light is good, and they're addressing a very important issue, the developers have failed to adapt it into a game format.
Overall, there is a lot of merit for a game that deals with a tricky heartfelt subject matter. That puts it into a very rare category of games. As a gaming experience it is frustrating, has no variation in pace and I’m not sure how successful its outcome is.
The Town of Light is a harsh horror game where the horror is very real – it is something that could certainly happen to us or to a loved one. What Renée had to go through, and how it changed her and made her into the person she is in the present day is something that you certainly will not forget.
The Town of Light sounds like an interesting interactive adventure from the outset however it suffers from a story that is terribly told and a gameplay that feels archaic forcing you to motivate yourself to finish the game.
I cannot thank the developer enough for The Town of Light. Not only are we beginning to acknowledge the injustices our ancestors committed, we are exploring how to prevent it from happening again by telling these important stories instead of burying them.