Lamplight City

I really like what they have done with this game. The developers have taken the point and click genre and made if fresh, fun and funny. Puzzle aren't overly complicated and the voice acting is not only great but really breaks up all the reading, oh and the music is soooo perfect.

I loved this game! Good graphics, good voice-acting. There are many possible solutions to every case, depending on how your main character conducts himself. Sometimes he'll cut off a witness with a careless remark, sending the game in a whole other direction. Sometimes a wrong suspect can be identified or you'll find a tiny, but crucial, lead that leads to the correct culprit being arrested. The puzzles aren't too hard to figure out, especially if you listen carefully to the voice of your partner, yet complicated enough to make you want to keep at it until you've succeeded. I'd like to see more games like this; classic detective/mystery games with believable plots, characters, and an almost flawless interface in terms of graphics, sound, and overall gameplay.

Lamplight City is receiving too much ciriticizm for a) not being the type of adventure game someone expected to play, b) being a copy of GK or other games and c) *just* a great plot. I don't agree with any of that. While Lamplight City is devoid of genre typical inventory puzzles, puzzles are still there - and it is refreshing to solve them, make the connections yourself and understand all the information gathered right before the in-game character does. It did feel satisfying to look through some well placed misinformation, see a wrong turn for what it was and guide the character in the right direction. It never felt like hand holding and the indeed great plot unfolded often thanks to my persistance. While the influence of other genre classics can be felt, Lamplight City provides enough refreshingly creative content, atmosphere and unique backdrop to easily stand on its own legs. It's the little things that made the game shine as a whole , the events running next to the most imminent part of the plot, the information behind so many elements to inspect, read, check and commented on by the always present comic relief. I thoroughly enjoyed the game and I'm looking forward to Francisco Gonzalez next game in the same universe, Rosewater, for which I'll definiteyl pay full price.

tl;dr: I found the game rather enjoyable, despite being aware of its shortcomings. I would've probably given the game five stars if it wasn't for one absolutely infuriating bit that was partly a mechanical choice on the devs' part. There is a brief prologue and four proper cases to investigate, they took me a little under 13 hours to complete - but that's including my problems discussed in the final paragraph of the review. More details: As other reviewers pointed out, the game is not particularly complex or demanding, nor very impressive in any aspect. Yet, I found it charming and accessible enough to make me charitable and forgiving of its shortcomings (in both technical aspects and unremarkable writing). One design choice frustrated me to no end, however. Like in Aviary Attorney, it is possible to make a mistake in the investigation and botch the case as a result. While in Aviary Attorney the mistake would likely have to do with limited time management, in Lamlight City you can render a witness/contact uncooperative, cutting yourself off of the chance to follow up on whatever information they could provide you. Usually it's about pushing certain subjects or admitting that you're an investigator to a character who isn't fond of authority figures of busybodies. While I prefer games that let you fail at interpreting and acting on information rather than failing to collect information in the first place, I didn't have a problem with the concept ...until case 3. I'll try to keep things vague to minimize potential spoilers. In case 3, you can lock yourself out of the final crucial threads of the investigation ...within a minute or two of starting the case. You do that by engaging in that adventure game staple of going through every dialogue option, and with a character that's not a party in the case, at that. You won't know until a couple of hours later, when, hopelessly lost and having exhausted all interactions, you'll finally check a walkthrough and despair.

First of all: In my opinion, this is one of, if not the, best modern indie adventure games. Let me explain why: The first thing that comes to mind is Gabriel Knight- you play a private investigator in a kind of french-quarter-settings, with voodoo and supernatural elements present. Heck, there are even those dialouge screens with close-up portraits and black backgrounds. The gameplay is entirely different though: There are no inventory object puzzles- there are very few items, and when you have to use them, they are used automatically. Instead, you work with clues and have to interrogate people. That is what most of the gameplay consists of- interrogating people, gathering information. The clue is: The structure is way more open then with traditional point and click adventure games- when you feel you have enough evidence, you can close the case... And events further in the game change a bit according to your decisions. The way the game is built, it feels way more streamlined than other games in the genre- there is no pixel hunting, no clicking around aimlessly seeing what fits with what. It has to be noted, you CAN bring yourself at some points in unwinnable situations at a few points quite easily, and no, the game does NOT tell you explicitly that it did. But it usually autosaves directly beforehand, so it did not seem like a dealbreaker to me. Exploring and interrogating feels very ballanced and natural to me. Part of the reason are the sorroundings, the ambience,art style,music,atmosphere, the steampunk setting-everything just clicked for me, the worldbuilding is excellent, as is the voiceacting...the world really seems alive. Although the game is quite narrative heavy, don't expect deep characters or character development. I can't recommend this game highly enough- it is a oldschool detective adventure, yes, but one that finds new ways to innovate.