Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is a slow, atmospheric adventure that trusts you to explore. You play a lamplighter relighting a town swallowed by fog, and the story unfolds through notes, objects and quiet environmental details rather than long cutscenes. It's the kind of game that makes you put your headphones on.

Movement is a simple point-and-tap, and puzzles are woven into the world instead of feeling bolted on. Figuring out how to reach a locked bell tower took me across half the map, collecting little bits of story along the way. It never holds your hand, but it never leaves you truly lost either.

The mood carries it. The sound design — creaking wood, distant wind, the soft hiss of your lantern — does half the storytelling. It's short, maybe four hours, but I didn't want a minute cut. A small, complete, memorable thing.

What we liked

• Storytelling through atmosphere, not cutscenes
• Puzzles built naturally into exploration
• Gorgeous, unsettling sound design