Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is a slow, atmospheric adventure that trusts you to explore. You wander a flooded town carrying a single lantern, tapping to move and to poke at the strange things you find. There's barely any text — the story seeps in through what you see and hear.

The puzzles are woven into the world rather than dropped in as obstacles. Working out how to drain a room or light an old signal feels like part of exploring, not a break from it. I got properly stuck twice and the satisfaction of the breakthrough was huge both times.

It's short, maybe four hours, but every minute is deliberate. This is a game to play at night with headphones, not on a noisy train.

What we liked

• Environmental storytelling done with restraint
• Puzzles that feel part of the world
• A haunting, memorable atmosphere