Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is a mood piece as much as a game. You arrive in a fog-wrapped coastal town to light its old lantern and find the place quietly unravelling. It's a point-and-click adventure, so you poke at the world, collect odd items, and solve puzzles that are clever without being cruel.

The hand-drawn art does a lot of heavy lifting. Rooms feel lived-in, the animation is subtle, and there's a melancholy to the whole thing that stuck with me. Puzzles lean on observation — read the notes, listen to people, and the solution usually clicks.

It's a short game, maybe four hours, but it doesn't overstay. I finished it in two sittings and immediately wanted to talk to someone else who'd played it.

What we liked

• Gorgeous hand-drawn environments
• Fair, logical puzzles
• A story that lingers after the credits