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Video biz developers have always make love the setting of a scientific disaster . From classics likeHalf - Lifethrough to more recent examples like 2017’sexcellentPrey , the concept of escape from a ruin facility has proved fruitful ground for many developer over the years . Lightmatter , from Tunnel Vision Games , also delves into this story template .
Lightmatteris a first person puzzle secret plan akin toPortal . The player is a tacit , unnamed , unknown supporter stick in the ruined Lightmatter Technologies construction . Waking up alone amid darkness and topsy-turvydom , the player then has to make their way to safety , all the while guided by the biting tongue of Lightmatter Technologies CEO Virgil .
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Getting out of the edifice is comfortable said than done , though . There may not be the extra - dimensional tool ofHalf - Lifeor the biomechanical repugnance ofSystem Shockto contend with , but that does n’t make Lightmatter Technologies any less grievous . Shadows themselves kill the player outright , spend a penny light sources the most vital resource to the player - think of it as ' the floor is lava ' taken to its extremum .
It ’s a neat cardinal concept , and Tunnel Vision Games executes it well . Lightmatter ’s core gameplay revolves around its lightsome mechanic , with players find out quickly that they have to be mindful of their environs at all times . Testing knowledge of Angle and logical system , Lightmatterdoesn’t shy aside from asking its players to be originative with their solutions , as each unlike elbow room and corridor do as its own stage for the actor to overcome .
Rather than just sticking to a single method acting of light source , the game gratefully mix thing up as it croak along . At first , the player learns how to successfully avoid shadows through their movement , beforeLightmatterintroduces item role . This starts with using portable lamp , before more ingenious solutions such as creating nerve tract through beam of light .
Lightmatteris not a ponderous , cerebral experience likeThe Witness , though . The game throws in tests of agility along the way , with jump puzzle that necessitate for quick problem - solving as the player avoids those deadly trace on the tally . This is particularly true of the secret plan ’s finale , which tries to amp up the tensity with a larger emphasis on front .
Lightmatterfinds success in its varied strand , even if it feels a small too close to its peers likePortalandAntichamber . In part this is down to the plot ’s compressed design , never overcomplicating thing with too many mechanics while at the same meter offering up challenge through its testing puzzle . Without hold the player ’s hand , Lightmattermanages to increase its difficulty with good stride as musician get used to its rules .
This works well with the plot ’s cel - shaded design . The core color palette is muted , allowing the pure darkness of the apparition to be obvious to the participant , while the game ’s rarified splatter of color pop against the optic . What ’s more , these brighter elements manoeuver the player towards interesting items or goals ; a gullible exit signal , the light tone of a ledge to leap to , or the blinding light beam of a lamp .
Perhaps the good use of color comes fromLightmatter ’s method acting of storytelling . The game ’s level are sparse , with a few sign of the zodiac of the citizenry who used to dwell the world around them . However , pockets of violent warning lights often hint towards another audio recording to obtain , share a level of what happened at the institute before the tragedy that left the musician stranded .
The utilisation of audio logs as a storytelling mechanic is not a fresh one , but it still functions well here . There ’s a apposition between the log and the on-going dialog of Virgil , the hubristic CEO of Lightmatter Technologies who is so famously voiced by David Bateson ofHitmanfame . The player is a white slate , at metre call a health inspector , a journalist , an supporter , and a spy by Virgil as the game goes on , and so sits as an outsider as the wider plot unfurls .
Lightmatter ’s floor is a decent one , but much like its gameplay the game is not whole original , leaning a little too powerfully on its influences . After all , many players will have played another first person puzzler secret plan with a silent protagonist and an omniscient vocalisation mocking the player in a humorous way - peculiarly when that temper block out something much more gruesome at a contextual level .
That ’s not to say thatLightmatteris not competent in its approach path - indeed , it is an enjoyable , fondly - craft biz . However , it could certainly do with a little more trust in its own originality and concept . The plot ’s Lord clearly lovePortal , even giving in - game mention to Aperture Science with a handful of other Easter bollock , but there ’s enough here for the game to have stood on its own without needing to nonplus so nigh to that ( avowedly excellent ) templet .
Even so , those who enjoy puzzle game will find plenty to savour here . With well - crafted mechanics and a care for everything from nontextual matter purpose through to thebalance of overall plot duration , Lightmattershines . Had it been a little bolder , it could have been a surprise classic .
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Lightmatteris available on PC . Screen Rant was provided with a personal computer download codification for the purposes of this review .
