Summary
Publisher Gamera Games has released an announcement trailer forCandlelight: Lament, an upcoming point-and-click adventure game with themes of Lovecraftian horror. Developed by first-time solo indie developer Lawsquare133,Candlelight: Lamenthas been revealed as part of the2023 Tokyo Game Show.
A wide variety of indie and AAA titles were showcased at this year’s Tokyo Game Show from a wide range of companies, most notably Capcom and Koei Tecmo. Many smaller indie studios made strong showings as well, including publisher Gamera Games. Aside fromCandlelight: Lament,Gamera also debuted a trailer for itsupcoming horror romance gameHomicipher, in which players must decode a language spoken by several potentially homicidal men to escape from them.
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In contrast to the more personal horror ofHomicipher,the trailer forCandlelight: Lamentshowcases themes and aesthetics of cosmic, Lovecraftian horror, glimpsed by the player through the eyes of the game’s protagonist, Ed. Ed is an elderly professor who breaks his city’s nighttime curfew to go searching for his missing granddaughter, and slowly uncovers a truth more terrible than he imagined. The game is set in the 1970s within an alternate timeline, presumably one that is heavily influenced by elements of Lovecraft’s fictional worlds and the Cthulhu Mythos. Intrigued fans can try a free demo ofCandlelight: Lamentright now via the game’s Steam page, making it one ofmany free demos available on Steam.
While the trailer does show off the distinct hand-drawn, monochromatic art style ofCandlelight: Lamentalongside some snippets of gameplay, there is much about the title that has yet to be revealed. No release date has been announced, and certain gameplay mechanics alluded to in the game’s Steam page description have not yet been expanded upon. For example, players will apparently be able to use something called “Awake” to explore hidden secrets in the world, but it is not clear whether this term is meant to refer to a system, ability, resource, or other entity within the game. However, it is certain thatCandlelight: Lamentwill be ahorror game inspired by Lovecraftand the cosmic horror themes he pioneered, which may be enough to interest fans of the genre all by itself.
At the moment, it is too soon to tell whetherCandlelight: Lamentwill have what it takes to stand out among themany horror games claiming Lovecraft as an inspiration, but the trailer certainly looks promising. The game’s subtle, monochromatic style and mechanical simplicty could lend themselves well to a style of horror that leans heavily on the imagination to induce fear of the unknown and unknowable.
