Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is easily the most atmospheric thing I played this season. You explore a quiet town by lantern light, tapping to move and solving small environmental puzzles that slowly reveal what happened to the place.

The puzzles are gentle and logical, and the game never blocks you for long. What really carries it is mood — the sound design, the slow reveals, the way a room changes when you light one more candle.

It's a couple of hours long, which is exactly right. I finished it in one rainy afternoon and thought about it for days.

What we liked

• Gorgeous, moody art and sound
• Fair, logical puzzles
• A tight, complete story