At this year’s GDC, I had the opportunity to check out Lamplight City, the latest game from developer Grundislav Games. Based on about twenty minutes of gameplay, I need to see how this game is going to end.
Lamplight City is a point and click PC adventure, harking back to the classic Sierra games like King’s Quest 5 and 6. Players control a detective who must solve a series of mysteries while also piecing together the strange events that resulted in the death of your partner.
Featuring a crisp pixel art style and steampunk influences, Lamplight City is certainly a game that catches the eye. Environments are richly detailed, with great little secrets to find by exploring every object in the background.
Unlike traditional point and click games, Lamplight City doesn’t feature an inventory. All of the action is done with a single button click that is context sensitive. This means there’s less fumbling around in menus, which helps to streamline solving cases.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get stuck or fail. Francisco Gonzalez, the man behind Grundislav Games, told me that there are multiple endings to the five cases in Lamplight City, including making so many mistakes that the case is no longer solvable. This doesn’t end the game, players will simply have to live with the errors of their crime solving.
The dialogue of Lamplight City also stands out as especially enjoyable. Conversations you have with your partner are quick witted and full of small jokes and funny lines. Within a few seconds, I had already grown attached to main character Miles Fordham and his love for finding the nearest pub in any given neighborhood.
As you would expect from a game where you play as a detective, talking to and interrogating suspects is a major part of gameplay. Many conversations allow for players to choose dialogue options, with these options resulting in more or less information gained about the case. It’s even possible to insult those you’re talking to, which usually results in the person refusing to work with you any longer.
Because Lamplight City is entirely the work of one man, there’s no release date that could be announced just yet. Gonzalez told me he is trying to release by the end of 2017, so hopefully he can meet his goal.
So what do you think? Are you excited about trying Lamplight City for yourself? Have you played any other point and click adventures recently? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
