The Town of Light

[h1] This has got to be one of the heaviest, if not the absolute most devastating game I have ever played. [/h1] The game vividly bequeaths you to a time and place void of hope, whence there is no return. If you truly immerse yourself in it, the story touches the deepest recesses of your consciousness. It took me the whole game to realize that you are actually playing as the wraith of someone who was once trapped within the asylum walls. This game is not for everyone, but it is an incredibly profound and unique masterpiece

A slow-paced psychological adventure with an unsettling atmosphere and a realistic portrayal of life inside a psychiatric hospital. Unfortunately, the painfully slow movement speed, repetitive environments, and overwhelming amount of notes make much of the journey feel exhausting. However, the final act (especially the lobotomy scene) is genuinely shocking and memorable, making the ending somehow worth experiencing. 3\5

The game itself presents a compelling premise by offering a historical portrayal which investigates the roots of mental health treatment, giving us enough material to reflect, as a society, our own morals and humanity. The storytelling is amazing, using non-linear mechanics and different art styles in the gameplay that heighten the horror experienced by the character.

Well, in terms of gameplay, it’s just functional at best, the graphics are okay but plagued by glitches, and there’s a lot of backtracking, plus it’s sometimes hard to find important items. It sounds like the game is average at best, and yet I think it’s great. It’s simply a digital history lesson meant to remember the victims who are far too often forgotten, and anyone capable of even a little bit of empathy will still be thinking about it weeks after finishing the game. It's not a pleasant experience and sometimes you have a lump in your throat, and yet you still want to keep going. In the end, I'm just grateful that there are developers who tackle such difficult topics, and I hope there will be more of them in the future.

i am not a fan of the nowadays triggerwarnings all over for practically everything, but in the case of this game, i would strongly advice not to be played by directly affected people (if u have affected relatives, it should be fine or might even be useful for reflection in a way) gameplaywise, its a pretty relaxed exploration experience in a beautiful asylum ruin & surrounding (no chases, no actual enemys), but storywise the emotional spectrum is somewhere between wanting to puke & feeling ur blood boil i think the narrative approach is indisputably a masterpiece with its own soul (i especially praise way of the depiction of [spoiler]heavy dissociation[/spoiler] & the possibility to [spoiler]influence/direct her selfmonologue[/spoiler] ) .. no need here for artificial sadness/horror/mementos, this game is far above that by its sincerity .. i (personally so far) have never seen similar on-point from what i know all over hollywood or similar themed (+metaphoric) games (except books & primary sources ofc).. i also really like the many hidden documents, places & chapters(!) that can still be found .. what i dislike is that the 8 main-pages of her diary are somewhat missable in the …

This game is SO good. I adore this game. I love stories based off real scenarios, and this game does it so well. There are a lot of sensitive topics that are described and portrayed really well. The surrounding environment is also beautiful, I loved exploring and having to use my brain to connect the dots. This game needs WAY more attention, and I can’t believe it isn’t as popular as newer games. The only thing I’d critique is how there is very little direction on where to go next. Sometimes it was clarified, but sometimes it wasn’t, so it left me confused at times. But I personally liked that part. Overall, I’d give it a 10/10! :D