Adventures enjoy a wonderful time. Do not live on the edge of interest, they do not go to the forefront, but fans of storytelling adventures do not let nostalgic remembrance. Pretty much, though, it was hotter beer, but put it like that. We have another representative from the series of pixel-art adventures. Lamplight City deserves a curious look even though it is basically one man's work.
Francisco Gonzalez deserves admiration. This is only to avoid mistakes. He invented, wrote and prepared the entire Lamplight City. It was hard to think of how much strength it cost him, but the endurance and talent of Gonzalez can not be done. Although Lamplight City does not achieve the Unavowed or Unforgettable Thimbleweed Park quality, there are clear advantages over minor, but not negligible, shortcomings. Stunning plans for a non-linear detective must be overlooked, but we still have a tremendous adventure that sometimes reminds us of a book rather than a game.
If you look at previous projects Grundislav Games (A Golden Wake, Shardlight), you can guess what Lamplight City can expect: a imaginative world, a rather comical but interesting and personal plot in pixel art, well-written characters. And a little easier adventure with pile of text. It's no harm, since this steampunk detective has a distinctive charm that pulls you in front of the screen during the progressive winter evenings. Because it's a cool click, where the stitch of cases (with one head that hangs on your legs like a prison ball) appears to you as an experienced stripper in front of you. And when you point your finger at a murderer or a kidnapper, you may be mistaken and otherwise end up.
The main hero is Miles Fordham. They are actually two, we must not forget about his partner Bill. As a police investigator they formed an excellent pair until the moment they were given a relatively banal case in the form of a stolen flower shop. Actually, it was not a criminal offense, as he criminally paid for his goods. However, curiosity does not let go and the tragedy becomes a prologue. After the failure, the Bill dies, and he unwillingly launches the wheels of fate that will change his life to his best friend. Bill did not go to the other world, but he settled down in Miles's head and did not close his mouth after death, and he commented everything.
The classic adventure surprisingly complements the absence of inventory. You only take a few items while playing, and their possible use happens automatically when you click on another subject. More often you collect evidence or documents to help you convict the perpetrator. In essence, just explore the environment where the active objects are highlighted by the cursor change. You will automatically examine them, Bill has prepared a comment for each of them. Often ironic, sometimes annoying. Most of the time you spend conversations with other characters or Miles and Bill. Lamplight City is a well-groomed adventure. Sometimes it may be too much - with a lot of text not a problem, it just has to be compelling enough.
It's just that dialogues do not have consistent quality, and they sometimes get into the middle ballast of shuffled phrases, and the game actually hurts. Many interviews are excellent, they act naturally and not absurdly or artificially, but all the more then the ordinary and the most striking. It also influences the choice of themes that are kept exclusively at the same borders. Whether the person was aware of the victim, the suspect, where he stayed, and all of you are circulating and putting on a joke of otherwise not too complicated cases with a relatively easy-to-find criminal. Nevertheless, the playability is pleasantly despondent and everything flows smoothly. Exactly in style when you set out for a game that you mostly want to enjoy peacefully in the room sipping hot tea.
Another, sometimes odd element is, unfortunately, Bill himself. Many times his remark or adventure is awkward, he engages greatly, but in time you begin his effort to comment completely totally unconcerned. Humor begins to rotate more often annoying commentary over time. However, the voice of a partner is a pleasant experience, and this step must be praised. More often than not, Bill is more of a protagonist than Miles, who is less prominent. Stunned, sick, and a little boring. Other characters are fairly shaken stereotypes, but they perform the function of pawns with a few barks. Whether it's the sad parent of a kid kidnapped, a son-in-law, a beleaguered cop, a dirty cop, and so on.
Although initially insignificant, but later with a strong influence on the overall atmosphere, the story of the dependence of the main protagonist is suppressed. Miles, after the death of his partner and friend, begins to get out of control. In spite of his loving wife, Bill's presence in Bill's head was ruined. If he wants to sleep for at least a few hours, he takes strong medications that affect his psyche and perception. Although Bill is rather annoying and Miles would rather wish for his complete departure, without him he would lose some of himself. Everything starts spinning to find Bill's murderer, but the way to him is not easy. It may have been possible to get a lot more out of the position of a crippled and bruising former detective who gets cases like a private eye, but the melancholic mood of some of the outfits is rich enough for the inconspicuous pixel art adventure.
An interesting choice is nonlinear solutions. At the same time a two-sided weapon. Lamplight City does not insist on rigorous solutions, and unreasonable conversations can close some paths to gather evidence to guide you on the right track. And with an unwarranted direction, it closes her, you accuse the wrong person, but nothing happens. So, except for the fact that you are going to a different conclusion than the case is right. This concept greatly increases the possibility of replayability, but sometimes it is a rather frustrating alternative because you do not always know where you could make a mistake. If you are too busy complimenting your wife as an excuse for the previous night spent in your arms, you will close the path to breaking the language of an older lady from the higher circles that will tell you something about the hopeful painter, perhaps a bit of a murder - that's not the best solution, two at that unconnected moment can walk into a blind alley.
Technical errors are difficult to find. It's enchanting, detailed, and nostalgic - all this applies if you love pixels. If not, Lamplight City is hardly convinced of giving you the chance to adventure. Music is not blatant, but for every situation and location different. At the same time, the ambiance and steampunk feeling of New Bretang, an industrial city from the mid-19th century, gives many locations the right look. Whether you get to the lawyer's office, merchants, mortuary, wealthy or modest shops, clubs. The pity that the exteriors are also boring gray, there was an atmosphere to do more. Shame deserves dubbing. For such a small game it is great, it acts naturally in all characters, even though some voices are repeated.
Lamplight City is not a challenging game. Each of the cases can be completed within two to three hours, so you can enjoy the game in a very pleasant way. Skewings are minimal, but many times you have to go back to known places and try to find out if another option has not been opened. The helper is a notebook in which you collect tracks, suspicions, and you also record tasks. Despite being a nice detective, playing time is more and more tedious. The main hero is not charismatic enough, and his second guy sometimes talks a lot. Non-linear solutions are rather annoying over time and you can not fully enjoy the plot. But that does not mean you should not try Lamplight City. It's still an above-average piece inspired by Dickens, which should not fit in with dust.