A dark tale of old-time psychiatry…
The Town of Light is billed as a horror game that puts you in the shoes of 16 year old Renee, who suffers from mental illness and is searching for answers to questions from her past as she walks around where she grew up, including the old asylum she was in. Think of The Town of Light like a walking simulator which the story unfolds as you progress. It’s a very dark and twisted story, highlighting the horrors of old asylums and the horrors that went on there.
The story itself is nothing short of brilliant, it’s the overall presentation that lets it down though. It has a very sluggish framerate and as with most walking simulators, you walk incredibly slowly. I know they don’t like to add run buttons for these types of games, but they could at least increase the pace a little bit here. The load times are also frustratingly long.
It’s a shame really, because underneath all the flaws lies a harrowing story that will stick with you for a really long time. It’s brief and can be finished in a few hours, while there is some backtracking that is a bit tedious. Visually, it’s a mixed bag. It looks detailed at times, but the odd textures are far from perfect. Voice-acting too is average, but it still doesn’t diminish how bleak and memorable the story is.
The Verdict
At just a few hours long, The Town of Light is a game that will stick with you if you give it a chance. It suffers on a technical level, but the story will haunt you for years to come.