The Red Lantern
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Critic Reviews for The Red Lantern
The Red Lantern isn't for thrill seekers, but it is a phenomenal handheld experience that is easy to get lost in
It's always reposeful when a video game can connect me with the experiences of my youth, and The Red Lantern does just that. It can be breathtaking at times, and it can also be pretty banausic, but the Musher's journey to her new home has enough beauty, adventure, and adorable dogs I just don't want to stop petting to make each trip worthwhile.
The Red Lantern is a fantastic narrative-focused roguelite survival game with some of the most adorable animated dogs I've seen in a video game. Its unique blend of multiple genres feels unique and where survival elements in most games grow tiresome quickly, they sit perfectly within this Alaskan journey of new beginnings. This is one of the most enjoyable indie titles of 2020.
The Red Lantern is a suvival-roguelite where you will have to face the harsh landscapes of Alaska with your dog sled team. You can pet the dogs, but most of the action feels very much down to the luck of the dice rather than any active participation from you.
The Red Lantern is a great experience. I love my dog sled team and playing the runs again and again only reinforced that. But I'm not sure the roguelite style stays fresh all the way through, and it can get a bit tiring and repetitive. In the end, The Red Lantern is not going to win a lot of awards for what it does and is, but it's a unique take on the walking simulator genre that honestly has gotten stale and oversaturated.
It has the occasional nice moment, but I got sick of it a while before beating it. Furthermore, it can be beaten in under three hours, so that's really saying something.
Timberline Studio's debut game holds a lot of promise, with writing and animations that are both full to the brim with personality and wit. However, The Red Lantern's core game loop suffers from repetitive, punishingly random events that make the player feel passive and helpless to the whims of fate.
Those with a desire for escapism and a healthy amount of patience will find a solid few hours of rewarding narrative here – if you’re after something with a bit more wanderlust and a bit less “dying alone and unloved”, you might want to look elsewhere.
