I'm a big fan of point and click adventures and regular readers may recall my review of The Art of Point and Click Adventure Games. However, it wasn't until Lamplight City was covered in Konstantinos Dimopoulos' seminal title Virtual Cities that I got round to picking up a copy from the Apple App store.
Set in an alternate reality 1844, Lamplight City (developed using the Adventure Game Studio engine) takes place in the city of New Bretagne in North America, where the colonies remained part of the British Empire and were renamed Vespuccia. You play the part of Miles Fordham whose partner, Bill Leger is killed in the prologue. Five cases follow where you investigate clues, question characters and (maybe) solve the crimes perpetrated. You see, there are usually a couple of solid culprits to the first four cases and, if you wish, you can also decide that there isn't enough evidence either way and the case can remain unsolved. The fifth case ties in with Bill's death and there are links between that and the previous ones that may be important in solving the mystery of who killed your partner.
Not that you investigate these crimes on your own: the late Bill Leger is now a voice in your head who provides many of the best lines and jokes in the game. His presence is also a major driver in Fordham's ongoing mental health - Bill never shuts up and Fordham tried soporifics and drinking to quieten the voice down. This, naturally, effects both his professional life (he left the Police force) and his personal life, where his concerned wife, Addie, tries to understand what ails him.
As part of the setting, this 1844 has advanced much further into the Industrial Revolution and there are many steampunk elements to the story and the background. This creates a level of depth and sense of place that raises this title over many other adventure games. There are discussions about workers rights, spiritualism and politics that interweave themselves with the crime-fighting duo's attempts to solve the varied felonies in the game, and this depth is carried into a newspaper you can read in each case that not only covers the current murder, but also reports on the previous cases and ongoing events in the world of Lamplight City. I can certainly see why this game was selected for Virtual Cities.
Graphically, Lamplight City strikes all the right notes with its pixel perfect 2D artwork. Locations are varied and detailed, colour and tone are used to add character to the scenes and, overall, if you like the old-school 2D pixel art of point and click adventures, you'll love the way the art style brings Lamplight City to life. That extends to the character portraits, which have only limited animation but more than define the individuality of the cast.
Sound wise, this game is a cracker. The music changes to perfectly match each location and the main theme is memorable ear worm, and that's a good thing. Praise must also be given to the voice cast: Ben Britton as Fordham and Al Pagano as Bill riff off each other well, and Pagano's comedic timing brings the game's humour to life. Miranda Gauvin as Constance Upton, Fordham's police contact, is also stellar. That should not take away from the fact that all of the voicework is great.
The game itself is quite linear and there are no real points of frustration that long-time point and click fans will be familiar with. This is more of an easy going title that wants to tell you a story and immerse you in the city of New Bretagne without allowing you to get stuck. My first run though took about ten hours, and then I played it again to see if I could get a different ending. I must admit, it can be a depressing tale if you fail to make the right choices or close off avenues of questioning. Fortunately, those choices are quite straightforward so the choice to succeed and find Bill's killer or fail and end up with the negative ending are clearly defined ones.
I really do recommend this fun and engaging title. The world building, the characters and the story all combine to provide several hours of entertainment that even the most jaded point and click fan will enjoy. For those new to the genre, it's a very easy going introduction and yes, you should definitely try it out.
Lamplight City is available on Steam and GOG.com for Windows, macOS and Linux. It's also available via the macOS store and on iOS devices. You can check out the game's developer here, where you'll find news of their previous titles, as well as links to buy their games directly, from the above mentioned stores or the Humble Store. You can follow the game's author on Twitter via a link on their website, where you'll also learn about his next title, Rosewater, a Western adventure which is set in the same alternate 19th Century as Lamplight City. It's already on my steam wish list.
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