The Town of Light

Release Date: February 26, 2016

Adventure, FPP, thriller, horror, indie games, Meta Quest / Oculus, exploration games, VR, singleplayer

6.3

OpenCritic

79%

Steam

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First-person adventure game in the form of a psychological thriller and the debut of an independent Italian studio Lka.it. The game's plot is set in an mental institution located in the Italian town of Volterra. Creators of The Town of Light decided to depict in their game the history of an actually existing place, focusing on dramas of its residents, treated by facility staff like animals.

Gameplay
Technology

The Town of Light for PC, PS4 and etc. is a psychological thriller implemented in the form of a first-person exploration game, in which the developers decided to tell the dark story of an actually existing place. The game is the debut work of a small, independent studio Lka.it from Italy.

Gameplay

The game begins in modern times, and the action takes place in an abandoned asylum in the Italian town of Volterra. This institution has existed since the nineteenth century and was one of the most famous of its kind in the Italian Peninsula (the number of its patients reached several thousand people), but it was closed in 1978 along with numerous other facilities in Italy, when the law changed. Creators of The Town of Light for PC, PS4 and etc. decided to present the history of this place, with particular emphasis on the dramatic experiences of its residents, for years treated by facility staff like animals.

For this purpose, the developer recreated the asylum in Volterra (both its interior and exterior) with great care, and gathered a rich research material about it, including accounts of people connected with the history of the facility. Player learns about the abandoned resort and its past following the steps of 16-year-old Renee – a fictional character who comes to Volterra in search of her lost memories. The girl suffers from schizophrenia, so the adventure is interfered with symptoms resulting from her condition, as well as with her fears and other emotions. While wandering through the asylum, we are guided by the voice of the heroine; which does not mean that the game is linear – the story has an open structure and can develop in different ways.

Technology

The Town of Light for PC, PS4 and etc. is powered by the Unity Engine and has a very nice artwork in which most impressive is the detailed, carefully mapped playground. It is also worth mentioning that the game was adapted to support the Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles.

Last updated on December 21, 2015

Videos and Screens

[3:39] The Town of Light Live Action Trailer

[2:03] The Town of Light trailer - Accolades

6.3

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 23% of Critics. There are 58 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

PlayStation Universe: 5.5 / 10 by Neil Bolt

While The Town of Light is rough around the edges, both in technical and narrative terms, it does at least provide a different kind of horror compared to the current market. It's one based on a grim, bleak history of the treatment of mental health issues, and that makes for an unpleasant, yet fascinating experience if you can stomach both the subject matter and the low quality of the game's performance.

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PC Gamer: 65 / 100 by Edwin Evans-Thirlwell

Uneven, bleak and unflinching. You won't enjoy it, but it's one of a kind.

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Telegraph: 3 / 5 by Tom Hoggins

This exploration of Volterra and its practices by first-time Italian developer LKA is a gruelling, uneven but ultimately worthwhile trek through the peeling corridors of an all too real place. The story follows Renee, a young woman who was committed at Volterra shortly before World War II, as she returns to the hospital's abandoned husk decades later. While Renee herself is a fictional creation, her experiences are a patchwork of real-life patients pieced together from director Luca Dalco's extensive research. You are tacitly cast as a voice inside Renee's head, whom she talks to and questions as you explore the hospital, trying to piece together and make sense of her experience.

Full Review

79%