I always find it interesting to see AAA-game developers/designers step out onto the indie-gaming scene to come up with their own games. Smartphones are the ideal platform to test out new ideas and the amount of time and effort (as well as money) required to “pivot” from one game to another is peanuts compared to the budget of an AAA title. Which brings us to Dreamgate Studios, an Aussie-based indie games studio formed by industry veterans with resumes citing X-COM, Bioshock and Fallout. 2 out of those 3 titles are my favourite games, so their latest indie effort, titled Light in the Dark should be good.
Designed to appeal to gamers and everyone that loves a brain-teaser, Light in the Dark brings about Dreamgate Studio’s cartoon art style, along with light bending and color blending puzzle elements for iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices. Initial levels are simple enough for children to enjoy but later stages are challenging for adults. The game begins with the discovery that the cute babies of Totems, a colorful undiscovered species, have lost their way in an ancient labyrinth tomb. Gamers must help the children reunite with the parents.
Players must solve perplexing puzzles and avoid dangerous but equally adorable enemies including mummies and sandmen. Villains force players to make moves quickly as these treacherous opponents can end a level after a certain amount of time has passed or tackle parent Totems. Gamers can swipe the screen of their mobile devices to move mirrors, which bend light. Players can also reposition parent Totems, which illuminates surrounding areas in one of three colors. Baby Totems are only reunited with their parents when basking in the glow of their own preferred hue. To create colors which are different from those emitted by adult Totems, players blend the light of the parents with each other.
To unlock all content in Light in the Dark, gamers must also spotlight stars on each level, in addition to the baby totems. The more stars players highlight, the more levels they reveal. “The experience we gained working on X-Com, Bioshock and Fallout gave us the technical lessons needed to make amazing games,” David De Margheriti, CEO, Dreamgate Studios, explains. “We could focus on developing a title that offered a range of play and interesting elements for everyone.”
Light in the Dark is available for $1.99 USD on the App Store, Google Play and Windows Phone Apps+Games Store. If players are stumped by a puzzle they can also ask for hints, which are purchasable via microtransactions.
