App Army Assemble: Lamplight City - Is this steampunk detective adventure one you should investigate?

Lamplight City is a steampunk detective adventure game that launched for iOS a few weeks ago. It features five different cases to solve, each of which can lead to multiple endings. With so many potential outcomes to discover we decided the best course of action would be to get more than one person to play the game. So we've enlisted the help our App Army, who put their detective hats on to give Lamplight City a try.

Here's what they had to say:

it’s definitely an improvement from the older point and click games I’ve played. It’s a well-made mix of reading and interaction set in a Sherlock Holmes setting which makes the dialogue between the detectives that much more interesting if you pay attention. It’s not a tough game so you won’t get stuck anywhere for long, no inventory means you’re using whatever is available at that moment which is a fun change from most. it’s a nice game to pass some time with

If you’ve played any of Wadjet Eye Games’ titles, from the breathtaking Technobabylon and Disavowed to the intrigue of the Blackwell Franchise then you know that Retro Adventure Games are still pushing the envelope. Grundislav Games is the studio of former Wadjet Eye dev Francisco Gonzalez, and Wadjet Eye’s Forward Thinking Retro hallmarks have made the transition.

The first noticeable element is the removal of the Inventory System, this streamlines the puzzle elements, further optimization is in how there are multiple solutions to progress the story. This departure from the often obtuse puzzle elements of classic Adventure Games is a move I welcome personally, provided there is enough intrigue to carry the story.

In Lamplight City’s atmospherically rich Steampunk universe, there is no shortage of that, the characters are interesting, and the story is well-paced and written. Lamplight City serves as an excellent entry point into the genre for newcomers and a fast-paced adventure for veterans.

This is a game for anyone who enjoys a Sherlock Holmes mystery. The graphics are very atmospheric, the sound adding to it perfectly and the voice-overs are more than adequate. I found the game a good balance of reading and interaction, with clues to follow to move the storyline forward.

There is a map to use to move quickly from destination to destination and there is a Casebook where clues, suspects and documents are kept for reference. Although this isn’t a fast-paced game, there is more than enough to keep me occupied and, although I haven’t finished it yet, I look forward to playing it to its conclusion.

I spent some hours in this game, and I really enjoyed his atmosphere, even if I have not finished it yet. I thought it was really immersive, and the graphics and the music have a lot of personality, moreover, I enjoyed the voices of the characters. Firstly I was rather surprised to not even have an inventory, but it is a very interesting choice they made: if I have not discovered a complicated puzzle game, I'm glad I had the opportunity to savour this interactive detective novel, in a fictional dark city. I really enjoyed it.

Because the English language is not very intuitive for me (I would certainly appreciate a french translation!), it is not very easy for me to play this game with a lot of dialogues, so I prefer short sessions, but the subtitles are very useful, and the humour kept me interested all the time. I certainly will finish to discover all the mysteries this game has to offer!

I generally don’t like hidden object games, and I was thinking for a few minutes that this was going to be one. But so far as I’ve played, it isn’t. It’s just a matter of looking in various points in a room to pick up on clues. And if you can’t find them, you can get them revealed. And for that matter, it’s more a story than a game. The graphics are simple but appropriate for the retro/noir theme. I got a little impatient with the banter between the two detectives honestly, but not enough to put me off. And I enjoy a bit of a mystery with (limited) choices to make, and a fairly simple narrative to follow.

The music was good, and to be honest it mixed in so well with the activity that after a while I didn’t really notice it. Which a soundtrack ought to do. I wasn’t really too pulled in by the characterizations, but also, to be fair, I haven’t had lots of time to play thanks to my work schedule. But it’s interesting enough for me to want to continue. This is a simple mystery that doesn’t try to be mind-blowing but succeeds at the level that it’s going for. Point and click and noir/mystery fans should enjoy this.

Do you admire the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie? Are you into heavy text and dialogue-based interactive adventures? Are you tired of gaming and just want to relax and experience an interesting story? If the answer is "yes", then Lamplight City is what the doctor Watson ordered. Our clues for the "case at hand" are pixellated graphics, professional voiceover for every in-game character, original music score, trademark English humour, some unexpected plot twists and turns, quite an extensive "gameplay" promising many hours of deductive work and investigation.

The only suspect and "our guy" is Lamplight City - a steampunk point-and-click game with no inventory whatsoever, but the adventure where your choices matter. I really enjoyed my time spent within the limits of the Lamplight City and am looking forward to the time when the sun finally sets, I'll switch on my bedside lamp and try to shed some light onto mysteries and secrets that await the protagonist who has his own flaws and inner demons. To be honest, I am hooked and eager to know the finale to all the 5 cases.

I fairly enjoyed spending my time with Lamplight City, however, in my opinion, this is not a game, but rather a visual novel or a narrative adventure if you like. I mean, you won't find any actual gameplay here, so in this respect, Lamplight City is definitely not for everyone. If you do not mind reading lines and lines of text, you should definitely jump in, because the story might truly captivate you and the art is a feast for the eyes. Back in my school years, I've been devoting a lot of my reading time to the short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and Lamplight City is very similar in mood and atmosphere to those works of fiction.

The only thing that frustrated me a bit is the necessity to perform a long touch to highlight all the "hotspots", which you can interact with. As opposed to having to keep your finger pressed on a screen for good 3-4 seconds they might have found another less time-consuming way for the "hotspots" to pop up. Other than that, there is no real reason that might keep you from finding pleasure in Lamplight City, especially, if detective stories and interrogation are your thing.

Atmosphere: Very dense, mysterious and brilliant music adds to it
Voice acting: I found it a bit sterile and got confused with the accents changing from British to American
Graphics: Reminds me of a smoothed Guybrush adventure. But the lights flickering and the dimly light scenes are very atmospheric. Only the stiff moving characters could have used some bit of tweaking.
Story: Mysterious, thrilling and worth playing through, I assume, since I have not finished it, yet.
Overall: A nice gem, reminds me of point&click adventures I played years ago.

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Lamplight City on an iPhone X. Boy, do I love a good mysterious point-and-click adventure, and Lamplight City is one of the good ones. I do miss the humour and brilliance of The Secret of Monkey Island, but this Sherlock Holmes type adventure is a very good place to lose ourselves for days and hours.

First, very good voice acting that starts a bit raw but it flows very nicely from there after a few minutes into the game. Soundtrack very thriller-like, it is a joy, and I recommend headphones to play this game. This is a detective adventure with some twists, and the mechanics of the game work very well for me. There's no inventory and no trying to work out if an object works with another, it just clicks and works automatically if you found out the right clues and mystery surrounding a particular object.

There's a lot to read and listen to, as this is a heavy narrative game, but I quite liked it. There a few crimes to solve before you can solve the one that started it all. Save games are a must, and you should do it often, as there ways that it can go very wrong, and we need to go back a few steps. I like it that there are scenes that you can interact directly with objects, as in playing the piano, pushing buttons and other things. As you speak to people you will uncover new places to go on the map, and your clues/suspects book will be populated with new information and clues so you can follow them up. This is a good way not to get stuck in the game, check the book several times, especially after a lengthy conversation with someone.

I found that on an iPhone X, sometimes the dialogue options on the bottom would appear under the irritating white bar of the iPhone (the bar that takes you to the home screen). Other than that, this is a beautiful port to mobile, as point-and-click games are quite perfect to play on touch screen devices, and a very nice adventure if you're into being a sleuth and solving crimes.

Lamplight City is a point and click style adventure game set in the past. You play as a private investigator trying to solve a current case, while also trying to find a burglar that lead to you accidentally killing your partner. Your character has frequent conversations with your dead partner, which leads you to believe he is talking to a ghost or has gone insane. It is a nice change of pace from the standard point and click game.

Overall the story is interesting enough that I wanted to keep playing. The graphics in the game are steampunk retro style and fit the story well. The graphics are not spectacular but are well done. The voice acting is well done and easy to understand. You can quickly jump through the dialogue if you choose, and you can read the dialogue if you prefer. The music is good and fits the time period

I have probably put in around 2 hours into the game so far and the story is engaging enough that I plan on finishing the game. The clues in the game are reality-based, so I have not had to guess what my next move would be. There is some repetition involved as you question the characters in the game. I frequently had to visit locations several times and interview the same characters multiple times. The story still flows well, so this is a minor complaint.

Overall this is a decent point and click detective story. If you are a fan of this genre, you will probably enjoy this game. There is nothing new or groundbreaking about this game, but the characters and story are engaging enough that the game is a worthwhile playthrough.

Man, I’m loving this one. It’s a conventional point and click adventure game like monkey island or kings quest. With a classic pixel-based art style and good voice acting. It controls well enough on the iPhone, but I found it really enjoyable on my iPad and a Bluetooth mouse.

The story follows a pair of detectives investigating a break-in with odd circumstances. But something happens and suddenly the story takes a really weird turn. It’s really engaging and I can’t wait to finish it. The only odd thing is the voice of the lead characters. Doesn’t quite fit the setting.

A very engaging point and click style game, for those who like a game with a good story and research, they will love this game, it still has cool graphics with a great soundtrack, all very engaging, the game holds you for trying to unravel the cases that are very elaborated if you like these types of games then you will like it a lot

Lamplight city reminds me of an old school Windows 98 point and click game full of nostalgia as you play a detective trying to prove the innocence of a man set up for murder. However after an hour or so of playing then saving this happened twice... had to restart because of error. Sadly this game is currently unplayable for me. So I am currently not able to give a true review due to this issue.

A classic point and click adventure game that started off with camp voice acting and a quite boring premise that became a lot more interesting 10-15 minutes into the game. It is hard to write about Lamplight without spoiling the story, as it takes a lot of cues and inspiration from noir detective films, the Monkey Island games and to some extent the great Sherlock Holmes/Dr Watson interaction.

As stated earlier the voice acting started a bit camp but grew better as I identified the characters as being a bit stiff and camp themselves. The gameplay itself is your general point and click adventure with an inventory of found items. I didn't have time to finish the game, but during the hour or so of gameplay I didn't find anything weird to combine. Ergo not in the vein of Monkey Island or Day of the Tentacle.

The presentation is generally nice with a retro noir style. The subtitles and text choices are clearly visible on the iPhone 12Pro. I had my iPad Air 4 on standby, as a lot of games have scaled poorly to the more mobile units.

The music is quite great if you like classical instrumental music. Had a symphony playing in my AirPods, and took me 10 minutes to realise that the game had cut off my music and replaced it with game music. The humour and noir setting is clearly enjoyable and I look forward to completing the game. I can't say how long it is in hours thus far, as I am just about an hour into it. If you enjoy point and clickers, slow-moving mysteries or classic noir movies there is certainly some good stuff to find in Lamplight City!

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