Adventure Lamp (PC) Review

In Adventure Lamp, you play with a mushy little marshmallow type creature with a headlamp. It moves around, throwing its headlamp in an effort to kill enemies, hit buttons, and make it further into the depths of each environment. It's a refinement of the idea of platformers with weapons, and it feels exactly like that. Just the idea alone seems like it's fairly predictable of 2D action platformers, but that facade falls off as soon as it occurs that this a puzzle game more than anything.

As each level is worked through, there's never the feeling of panic that comes with having to repeat giant chunks of a stage. The levels are the very definition of compact, and because of that, mistakes can be instantly evaluated and attempted again. None of the challenges are particularly daunting, which is surprising considering how unnatural the controls feel. Holding down the jump button sends the little fellow skyrocketing, which is important for more complicated jumps. However, having to power up the jump, although it may only take a second of holding, just feels cumbersome.

Level complexity isn't very well balanced, as after a few challenging ones, suddenly a super simple stage will come up. Coupled with the fact that new concepts are introduced so regularly, they feel unimportant, and it makes the entire experience underwhelming. It's not bad, but if looking for a challenge, and one that feels really deep, this isn't going to scratch that itch. This is all added to the fact that the lamp, a wildly important piece of equipment, can't be destroyed. While it's not a make or break deal, being able to almost instantly regain your hat means there's nothing to lose. This title's greatest fault is that the stakes simply aren't high enough, and it means the payoff is minimal.

However, Adventure Lamp is still a lot of fun, and the base ideas feel enjoyable. While it's not going to reinvent puzzle platformers, the ideas here are fun enough to move the game along. The music is also a welcome addition that really makes the whole experience pop. While it feels like it may be a good way to spend short bursts of time having fun on the commute, it just doesn't come together the way many might hope. Disregarding the lack of difficulty, it doesn't have the edge it might need to become a classic, but not every title needs to be a legend, and because of that, Adventure Lamp is still a great little game.