DISCOVER LIGHTGONE
DISCOVER LIGHTGONE
In the ever-evolving world of indie games, a fresh and exciting title has recently emerged, capturing the attention of gamers and critics alike. “LightGone,” developed by a talented group of students, promises to take players on an unforgettable journey through a dark and enigmatic world.
ENDURE THE DARKNESS
LightGone stands out with its intriguing premise and atmospheric design. The game plunges players into a universe where light itself is a rare and precious resource. In this RPG you must “traverse eerie liminal locales and evade lurking monsters to unravel the mysteries of this chilling 2D game,” and lead your character, Ashley, to safety before the shadows consume you. The game’s story, rich with mystery and emotional depth, explores themes of isolation, dread, and the sense of impropriety.
The developers’ credit most of their inspiration of LightGone from two intense survival games: Undertale, for its top-down aspect and heavy story focus and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, for its puzzles and horror themes.
Innovative Gameplay
The puzzles in LightGone are cleverly designed, requiring both logic and creativity to solve. The game’s developers balanced challenge and accessibility, ensuring that players of all skill levels can enjoy the experience. Take for example, the rotatory lock and lights out puzzle. Team developer Valeria Arenas explains that the rotatory lock works like a real-life lock. It will check for the number of rotations and will unlock when the correct numbers are hit. But the lights out puzzle is randomly generated, “we knew there was a possibility for an infinite pattern, so we made a way to reset the puzzle through the mailbox.” A shoutout to Edward Miller for his hard work on creating the prototypes for the levels and puzzles that were implemented with visuals and effects.
A Testament to Student InGENUITY
The creation of LightGone is a testament of our student’s ability to innovate by demonstrating remarkable creativity, and technical skills bringing their vision to life. They used applications such as Aseprite for their visuals and assets, designed by teammate James Scott. All lighting effects and AI were created by Joshua Guerra using Unity’s Universal Render Pipeline (URP). And for audio, the team used a combination of MusicMaker, Audacity and, as Valeria calls it, a game developers’ best friend: freesounds.org. Both Valeria and Ethan Dixon collaborated to create their own foley sound effects!
Join the Journey
LightGone is now available on Steam, and it’s a must-play for fans of indie games and puzzle adventures. As you step into this dark mode world and strive to bring light back, you’ll not only experience a captivating story but also support the burgeoning talents of young developers. So, dive into the shadows, embrace the challenge, and discover the light with LightGone.
Check out LightGone on Steam and be prepared to be amazed by what a passionate group of college students can achieve.