Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is a quiet, atmospheric adventure that leans on mood over action. You explore a foggy seaside town, piece together what happened to its people, and solve gentle environmental puzzles along the way. It's short — about four hours — but it lingers.

The puzzles rarely stump you, which fits the game's contemplative tone. This is more about the feeling of wandering and reading the small notes scattered around than about brain-teasers. The hand-drawn art and low hum of the soundtrack do a lot of the emotional work.

It's best played in a couple of long sittings with headphones. Broken into tiny bursts it loses some of its spell, but given room to breathe it's one of the more memorable little adventures I've played on mobile this year.

What we liked

• Rich, melancholy atmosphere
• Gentle puzzles that never frustrate
• Beautiful hand-drawn art and sound