The Town of Light is a first-person exploration psychological horror game about a woman named Renée, who after many years returns to an old mental asylum she spent her teenage years at, and reflects both on her past and her present. During the process, the game deals with a number of interesting, but disturbing, themes in explicit detail, ranging from the sense of identity of self from going through such an experience, if you can truly feel like you're 'you' in a situation where the world tells you who you are is wrong, sexual identity and exploration while in a locked-in facility, and being taken advantage of in a number of ways when people try to exploit and empower themselves through your lack of ability to defend yourself.

If any of what I just said peaks your interest, I would recommend checking it out. It's a narrative-based journey, and it explores its themes with a level of tact and maturity, but also know it doesn't censor itself and there is graphical details that many may not be comfortable with or want to experience. As a narrative, it succeeds, not to be shocking, revolting, or even specifically to shake you up, but it simply tells a series of true stories and scenarios people experienced in mental asylums in the early 1900s, specifically that in Italy, and the sad fact the scars these places left on the people inside to make it the only place many of them ever knew as a home. The narrative is mostly straight-forward, and there is but one ending, but there is actually a few branching paths and sections with different levels or variations of levels in the second half of the game based on some gameplay choices you make.

It is also worth noting the game does well with its audio, maybe with the exception of voice acting (which is a little rough, but also not very frequent), but the music fits the moods of the scenes well, with a few stand-out tracks. Ambiance is also ripe in the title, and there are all sorts of small yet interesting environmental sounds.

Now, while what it does narratively I feel it succeeds at, I think it does have a few rough edges. Graphically it is a bit uneven, with some areas looking pretty good, and some coming off as quite rough. The game isn't always entirely clear in what you need to do next, which will lead to moments where you may spend some time wandering, looking for whatever it is you missed. Take so long, and she'll tell you directly where to go (and you can enable choice hints to activate at any time), but it feels there could of been some clearer and more intuitive ways to do this. I also feel some people will not be satisfied by the ending, as it does seem to come a bit abruptly and not really climax well to the point, but I liked it for what it was and the sort of story it was trying to tell.

Also do know the game has some graphic depictions. It doesn't shy away from these really detailed and gruesome pictures of how to perform surgery, everything from dissecting a hand, to peeling back the layers of someone's skull. They're morbid, and not all will swallow these old procedures in visual detail well. Likewise, the game doesn't shy away from the graphical depiction of nudity and sexual harassment/abuse. Worth noting, but also know it does handle these themes with a level of tact and doesn't use them for shock value.

In the end, what the game should be experienced for is its narrative. There are interesting scenes and a few light puzzles, but it goes to put you in the shoes of a woman coming to terms with herself, and on that front, I feel it succeeds. It is very much a walking simulator with light gameplay elements and puzzles, and a few scenes of surrealism edge you go through, but it stays mostly grounded and explores an unfortunate history. If that's what you're looking for, there is a lot to like here, and its execution is mostly well done, and both explores its story and history with respect, yet doesn't shy away from some of the harder to swallow details. Yet, despite the harshness of it, it also gives off a strangely warm vibe in an overall sense. An interesting journey for those who want a narrative-driven exploration game.

The Town of Light is a first-person exploration psychological horror game about a woman named Renée, who after many years returns to an old mental asylum she spent her teenage years at, and reflects both on her past and her present. During the process, the game deals with a number of interesting, but disturbing, themes in explicit detail, ranging from the sense of identity of self from going through such an experience, if you can truly feel like you're 'you' in a situation where the world tells you who you are is wrong, sexual identity and exploration while in a locked-in facility, and being taken advantage of in a number of ways when people try to exploit and empower themselves through your lack of ability to defend yourself. If any of what I just said peaks your interest, I would recommend checking it out. It's a narrative-based journey, and it explores its themes with a level of tact and maturity, but also know it doesn't censor itself and there is graphical details that many may not be comfortable with or want to experience. As a narrative, it succeeds, not to be shocking, revolting, or even specifically to shake you up, but it simply tells a series of true stories and scenarios people experienced in mental asylums in the early 1900s, specifically that in Italy, and the sad fact the scars these places left on the people inside to make it the only place many of them ever knew as a home. The narrative is mostly straight-forward, and there is but one ending, but there is actually a few branching paths and sections with different levels or variations of levels in the second half of the game based on some gameplay choices you make. It is also worth noting the game does well with its audio, maybe with the exception of voice acting (which is a little rough, but also not very frequent), but the music fits the moods of the scenes well, with a few stand-out tracks. Ambiance is also ripe in the title, and there are all sorts of small yet interesting environmental sounds. Now, while what it does narratively I feel it succeeds at, I think it does have a few rough edges. Graphically it is a bit uneven, with some areas looking pretty good, and some coming off as quite rough. The game isn't always entirely clear in what you need to do next, which will lead to moments where you may spend some time wandering, looking for whatever it is you missed. Take so long, and she'll tell you directly where to go (and you can enable choice hints to activate at any time), but it feels there could of been some clearer and more intuitive ways to do this. I also feel some people will not be satisfied by the ending, as it does seem to come a bit abruptly and not really climax well to the point, but I liked it for what it was and the sort of story it was trying to tell. Also do know the game has some graphic depictions. It doesn't shy away from these really detailed and gruesome pictures of how to perform surgery, everything from dissecting a hand, to peeling back the layers of someone's skull. They're morbid, and not all will swallow these old procedures in visual detail well. Likewise, the game doesn't shy away from the graphical depiction of nudity and sexual harassment/abuse. Worth noting, but also know it does handle these themes with a level of tact and doesn't use them for shock value. In the end, what the game should be experienced for is its narrative. There are interesting scenes and a few light puzzles, but it goes to put you in the shoes of a woman coming to terms with herself, and on that front, I feel it succeeds. It is very much a walking simulator with light gameplay elements and puzzles, and a few scenes of surrealism edge you go through, but it stays mostly grounded and explores an unfortunate history. If that's what you're looking for, there is a lot to like here, and its execution is mostly well done, and both explores its story and history with respect, yet doesn't shy away from some of the harder to swallow details. Yet, despite the harshness of it, it also gives off a strangely warm vibe in an overall sense. An interesting journey for those who want a narrative-driven exploration game.