Search of Light follows the trials of the Foreigner, a strange figure who finds himself stranded deep within a strange planet. The caverns are run through with portals leading to other locations and bizarre creatures emerge from the soil itself. To reach the surface, the Foreigner must chart the planet’s tunnels while recovering robot assistants that can be used to build a base of operations.

Many genres mixed in Search of Light

The game is an eclectic mix of genres, taking elements from action platformers, puzzle games, base builders and various roguelike games. Starting from a central base, the player passes through a series of procedurally assembled areas that may contain enemies, obstacles or puzzles, as well as resources and friendly robots.

Hidden within the areas are treasure boxes that contain the game’s key resource, which serves both as the Foreigner’s life and as construction material for the base defenses needed to fight off periodic invasions.

A rough experience

The core ideas in Search of Light are very interesting, but there are definite limitations in the game that hold them back. Most notably, the Foreigner is not the easiest character to control. The basic control scheme is straightforward enough, giving the protagonist the standard attack and jump as well as a button to dispense resources.

The jump isn’t always as responsive as it should be, though. It’s not a huge problem since the game doesn’t feature much precision platforming, but it can make the puzzles a bit awkward.

As with most roguelike games, the procedural elements in Search of Light leave a lot of room for replayability and participation. It would have been nice to see more variety in the base building elements, but there is something to be said about watching the base grow and become more capable of protecting itself.

Overall, Search of Light is a rough experience, but there are some innovations here that could be worth checking out.

STREAMER SCORE

S.O.L Search of Light (PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch) - 2024

Overall

2.8

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Summary

Search of Light features some innovative genre-blending ideas that are held back by control issues and gameplay limitations.

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Drew Johnston

ANDREW JOHNSTON is a teacher, writer and journalist based out of mainland Asia. He is a regular contributor to Superjump Magazine, where he specializes in independent video games and the gaming culture of East Asia. He has published short fiction in 30 markets and anthologies including Daily Science Fiction, Nature: Futures and the Laughing at Shadows Anthology.