What can you do in complete darkness with just ten seconds of light? Does it sound like a challenge or a hopeless situation? Publisher E-Home Entertainment and developer Spotlightor Interactive gives you the opportunity to take on this challenge in Candleman, a new 3D platformer exclusive for the Xbox One. Let’s shine a little light on it.
"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Candleman tells the charming story of a candle forgotten on a wrecked ship. Sentient and aware, one day the candle sees a light from a lighthouse far away. Curious or inspired, it sets off on an adventure to find that far off light. A simple, but sweet story.
The game is a classic platform style of trying to get from point "A" to point "B" without dying. Along the way, you'll navigate tricky paths and solve simple puzzles. The twist to Candleman is that most levels are done in near total darkness. As a candle, you have the ability to provide ten seconds total of light that you can fire in micro-bursts or all in one long blast. While you can choose to hold down the light button and burn down your entire candle right away, I don't suggest that. Wise players will miser it out as they go along. An added incentive to not burn out and die in each level is that every time you do, you lose one second of burn time. Careless use of light and navigation could result in players having only one second of burn time.
There is some light in the darkness; along your path, you will find other candles. You can light these up to helpfully illuminate areas. These other candles are not required to finish levels, but finding and lighting them all does unlock achievements. Think of them as collectibles, but ones that actually help you through the game. There is no real time limit to complete each level, but the candles you find will only burn for a certain amount of time. You may find yourself backtracking through a level where it was nicely lit, only to find it shrouded in the dim darkness.
Around the midway point in each level is a special blue flamed candle that, when you light it, serves as a checkpoint. In some cases, after you have died during a level, this candle can be a very welcome sight. It allows you to start from that point, instead of all the way back at the start of the level.
"Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning." - William Arthur Ward
Darkness is not your only foe, though. You have no control over the camera. Certain parts of levels you will have to really study the path before you. Your perspective may be skewed in such a way that looks can be very deceiving. For example, in one level there are pages from books that appear to form a spiral path up. Upon closer examination, though they are more stair-like and you could easily walk right off the edge of one page and under the next into the briny depths below.
While I did suggest that players might want to be misers with their burn time it’s not always the case. To reach certain areas you may have to burn off some of your candle. Burning makes Candleman lighter and able to jump higher.
"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." - Buddha
The beautiful art style falls somewhere between a hand-animated Disney movie and Pixar’s computer renderings giving it a fantasy storybook feeling. My favorite levels are those with the vines and flowers. Those flowers react to the quick light of the candle by briefly bursting open with light fireworks. The beauty is deadly, though, as these same flowers have thorns.
Overall
Candleman is a game that will charm its way into your heart with its curiosity filled story and tickle your brain with its gameplay. It is not a difficult game, but one you do have to put some time and thought into in order to progress. On one hand, I would say it is a game to get into between other more epic length games. Yet I found myself actually looking to take breaks from it. There were a few levels I would get frustrated with my own mistakes or couldn't find that one last candle and would have to step away, clear my head with something else, and come back with fresh eyes to see what I was doing wrong or notice that one hidden area.
Just like a candle, Candleman offers a warm glow to touch the center of your gaming heart. I give Candleman a 5 out of 5.
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