Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is a slow, atmospheric adventure that trusts you to look around. You tap to move your lantern-bearer through hand-painted scenes, solving environmental puzzles by paying attention to detail rather than brute-forcing menus. The soundtrack does a lot of quiet heavy lifting.

Puzzles are logical in a satisfying way — most solutions clicked for me once I noticed the thing I'd walked past twice. There's an optional hint system that fades in only if you've been stuck for a while, which is a kind touch.

It's short, maybe four hours, and that's the right length. It never overstays. If you want something calm to play in the evening, this is a lovely pick.

What we liked

• Gorgeous hand-painted scenes
• Puzzles built on observation, not trial and error
• A gentle, optional hint system