When you think of puzzle games, you
probably think of something along the lines of Tetris or Bejeweled — abstract
shapes falling onto the screen, with the player kept busy trying to clear them
away. But if you’ve ever played the NES classic series Adventures of Lolo you’re
familiar with an altogether different kind of puzzle game, one where the puzzle
is simply how to get from one side of the room to the other. LIT, a WiiWare
title from developers WayForward Technologies, brings back this classic gameplay
style, but wraps it in a dark horror setting.
LIT sees players controlling
Jake, an emo teen who finds himself trapped in his high school. The school’s
pitch dark, though, and overrun with shadowy creatures. Jake’s girlfriend Rachel
is somewhere in the school too, and Jake’s got to search the place room by room
to find her. Truth be told, LIT hasn’t got much of a story to speak of, though
it is nice in a game like this to have some kind of motivation to keep you
exploring when events start to get creepier and more disturbing.
Our hero, Jake. Despite his goofy
haircut, he’s remarkably capable against the forces of darkness.
The basic goal of each stage is
pretty simple — to make your way from the entrance door to the other side of the
room, where the exit awaits. This is made more difficult by the fact that each
room is almost totally dark, and stepping into the shadows is the fastest way to
becoming a monster’s meal. The only way to progress, then, is to use light
sources in the room to create a safe passageway through to the exit. Jake’s got
a flashlight with him, but this won’t get him far — he can’t very well walk in
the light of his own flashlight, after all. Instead, you’ll use your flashlight
to find other sources of light, like lamps and breakable windows, and the items
you’ll need to utilize each light source, like slingshot ammo to break open
windows and remotes that turn on TV sets.
Your flashlight will show you what’s
in the room,
but you’ll need other light sources to create your pathway to the
exit.
That’s not all there is to it,
though. Certain light sources have drawbacks — motion sensors, for example, will
come on automatically if you stray within their range, but turn themselves back
off after 10 seconds, whether you’ve made it to safety or not. There’s also
your overall electrical drain to worry about. Each electric light you activate
uses a certain amount of juice, which fills the bar at the top of the screen. If
the bar ever fills up, all lights short-circuit and Jake’ll be swallowed by
darkness. Especially in later levels, then, you’ve not only got to create a safe
path to the door, but also figure out how to turn off the lights you don’t need
anymore. The last element of gameplay is the boss fights, which occur after
every five regular levels. Here, you’ll have a showdown with various monstrous
members of the school’s faculty. These stages progress much like the standard
puzzle rooms — you still use items to intelligently light up the room — but instead
of making your way to an exit door, you’re trying to figure out how to use that
light to harm the boss. Bosses can fight back, and Jake can’t survive even a
single hit, so you’ve got to be smart and careful to make it through alive.
Light is the key to defeating the
game’s bosses,
but it’s not always as simple as shining a flashlight on them.
LIT uses the Wii’s unique
controller to its fullest (including motion control), but it’s all done
intelligently. You’ll move Jake with the analog stick and the A button interacts
with the world, like turning on lamps and picking up items. By holding Z, the
game switches to a Resident Evil-style over-the-shoulder view, which lets you
point the remote at the screen to use as your flashlight. This simple use of the
Wii’s pointer function does wonders for the game’s immersion — when in this view,
shining your flashlight around the room, you are Jake (you even have to
recharge the batteries by shaking the controller). Speaking of clever Wii remote
use, in some levels Jake will hear a phone ringing, and if you can find the
phone within six rings you’ll get a quick message from Rachel — through the
remote’s speaker, held to your head like a phone. Sure, No More Heroes did it
first, but it’s still a neat trick that also really ratchets up the immersion.
As a fan of horror games, I was
curious to see how scary a puzzle game could be, but the truth is, the game is
creepier than it is out-and-out scary. That’s not a bad thing; the game excels
at delivering an oppressive atmosphere. While the game might not be a graphical
powerhouse, it is good looking, especially for WiiWare, and uses some unsettling
graphical tricks, like when you shine your flashlight into the darkness and the
unseen creatures lurking in the shadows scatter like cockroaches. My biggest
complaint about the game’s visuals is that they didn’t stick a little closer to
their concept art, which you can see on the title screen and in the in-game
instruction manual. Next to the twisted monster designs (and a creepier look for
Jake), the more realistic in-game designs look a little tame. Luckily, the audio
elements are there to keep the sense of foreboding high, with spooky music
throughout and some truly disturbing audio effects, like the chattering of the
monsters.
Even the game’s save/load screen is
creepy, as the only light comes from the player’s flashlight.
As an 800 Point download, LIT
definitely gives you your money’s worth. The game’s not incredibly long, 25
levels plus five boss fights, but as the difficulty rises each stage gives you
more and more playtime. And the difficulty does get fairly high — initially
you’re eased into the concept of the game, but after the first five or six
stages, the gloves come off. Once you’ve finished the game, though, there’s
plenty left to do. Beating the game unlocks Rachel as a playable character
(complete with phone calls to receive from Jake) and a new timed difficulty
setting called Dark Mode.
LIT is a great game, and a fantastic value for the price. There’s plenty of
game here to keep you busy for quite a while, it’s got an awesome atmosphere and
style, and on top of all that, it’s a genuinely fun puzzle game that brings a
classic, often forgotten genre into the modern day. Anyone with a Wii and a
taste for intelligent horror gaming should definitely give it a try.
Gameplay: 8.5
It’s a simple concept, but using
paths of light to make your way from one side of each room to the other is fun,
challenging, and satisfying. Each puzzle is cleverly designed, and solving each
room feels like an accomplishment.
Graphics: 7.6
Sure, the 3D visuals are a little
outdated, but the art design and visual style are top-notch. Good lighting
effects and some neat graphical touches really deliver the atmosphere.
Sound: 8.3
The music is great, consistently
spooky and interesting to listen to, but the real star audio-wise is the sound
effects. Hushed voices whisper and giggle as you make your way through each
stage, and it’s unnerving enough to distract you from your task at hand. What
more do you want from a horror game?
Difficulty: Hard
Figuring out the safe path through
each stage is tough enough, and sometimes trial-and-error is the only way to
advance. That said, each room is definitely possible, and finally hitting the
correct solution is a satisfying experience.
Concept: 8.8
Combining a horror atmosphere with
puzzle gameplay doesn’t sound like it would necessarily work, but it does
beautifully. The room-to-room progression is a perfect fit for the setting, and
the scenario provides a perfect backdrop for this style of gameplay.
Overall: 8.8
Like LostWinds, LIT is one of the
definitive WiiWare releases. With plenty of challenging content and creepy style
to spare, LIT is a must-play for horror fans.
