The Red Lantern

 Switch
User Score
4.4

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 4 out of 8

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  1. Reed_Reviews
    Oct 27, 2020
    5
    When The Red Lantern's first trailer dropped over a year ago, I was emotionally invested in its character-driven story. The trailer emoted a relatable and endearing tale of finding oneself. Upon the game's release, though, it was to my disappointment that the game's narrative and gameplay did not deliver.

    The story is fairly shallow. For games to win the player's heart, it often takes    When The Red Lantern's first trailer dropped over a year ago, I was emotionally invested in its character-driven story. The trailer emoted a relatable and endearing tale of finding oneself. Upon the game's release, though, it was to my disappointment that the game's narrative and gameplay did not deliver.

    The story is fairly shallow. For games to win the player's heart, it often takes considerable time and carefully scripted events. The Red Lantern's short playtime did not enable such investment. It should be noted, though, that The Musher's solid voice acting did a phenomenal job in connecting the player to the world and gameplay.

    In terms of such gameplay, the rogue-light progression system is mechanically shallow. The Red Lantern's frozen trails of Alaska did not offer enough variety in their procedurally generated events. As a result, the game quickly becomes a matter of "Which event will I see again?" Its enrapturing visual style and atmospheric music cannot alleviate such gameplay concerns.

    The game takes 2-3 hours to complete, and there is are not many meaningful elements that encourage repeat playthroughs. As a result, the $25 price tag seems rather insulting. Despite these flaws, the doggos are undeniably adorable, each with a unique personality and set of behaviors.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 14
  3. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 17, 2021
    85
    The pioneering protagonist is portrayed by the acclaimed Ashly Burch, and her vocal performance earnestly sells the entire premise. [Issue #51 – March/April 2021, p. 28]
  2. Starbit
    Feb 11, 2021
    60
    The Red Lantern is a survival game that gets some things right...and some things wrong. This is a game where players can marvel at the beauty of the Alaskan landscape, portrayed with stunning detail, and the characters' animation is executed with a great degree of authenticity. At the same time, the gameplay experience is constricting as the player has very little control over what happens, and the survival mechanisms end up too dependent on sheer luck, which raises the difficulty level to very frustrating levels.
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  3. Cubed3
    Jan 8, 2021
    70
    The Red Lantern has the certain indie game charm one may expect. Timberline Studio Inc. makes a decent first effort with a simple premise, good 'choose your own adventure' structure, and a cast of diverse dogs for your crew of five with a beautiful day and night cycle to top it off. Unfortunately, the title suffers from some dialogue and choice repetition and a few bugs or animations that could use some improvement.
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