Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 8 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 90% | 83 | 435 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 73 | 3 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 82% | 76 | 2 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 7 reviews sampled · 7 total reviews in window · weighted 4.5 up / 1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (27)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 55
“Like many of the adventure puzzle games after which it's patterned, Lamplight City comes across as a bit lackluster in both story and presentation. Retro adventure gamers may enjoy working their way through it, but I wouldn't bank on it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Lamplight City is an atmospheric murder-mystery which provides plenty of intriguing plot twists, all delivered by a talented voice cast.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“With stunning visuals, solid sound and music, and nuanced worldbuilding that many adventure games would kill for, it’s unfortunate that Lamplight City is lacking in the one area that distinguishes games over other storytelling media: interactivity.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“As a fan of both classic adventure titles and games with a unique sense of time and place, Lamplight City is an easy layup for me in some regards...”
read full review ↗ - 90
“More than an open love letter to Sins of the Fathers, Lamplight City is a first class detective mystery that succeeds in creating an atmospheric and believable alternate historical setting, whilst allowing us to fail in spectacular style. Highly compelling. ”
read full review ↗ - 70
“In Lamplight City, you aren't led around from room to room, clickity-clicking your way to success. For the most part, logic and reason are at play. Brush up on those skills, and you will find your way. Take your time, enjoy the well-themed music and ambiance, enjoy the story, solve the crimes, and for goodness' sake, listen to Bill.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Lamplight City is a successful point-and-click graphic adventure in terms of storytelling and with a convincing and pleasant retro, pixel art style. The almost total absence of enigmas, together with the lack of interactivity, prevent him, however, to aspire to the top of the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“If you enjoy mysteries and detective stories, it’s hard to go wrong with Lamplight City. While the puzzles might not be as challenging as in other games in the genre, the narrative takes center stage and provides a memorable experience.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Well-written detective story from single developer is good enough for adventure fans.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Lamplight City is a detective adventure with a lot of good ideas, but it executes them with too light a touch.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Lamplight City is a point and click adventure that tries a novel approach with regards to its exploration, as the player can take the main events in any order and is allowed to fail specific objectives as the game's very flexible plot will adapt to such choices. In that regard, as well as its attractive art style, Lamplight City is an interesting game. Its puzzles suffer from a level of difficulty that ends up making them too simplistic though, and as such the challenge can get too repetitive but it nonetheless remains a game very much worth exploring.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Lamplight City has given me an appetite for more detective work, and for more work by Grundislav Games designer Francisco Gonzalez. Both the story and puzzles are well-written. Variant endings make the game even more interesting, though there’s little reason to replay if you get the best endings on the first try. I recommend the game not only to genre fans but also to players who don’t usually play point-and-click adventures (or any games at all). Just be forewarned that the game contains mature themes and is darker than the 12+ age rating suggests. The game is great for handheld play. The font is legible even on the Switch Lite. While there are touchscreen controls, Joy-Con controls are much more precise.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Jump Dash Roll
Nindie Spotlight
Worth Playing
Eurogamer
MonsterVine
SECTOR.sk
GameSpot
Starbit
LadiesGamers.com…and 15 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Bug Fix: Case 3 Dead EndJan 4, 2025
- Cloud Saves EnabledJul 17, 2024
- Update: True Detective FixJul 21, 2020
- Lamplight City Developer Commentary UpdateDec 16, 2019
- Update to Version 1.09 and other newsJan 10, 2019significant · resets scoring window
- Update to Version 1.08Nov 27, 2018
- Patch v 1.07Oct 29, 2018
- Post-Release Patch NotesSep 25, 2018