Lightmatter Review Summary

Puzzles are enjoyable and well-balanced: The puzzles in the game are described as fun, challenging, and not too difficult. They offer a good mix of complexity and satisfaction, making them enjoyable for players.

Positive overall game experience: Players express a generally positive sentiment towards the game, describing it as brilliant, nice, good, and super cool. The game's excellence in graphics and level design is also highlighted.

Engaging narration and storytelling: The game features well-done narration with good acting, providing a strong story without pausing the action. The humor and storytelling are engaging and expertly executed.

Unique and attractive visual style: The game features a consistent and stylish visual style that is unique and fits the game's theme. The graphics are described as attractive and cool.

High production quality: The game is noted for its high-quality production values, including superb voice acting, excellent sound, and engaging music. The attention to detail in story, voice acting, game mechanics, and graphics is also highlighted.

Puzzles lack challenge and variety: Many players found the puzzles to be too easy and not particularly engaging. They often felt tedious and lacked complexity, especially towards the end of the game.

Game is too short: A common complaint is that the game is relatively short, with some players completing it in around 4-6 hours. This short length is often cited as a reason for the game not being worth its full price.

Over-reliance on Portal references: The game frequently references Portal, but these references are often seen as forced and not clever. Players found them cringe-worthy and unnecessary, detracting from the overall experience.

Poor platforming sections: The platforming sections, especially near the end of the game, are criticized for being poorly designed and requiring precise timing. These sections can be frustrating and difficult for some players.

Game is not worth full price: Several players feel that the game is overpriced at $20 due to its short length and lack of content. It is often recommended only if purchased at a discount.

Puzzle-solving with light mechanics: The game revolves around solving puzzles using light and shadow mechanics. Players need to manipulate light sources, avoid shadows, and use various devices to illuminate safe paths.

Inspired by Portal series: The game draws inspiration from the Portal series, with similar puzzle mechanics and references to Portal.

Challenging and logical puzzles: Puzzles in the game require logical thinking and careful observation. They ramp up in difficulty and are designed to be challenging yet enjoyable.

Use of lamps and photon connectors: The game introduces various devices such as lamps, photon cells, and photon connectors to solve puzzles.

Platforming and parkour elements: The game includes platforming segments and parkour elements, adding variety to the puzzle-solving gameplay.

Optimization and performance issues: Players noted several optimization problems, including poor performance, FPS drops, and general instability. These issues affect the overall smoothness and enjoyment of the game.

Frequent game crashes: Multiple players reported experiencing crashes at various points in the game, including during gameplay and after completing levels.

FPS cap and uncapping difficulties: The game has a low FPS cap by default, and uncapping the FPS requires modifying game files. This has been a point of frustration for many players.

Mixed performance reviews: While some players reported excellent performance with no crashes or framedrops, others experienced significant performance issues, indicating inconsistent optimization.

Camera framerate issues: The camera updates at a low framerate (50 Hz/FPS), which has been identified as a critical design oversight affecting the gameplay experience.

Recommended for puzzle game fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of puzzle games, particularly those who enjoy first-person puzzlers like Portal and The Talos Principle.

Worth buying on sale: Many reviewers suggest that the game is worth purchasing, especially if it is on sale or available at a discounted price.

Positive overall recommendation: The game receives general recommendations from players who enjoyed the experience and found it worthwhile.

Try the demo first: Several reviews recommend trying the demo or free version of the game before making a purchase.

Specific audience recommendations: The game is recommended for specific audiences, such as those who enjoy manipulating light, platforming, or speedrunning.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 4.0h.

Story completion: 4.0h.

The game's fun increases as players progress and engage with the tapes and puzzles, despite some mechanics becoming tedious over time.

Reported time to anchor: 1h.

Friction: Tedious mechanics; Repetitive tasks.

Unlock drivers: Engaging puzzles; Steady progression.

Puzzle Enthusiast: Thoughtful and patient, enjoys exploring puzzle mechanics and appreciates a good narrative. Motivation: Enjoyment of challenging and well-designed puzzles. Stance: sale.

Value-Conscious Puzzler: Strategic and economical, prefers to wait for sales to get the best deals. Motivation: Getting the best value for their money while enjoying puzzle games. Stance: sale.

Casual Puzzle Solver: Relaxed and exploratory, enjoys shorter play sessions and accessible gameplay. Motivation: Enjoyment of casual puzzle-solving and exploration without a heavy time commitment. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience reveals significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and black screens. Additionally, there are notable problems with the user interface and controls, which can lead to confusion and require external research to resolve. Despite these issues, some users reported a positive experience, particularly when returning to the game after a long hiatus.

Dyslexia typeface included: The game includes a typeface designed to be easier to read for players with dyslexia.

Achievements are doable but missable: While the game's achievements are generally achievable, some can be missed, which may affect completionists.

Shift key for jumping: Players are curious about using the Shift key for jumping in the game.