The Green Light Review

The Green Light, waleedzo

It’s been an incredible year for horror games already this year. New releases from juggernaut franchises including Resident Evil Requiem, alongside some strong entries from the indie scene including Crisol: Theater of Idols and Directive 8020.

What can create the biggest sense of fear in the player is simply walking into the unknown and thus horror walking simulators have been part of the genre’s growth. Creeping into nameless macabre spaces with little more than a light, as seen in games including Fort Solis and the frightening Blair Witch, replicate the feeling of helplessness the player would feel in the real world.

Under the glow of a green lighthouse, solo-developed The Green Light arrives to all consoles bringing a short, supernatural walking simulator horror experience. Is the experience worth the underwear change? Our spoiler-lite review.

Glow Up

The Green Light’s story is of lonely, bored and stuck in the mundane, Fred. Tortured by the monotony and dissatisfaction of work and his truly awful boss, Raphael. On shift one night the radio turns on and under the rotation of the green light from a nearby lighthouse, a strange voice speaks to Fred alluring him to an escape to freedom.

The mysterious Scottish voice calls a helpless Fred to the lighthouse. After a brief exchange with his manager, who makes us sweep up the garbage from behind his desk, Fred mentally and physically checks out of the grim, dark office with nothing to lose. Trickled throughout the adventure are a number of additive notes that fill the backstory of the lighthouse and others who have embarked on the journey to the salvation it offers.

Whilst told in a macabre style, visually and narratively, it is a relatable story of how the 9-5 can force you to take drastic, sporadic and even existential decisions. I found the plot of the game entertaining, although there were some parts which I struggled to understand, particularly a setting in a commercial street which seemed to have little place in the game. And less so, an American flag displayed on the office wall despite the voice cast being mostly British left me head scratching.

Fright, Said Fred

Gameplay in The Green Light is limited, as is the nature of many walking simulators, though its puzzles and exploration are entirely competent for a low-budget title. The journey to the island of the lighthouse takes us through several bleak environments from a hazy commercial district, to a farm of Texas Chainsaw Massacre ilk. There isn’t any combat or fighting here, just Fred and a dimly lit lantern to offer a mild glimmer into the path ahead.

Where The Green Light excels is creating a tense atmosphere. The farm and farmhouse in particular are the creepiest of the game’s locations, creeping around whilst hearing noises upstairs and downstairs gave me genuine goosebumps on my legs. As you tiptoe around the house unraveling its simplistic brain teasers, a sinister mannequin followed leaving me anxious to turn around.

There are indeed plenty of jump scares within, some are predictable including when you climb a ladder – this triggered my PTSD from a similar scare with Alma in the original FEAR almost 20 years ago – with some scares really catching me off-guard. I’m not opposed to jump scares and they have their place in the horror genre, but what I failed to understand was why there were so many, and what the figures making me shudder were. My take is that they were Fred’s inner demons, but why they are his demons felt like a gaping plot hole.

There’s Always a Lighthouse

Complimenting the helpless feeling the gameplay creates, The Green Light’s presentation only deepens the sombre feeling. Hovering the background throughout the roughly 1-1.5 hour experience, the aura of the lighthouse speaks of equal parts sanctuary and suspicion. Slowly circling around the farmhouse, its lantern-like glare illuminates the tops of the trees, doing what lighthouses should, guiding you home.

For a solo-developed game, I was most impressed by the quality of the game’s audio. Well-designed sound effects used at the right time had my head turning to the location where the sounds seemed to come from. Be it rampant footsteps or creaking floorboards, it often felt that it wasn’t just the glow of the lighthouse peering over Fred’s trembling shoulder. There too is a beautiful song that plays out during the game’s lighthouse ascent. It’s not quite the feeling that climbing ‘that ladder’ in MGS3 creates, but as it played out it made Fred feel like he may actually escape the life he loathes.

Meanwhile, all three characters in the game are voice acted and their performances were very good. Fred’s lowly, almost depressive voice captures his need for release. Whilst the semi-friendly Scottish voice over the walkie-talkie had me incredulous until the end.

Final Thoughts

The Green Light is a competent, eerie walking simulator which delivers suspense, some good environments and better than expected sound design. Fred may have seen the lighthouse at the end of his monotonous career tunnel, but with some of the plot being thin or confusing, it’s not the games brightest light. However, much of that is acceptable for a solo-developed title. The Green Light is worth the small price of admission if you have an itch for a new one-sitting horror game.