Uplighter

Overview

Uplighter presents an intriguing top-down puzzle concept where you control a being of pure light, strategically positioning clones and destroying blocks to illuminate gloomy rooms. Initial feedback reveals a game with clever core mechanics hampered by significant pacing issues and technical limitations. While the light-spreading puzzles offer moments of genuine satisfaction, the experience is consistently undermined by frustrating design choices that test players' patience more than their problem-solving skills. It's a promising prototype that ultimately feels underdeveloped despite its creative premise.

Each level provides an interesting challenge... made all the more impressive by the fact it was created in just 48hours.

Gohst

Clever Light Mechanics in Confined Spaces

The core puzzle design shines through Uplighter's limitations. Positioning your light source in corridors creates focused beams that can penetrate adjacent rooms, while standing in open areas creates broader illumination patterns. This creates genuinely interesting spatial puzzles where players must strategically deploy limited clones and bombs to cover every shadowed corner. The environmental interactions—where different room layouts and passage configurations alter light behavior—show genuine ingenuity. Each level presents distinct challenges that require thoughtful placement rather than brute-force solutions, rewarding careful observation of how light interacts with architecture. The gradual introduction of mechanics through its 13 levels (including tutorials) demonstrates solid puzzle escalation, even if the overall package feels lean.

Technical Limitations That Dim the Experience

Uplighter's most consistent criticism centers on its agonizingly slow movement speed, which transforms puzzle-solving into a test of endurance. The light-being crawls across maps at a pace that makes even simple repositioning feel tedious, compounding frustration when solutions require multiple attempts. This glacial movement is exacerbated by the complete absence of a save system—players must complete levels in single sittings despite the slow pace. Combined with the brief level count, these issues create an experience where players feel their time isn't respected. The inability to save mid-level is particularly punishing given that some solutions require lengthy backtracking and repositioning sequences. These fundamental flaws overshadow the clever puzzle design, leaving players more exhausted than satisfied after sessions.

You won't have bad 'maybe I missed some nice levels' thoughts... It doesn't require much brains in my opinion. More patience than brains...

Stratubas