The Lightbringer is a small cel-shaded platform adventure game that offers you the role of the Lightbringer, the bringer or protector of light. Your adventure begins with a simple letter, a poem, left by your sister, the previous Lightbringer:

Dear brother,

when this letter reaches your hands, I will no longer be protecting our lands.

With great sorrow I pass this duty onto you.

Do not be afraid, as I will guide you through.

You will travel these lands across the shores, across the skies.

I’ll be there for you, with all of my heart, kind words and eyes.

Ancient puzzles will challenge the mind.

Solve them all and see what you’ll find.

On your journey, you’ll face the corruption.

Fight it my brother, there’s no other option.

Lightbringer, your story is about to begin.

Do you have enough courage and light within?

Yunicia Question
The Lightbringer - 01

Even if this letter seems a bit sad, you arrive in a universe full of light that breathes life, as it is located in the middle of the sea and looks like an archipelago. Not a single enemy in sight, just a few characters and items to collect.

However, just because we can’t see the enemies doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Indeed, some kind of slime called glue has invaded your universe and threatens to make the light necessary for human survival disappear.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

A simple gameplay

The game is divided into several levels. The first level is used as a tutorial: you will quickly learn the few keys you need to know in order to jump, roll or simply move forward.

At the beginning you don’t have any weapons, but after entering a shop you come out with a boomerang. The shopkeeper will of course try to sell you a sword, but it is the boomerang that you will prefer. Armed with it, you will continue your exploration of this archipelago, jumping from platform to platform without forgetting to visit the smallest nooks and crannies to collect the hidden collectibles or those that were previously inaccessible without your boomerang.

The Lightbringer - 03
The Lightbringer - 02

Each level will proceed in the same way, you will have to go all over the map to collect the collectives that are there: small green cubes symbolising light, red fragments resembling precious stones, regenerating potions and this, without forgetting to ring one or several bells placed here and there in the level. The bells will allow you to start small dialogues that will tell you the history of the place.

The number of each collectible you have to collect can be seen on the pause screen, where you can also measure your progress: 40 out of 50 cubes, 2 out of 3 fragments… Your goal is to collect all these collectibles as quickly as possible. Indeed, at the end of each level you will have a summary of your journey indicating the number of collectibles you have collected and the time it took you to complete the level.

The Lightbringer - 05
The Lightbringer - 06

A level design full of puzzles

The Lightbringer is a platformer with a Zelda-like feel, meaning that each level will require skill to jump from platform to platform, but also skill to discover hidden items and to get through the dungeons, the puzzles they contain and the few glues that are hidden there.

Almost every level has one or more small dungeons. These small dungeons have several features: collecting items, defeating monsters, retrieving a cogwheel to operate a mechanics located outside or retrieving a key to open a door or a chest…

These small dungeons change dramatically in style depending on which level you are. They are dark, made of huge stone blocks, and surrounded by darkness: they look like walkways on the ramparts of a castle. They will also require more skill, as many traps and monsters are hidden in them and the level design is particularly careful, requiring you to use the different mechanics of the game.

The Lightbringer - 04
The Lightbringer - 07

Four zones for 20 levels

The game is divided into various zones, four to be precise, which offer different universes: archipelago in the middle of the sea, cliff lost in the clouds…

Each of the four zones will offer you four standard levels based on the collection of collectibles and a final level in which you will have to face a boss. The bosses are quite nice and will require you to learn their patterns in order to triumph in battle.

The levels are fairly balanced and will take you between 10 and 15 minutes to complete quietly. Of course, the fact that it is timed leaves room for a speed run. In this case, it can be done very, very quickly… but before that, you’ll have to get to know each terrain perfectly.

The Lightbringer – un plateformer façon Zelda (test Nintendo Switch)

A beautiful artistic achievement

The game features cel-shaded graphics, with a small hooded character whose face is extremely simplified. Each level is built with cubes with rounded edges. The colours used are warm and cheerful, in complete contrast to the dungeons which are dark and cold. The atmosphere of the game is perfectly conveyed by the graphics, offering us an attractive and sometimes dark universe.

The music used in the game resembles the kind of music you’d hear in puzzle games. They encourage concentration most of the time, accompanying the player throughout the levels. The music also gets darker in the dungeons.

The game has an English dubbing for all the texts. Whether it is for the story about the monoliths or for the sentences during which your sister guides you. The game is of course subtitled in French, but the English dubbing brings a pleasant narration to the whole.

The gameplay is fluid and easy to pick up, allowing you to concentrate solely on the puzzle platforming side of the game.

Yunicia adore !

Conclusion

The lightbringer is a cute little puzzle platformer that I really enjoyed. It offers a difficulty level that is neither too difficult nor too simple, with a gameplay that is easy to pick up and which allows you to get to grips with the game straight away and have a good time with it.

The addition of a timer in addition to the counting of collectives per level is a plus for all those who would like to make speed runs or improve their performance.

The game is not blocky and even if you haven’t collected all the collectibles you can move on to the next level. This is very nice, as it allows you to follow the story from one end to the other and eventually come back to complete all the levels and reach 100% of the game.

I also really liked the artistic realization with the cel-shaded graphics which gives a cute side to the game and makes it accessible to the youngest. It’s a great discovery that I recommend.

Kisses to you and see you next time for the next test.