Lantern Hollow

Lantern Hollow is the sort of adventure game you play with the sound on. You wander a small hand-drawn town, poke at objects, talk to a handful of odd residents, and slowly unpick a mystery that's more melancholy than scary. The pace is deliberate and I loved it for that.

Puzzles are woven into the story rather than dropped in as speed bumps. Most of them ask you to pay attention to what characters said rather than to combine random items, which kept me from ever needing a walkthrough. When I got stuck it was because I'd stopped listening.

It's short — maybe four hours — but it doesn't overstay. The ending landed for me, which I can't say about most mobile adventures. Play it in a couple of sittings with headphones.

What we liked

• Gorgeous hand-drawn art
• Puzzles that grow from the story
• A tight, satisfying runtime