Lantern Hollow

Lantern Hollow is the kind of game you play with headphones on. You wander a hand-drawn forest carrying a small lantern, solving light-based puzzles and slowly restoring colour to the world. There's almost no text, and the game trusts you to figure things out.

The puzzles are never brutal. They're the sort that reward observation rather than trial and error, and the difficulty curve is smooth. Touch controls are simple: tap to move, drag to aim your lantern. It just works.

If you want a challenge to test your reflexes, this isn't it. But as a calm, beautiful adventure to unwind with, it's one of the nicest things I've played on mobile this year.

What we liked

• Gorgeous hand-drawn art
• Calm, observation-based puzzles
• No text barrier or clutter