The Town of Light is a first person psychological horror adventure game where players explore an old Italian asylum by the name of Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra. Here behind the asylums doors lies the story about Renee a young sixteen year old girl who has had her life shattered by the events of Volterra. As you explore the now ruined asylum, you can begin to find clues that explore Renee’s descent into madness. What was the reality of what she faced? Was Renee secretly just being abused by the caretakers and staff of Volterra or was she in dire need for help and was being treated for her mental failings? Volterra may have been abandoned and left to rot but its secrets now lay available to those willing to explore. However, will those answers be something you wish to fully understand and can you handle the revelations of Renee’s dark tale? Once you enter the confines of Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra there will be no going back…

As with most first person adventure games, in The Town of Light, players will walk around in search of clues leading to understanding Renee’s past. Players will find clues in the form of records and artifacts that reveal Renee’s story and how her life was forever changed once she was forced to become a patient inside Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra. While the player will have little action to perform in terms of exploration, the story’s path towards the end will change based on choices the player can make during set events in The Town of Light. With multiple branching chapter arcs, hidden areas and collectibles, players will find plenty to explore in The Town of Light.

The story of The Town of Light takes place inside an actual real life abandoned asylum called Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra that comes from Tuscany, Italy. Following the fictional events of a girl named Renee, the player will have to explore this asylum to understand what really happened to Renee during the year of her confinement. As the player finds various clues in the form of letters and documents describing Renee’s failing mentality, you will be occasionally tasked to choose to believe what these forms say or go against them. Your decisions alter individual chapters that affect the events that transpire in that chapter. While there is only one set ending to unlock in The Town of Light, the pathway to that ending shapes the players experiences and realities of Renee’s untimely fall from sanity.

The Town of Light isn’t a hard or complex game to play. Players take control of an explorer and will look around collecting various documents to learn about Renee and some of the various other patients of Volterra backstories. The only moments that deviate from the first person exploration come in the form of chapter specific questions that allow the player to input choices that affect the chapters narrative path. These small choices can greatly lead to a player experiencing a different set pathway or altered realties in the game. At any time the player can select to replay a chapter to witness alternative versions of said chapter, but the final chapter will never change regardless of where the player progresses in a singular chapter.

The Town of Light’s story will be the main draw to take from playing this 2-3 hour game. Renee’s story will leave players trying to figure out what to believe and what not to as the game allows for a wide berth of skepticism in her tale. We here at Honey’s Anime will warn you that if you’re a weak hearted individual that doesn’t like overly mature concepts, The Town of Light may be too difficult to stomach. Dealing with elements of dementia, suicide and rape can truly be difficult concepts for an individual to battle with internally. However, if you’re looking for a story that doesn’t hold back and is based off realistic concepts of the early 1930s, then we here fully recommend The Town of Light.

Graphically The Town of Light has its high moments and low moments. In regards to the areas of exploration, The Town of Light shines. LKA did an amazing job of mapping out the real life Volterra and you can tell with each little detail embedded into its layout. The cutscenes are also very well done using a muted color art style that is both creepy and thought provoking. However, the character models when shown in The Town of Light are very weak. Characters remind us of mannequins and while that has its own fear value to it, we unfortunately fear it for the wrong reasons. That being said, the reality is that The Town of Light may not look perfect but it does a very good job.

As far the voice acting and music go, The Town of Life does a fine job. Characters come off very well in regards to their voice actors/actresses. The music also sets the tone, making sure players are thoroughly creeped out when they need to be and calm when the moment calls for it. Overall, The Town of Light does an amazing job in the sound department and the game only does better because of it. We also would like to mention the game’s ending theme is pretty epic as well.

The Town of Light might not have a lot of action or much to do in terms of interaction which may annoy some. However, we here at Honey’s Anime love the way the game allows for some interesting paths to be taken thanks to a clever choice system and simplified chapter select option. Players who love to see multiple ways a chapter can play out will find some replayability in The Town of Light, though those who just wish to beat the game will find it 2-3 hour game time to be a bit disappointing. That being said, thanks to a very graphic and mature story The Town of Light has a lasting impact that truly makes the individual playing wonder about the atrocious living conditions of the past mental asylums in the world. We do once again warn you though that The Town of Light deals with a load of mature themes that can be too much for a player to handle, so tread carefully if you’re one who find stories of Rape and Suicide too much to handle.

The Town of Light is akin to an interactive movie. While it may be a short experience, every moment and choice made by the player will cause feelings of wonderment and intrigue. While it may not blow your mind in terms of character graphics, the environment pieces are perfectly fine and really bring to life this real based asylum. We here at Honey’s Anime feel The Town of Light is definitely an amazing experience and will be something worth the price of admission. Let us know your thoughts below in the comments and as always stick to Honey’s Anime for more great reviews and articles.