In this iOS game (reviewed on iPad here), you play as a boy who is afraid of the dark, but he must explore creepy pitch black factories and other dark locations for some reason.  Armed with only a flashlight, you must help him gather keys and find the exit in this 2-D platform puzzler adventure, all the while avoiding shadowy creatures who can eat the light away from your flashlight and leave you in the dark!

In each level, you’ll explore a 2-D maze and use touch screen controls.  Tap and slide to move left and right, slide diagonally to jump, and tap on objects and switches to activate them.  Double tap to turn your flashlight on and off.  You can also tap on icons on the bottom screen to view your map and choose power-ups. 

In each level you must find a key and head for the exit.  But it’s hard since most of your surroundings are shrouded in darkness.  So you’ll want to keep your flashlight on as much as possible.  But be careful because on the top of the screen is a light meter, and if you have your flashlight on too long, it’ll deplete.  You must also watch out for yellow eyed toothy shadow critters called “LightEaters.”  If they are nearby, they’ll suck the juice out of your flashlight even quicker.  To get past them, you must turn off your flashlight.  There are also ground traps that’ll also suck your light away unless you turn off your light.  But when it’s totally dark, another meter will go down.  This is your nerve meter, and if it goes down all the way while you’re in the dark, it’s Game Over and you must start the level again.  By finding hidden toys, animals, and getting through the levels quick, you’ll earn stars, which are handy for unlocking new stages later on.

The main problem I had with the game is the touch screen controls.  This game requires you to keep monitoring your light and nerve meters, and one misstep can make you have to start over again.  Jumping is especially problematic, and I think this type of game would’ve better benefitted from a console controller, since the timing is more precise than on a touch screen.  Plus, sometimes you can earn power-ups, flashlight pictures and outfit parts by buying them with soda bottles, which you earn in the game.  But you can also buy them with real money, too.  It bugs me because this game already costs money to download. If it was free to play, I could understand that.  But I have a feeling this is one of those games that gets impossibly hard unless you buy lots of power-ups.  I will say this, though.  This game certainly has shown me that a 2-D Luigi’s Mansion game would certainly work.

Kid Factor:

Even though LightEaters has some spooky yellow-eyed shadowy enemies, I don’t think they’re that scary.  Youngsters who are very afraid of the dark might be frightened, but that’s it.  Reading skill is needed for the text, and parental supervision is recommended for in-game purchases.  Younger gamers may get frustrated at the high difficulty level and unresponsive touch screen controls.

Tags: Game Reviews