Hollow Lantern

Hollow Lantern is quiet, atmospheric, and built around a single clever idea: your lantern is your health, your map and your currency all at once. Manage it well and the world opens up; waste it and you're stumbling in the dark.

The touch controls are minimal — a virtual stick and one context button — which suits the contemplative pace. It never fights you, and the puzzles lean on observation rather than reflexes, so it plays comfortably in short stretches.

Battery-wise it's gentle thanks to the muted palette, one of the few games we could play for an hour without watching the percentage. Headphones are strongly recommended; the sound design is doing half the storytelling.

What we liked

• A strong central mechanic
• Minimal, thoughtful controls
• Kind on battery and easy to sit with