The Japanese developer Neutral is one of the most reliable sources of great escape-the-room games on the Web. The games are always beautifully rendered, have puzzles that are satisfyingly challenging but not insanely difficult, and have simple, useful interfaces. We previously reviewed their puzzle game “Vision.” The newest game, Lights, definitely satisfies these same criteria.

As usual, the player is placed in a room full of puzzles and challenged to escape. Although some games in this genre are located in exotic or unusual places like an alien spaceship or a fairytale castle, this one simply takes place in a living room. But it’s a living room filled with nooks, crannies, and interesting devices.

The game is very fair—no pixel-hunting, and hot-spots are where you expect them to be. You should definitely examine objects from every angle, though—try to look behind them or at hidden angles. The inventory works very smoothly (it even indicates objects as “new” to remind you which you haven’t examined closely yet.) Keep in mind that objects may themselves conceal secrets or be combined or manipulated in the close-up screens.

The soundtrack is minimal, although it does use sound to indicate when a discovery has been made. There is also a handy save function which is a good addition—although a game genius (or someone with no compunction about walkthroughs) might solve it in one sitting, many will want to walk away and think to return with a different perspective. And this game has a puppy! How can you not like an escape game with a puppy!

[xrr rating=4.5/5]

Title: Lights
Developer: Neutral
Genre: Puzzle / Escape the Room
Platform: Web browser
Price: Free

Play Lights now absolutely free.