Following the Light

In Rays of the Light is a first person adventure game with puzzle and horror elements throughout. It was created solely by Sergey Noskov and I played this version on the Nintendo Switch (Docked). Also a big thank you to the DEV for hooking me up with a review key!

This game threw me for a loop. At first you wake up in a dilapidated building with only a flashlight and cryptic note to guide you, but soon you’re going through one of the most stress inducing sections I’ve ever played in a videogame. I don’t mean stress inducing as it’s was difficult to play, or unenjoyable, but only as how I physically felt as I went through that part of the game. You see, “In Rays of the Light” does one thing EXCEPTIONALLY well, and that’s atmosphere.

I don’t do this often, but I want to start off in the sound department. The use of ambient background noises, sudden audio cues, and contrasting shrill effects set the player up for some of the most engrossing environmental atmospheres I’ve experienced in a while. As you walk down a broken hallway devoid of life save for yourself, you suddenly hear faint footsteps coming from a story below you. When you go to look there is no one there and no evidence of any other living being. At this I was filled with a mix of feelings including fear, curiosity, and a very powerful sense of wanting to run. This continues and comes to a mind blowing apex as the “sewers” bombards your senses in, as I stated before, the “most stressful sections of a video game I’ve ever played.”

The overall story is a bit enigmatic to say the least, but revolves around you as a character and humanity in general. Noskov sets up a tale of remorse and hopelessness and even delves into what it is to be human and what comes after. Everything seems to be a normal “escape” situation when the game begins, but it quickly turns into a psychological look in to what happened to this area and what the protagonist had to do with it. I believe the store description of the game sums it up in the best way: “In rays of the Light” is an atmospheric author's parable about our place in this world, life and death.

In the gameplay department you will be searching the different sections of the area you’re in to find tools, lock codes, and various notes that reveal more of the story. This is all typical adventure game fare here, but I do have to say that the game in NO WAY holds your hand as to where you need to go next. Exploration is key, and it may take several minutes to try and backtrack to different areas to find the missing item you need. (I’m looking at you inconspicuous coins…).

Graphically the use of light and darkness are both fitting for the story, but also help reinforce the atmosphere provided in the audio department. A few other effects later in the game crank this up a notch, but the overall graphical presentations are decent. I liked all the attention to detail with the vegetation and various items in each office, but base structure textures seems a bit simple (Probably because I was on the Switch). This takes away from nothing, and I actually enjoyed the low poly edges parts of the world had.

I really enjoyed my time with In Rays of the Light and was left pondering some of the meanings of the narrative. I’m not sure how much replay ability is present for this game, but I’m happy that I was able to play this. You can check it out on PS4, XboxOne, Nintendo Switch, and PC!