In Rays of the Light Gameplay Preview – First person explorative puzzle game

In Rays of the Light is a very atmospheric first person exploration puzzle game. You are an unnamed person waking up in a strange, abandoned building. You search for clues and solve light puzzles in order to find out what happened.

The game starts off pretty slow and with a generally calm and disarming atmosphere. You are walking through an abandoned building, looking for general clues. These usually come in the form of old photographs, notes, and scribbled messages on the walls. The clues usually lead to some light puzzles. They can range from finding a key to open a locked door, to finding a lock combination by searching through photos. As the game progresses, the puzzles get more complex and involved.

As you play through the game, the atmosphere and general tone become more disturbing. The backing track changes to create a constant feeling of anxiety and you get the general sense that not all is well in the world.

I was playing on the Nintendo Switch version and while it was definitely playable, the resolution seemed to be on the low end with some aliasing popping up and the frame rate a bit on the unstable end.

Overall, In Rays of the Light is a pretty atmospheric explorative puzzle game. It does a great job of creating a mood of unease and suspense without relying on jump scares and cheap tricks. The puzzles are simple enough and based on exploration. The only issue I had was knowing which items are ones I can interact with due to the cursor being incredibly small on the Switch. Sometimes I’d miss an item because I wasn’t hovering exactly over it. Issues aside, the game is a pretty immersive experience for fans of subtle horror.