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Candle: The Power of the Flame Review


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1100832746_Candlelogo.png.71b9ecf500dd21a434c910990486b932.pngCandle: The Power of the Flame, from developer Teku Studios and publisher Merge Studios, takes its cues from classic adventure/puzzle games, presented with beautiful hand-painted graphics. The game was successfully Kickstarted by the Spanish developer studio back in 2013 and since then they've painstakingly crafted every scene and puzzle throughout this unique little adventure. Players can expect plenty of satisfying puzzles, but be prepared for some frustrating ones as well.
 
In Candle you play as Teku, apprentice to his tribe's shaman and wielder of the candle's power which allows him to carry a flame and use its light to reveal secrets or activate objects. When the evil Wakcha tribe attacks and kidnaps Teku's teacher, he embarks on a quest to rescue the shaman and the other members of the tribe that were kidnapped. Although most of the characters do not speak an intelligible language, the game features a narrator that explains what is happening. The best part of the story might just be exploring this bizarre and unique world, though. You don't get long-winded explanations of each locale but there's clearly a history to each that's communicated visually and it paints a fascinating picture of the game's world. Ultimately Candle isn't about Teku's journey so much as it is about the mythology of his world, which leads to some interesting revelations near the game's climax.
 
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The gameplay is based around classic adventure/puzzle gameplay in the vein of point-and-click adventure games. After a short tutorial to explain the kinds of things Teku can interact with, there's almost no explicit instruction on how to progress. Candle is a game that rewards careful examination of the scenery, experimentation, and ingenuity. Maybe there's a block of ice that looks like it could melt—how do you get close enough with your candle flame to melt it? Since Teku only has a few abilities (most actions are context sensitive so you'll see a prompt if you can interact with something, the only exception being Teku's shining light ability) you have to think critically about what to do and how to leverage your basic abilities. There are hints occasionally, oftentimes half-hidden in the artwork of the scenery, but for the most part Candle is a game about using a small set of tools in creative ways to overcome obstacles. In that respect it's incredibly rewarding when you find the right solution.
 
And on the other hand it's also incredibly frustrating when you're stuck. There are a lot of clever puzzles in Candle but there are also plenty that just feel obnoxiously obtuse. The game's hints are few and far between, and oftentimes you have to try something new or creative with Teku's limited abilities to progress. That's a great basis for a puzzle game but without a little more context or nudge in the right direction you can end up completely lost, repeatedly. And even if you think you have the right solution you might just be frustrated with how much time it can take to retry when you fail. Thankfully, if you mess up and are killed you'll restart from a nearby checkpoint so you don't have to go all the way back to your last save file. However, it's still a slow process to try again. Teku does not move quickly, and oftentimes getting all of the pieces of a puzzle into the right place is just a little too slow. Sometimes it's difficult to even tell if you can stand on a ledge, leading to some leaps of faith that can have deadly results. Again, you'll restart nearby, but Teku's sluggish movement and the high difficulty level of Candle's puzzles can sometimes make progress feel agonizingly slow.
 
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At the very least, while you're traversing screen after screen, scanning for any small hint or interactive object that you might have missed, you'll be treated to absolutely gorgeous artwork. As mentioned the visuals do a fantastic job of establishing the history of the game's world. The graphics are beautifully atmospheric, with colorful, intricate hand-drawn and painted designs that are just lovely to see on the TV or on the Switch's screen. The animation is also incredibly charming—Teku may move a little too slowly for the gameplay but his plodding pace is adorable to see and has a striking sketch-like quality to it. The music is also top notch and adds a lot to the atmosphere as you explore these colorful environments.
 
The game isn't actually that long, with only three main locations to explore. If you were able to breeze through the adventure, never getting stuck on a puzzle, the game would only last a few hours, but in reality you'll spend plenty of time working out each puzzle, running back and forth to ensure you've found all the items and hints you can. As a puzzle game there isn't much incentive to replay the adventure though, aside from seeing all of the game's gorgeous artwork again.
 
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Candle: The Power of the Flame features the kind of head-scratching puzzles that will leave you completely at a loss, sometimes to an annoying degree. But the game tempers some of that frustration with some of the most beautiful graphics you'll ever see in a game—colorful, unique, and utterly captivating. The visuals alone are enough to pull you into the world of Candle, and although the game caters more to hardcore puzzle fans, those puzzle pros will enjoy the creative challenges offered here.
 
Rating: 7 out of 10 Candles
 
Review copy provided by the publisher
 
Candle: The Power of the Flame will be available on the Switch eShop on July 26th for $14.99.
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