Since there is no better month for the creepy and the occult, why not take this time to talk about one of my favorite lesser-known horror games?
“No One Lives Under the Lighthouse” is a short thriller/horror game. Players take control of a replacement lighthouse keeper as the first one went missing after mysterious circumstances. As time passes the player starts to notice they might not be alone.
“No One Lives Under the Lighthouse” fantastically plays with tension and paranoia. Your thoughts are the only thing left to keep you company on this secluded island. While you tend to the lighthouse every night, you easily notice how small and suffocating the island is. In this isolation, you feel cut off from everything else, almost trapped.
If not for fellow 42Fifty staff member Arnesen Lasher, I probably wouldn’t have encountered this game. While we were hanging out, he showed me a video titled “The Best Horror Game You’ve Never Played” from a YouTuber named Pastra. The video’s introduction and his description of the game immediately piqued my interest, so much so that I bought and played it that same day.
As the days pass in the game, more and more tension starts to build. You start to notice things moving, oil on the walls, and sounds from somewhere under the lighthouse, seemingly inhuman. All you can do is maintain the lighthouse and hope there is nothing there lurking in the shadows.
One of my personal favorite scenes is when one night after the player turns on the lighthouse they will notice moths flying outside. Within seconds they start to completely cover the outside of the lighthouse. This scene, in particular, does an incredible job of leaving the player with a sense of overwhelming dread.
All the player can do is watch as their view of the outside is completely obscured. Then, the feeling of utter powerlessness hits as they watch the glass start to crack under the pressure of all the moths. That feeling of helplessness and dread makes this game so effective as a horror game since it does much better than cheap jumpscares in most cases.
The graphics are another factor that increases the tension. While they are blocky and remind me of the graphics of the PlayStation 1 and 2, they help add to the occult feeling.
Another part of this game that I love is the chase scene. The first time it happened, I was taken aback. The chase is played through the eyes of the monster instead of the player, leaving what the monster looks like up to the player.
There is so much more this game has to offer in terms of horror and gameplay. I highly recommend everyone try and play it, especially since it’s a short game, being only about 2 hours per playthrough. All the scenes I have talked about only occur in the first half of the game.
“No One Lives Under the Lighthouse” is a great game that needs more attention than it has gotten as besides the video I mentioned earlier not many people have talked about it. “No One Lives Under the Lighthouse” is able to play with tension and paranoia super effectively with minimal gameplay and graphics. It goes to show that you don’t need much to make an effective horror game and often, less is far more.
Hello my name is Ryker Stevenson and this is my second year on 42fifty. I am a senior and currently participate in chess club and co-captain for scholastic bowl. I am happy to be back and to serve the publication again as the Arts and Entertainment Section Editor.
Looks like a fun game, thanks for the game recommendation. Nice article!