Hostlight is a puzzle adventure game, developed by ESDIP_GAMES and published by Selecta Play. It was officially launched on July 22, 2022. The main theme revolves around ascending a tower by completing levels filled with colors and light. As you progress up the tower, the puzzles become more challenging, testing your brain to the limits.
This casual game will have you busy for hours as you work out how to align beams, mirrors, and other items. You’ll also learn how to mix colors using light, so there’s a small level of education involved. It’s entertaining, and you won’t want to stop once you start. Welcome to my Hostlight review.
Rising in the Hostlight tower
Let’s start with the basics. Hostlight has a small story element, that is — you’re a character trying to get to the top of the tower. While your motivation isn’t known, you’re surely determined to get there. You’ll also have some help along the way.
Meet your robotic host
While Hostlight could have gotten away with simply giving you tooltips for how to play, the developers decided to put in some extra work. You’ll meet a floating robot on the first level that’s happy to help you on your journey. Once you have the basics down, it will head back to doing maintenance.
As you ascend the tower, you’ll see why the bot is so busy with maintenance. Many of the platforms have fallen over, making the puzzles more challenging. However, the robot is always ready to come and tell you about new ways you can solve them.
The rising tower
The primary goal of Hostlight is to reach the top of the tower. Perhaps you were a wayward wanderer that stumbled upon the magnificent structure called the Needle. While I don’t want to spoil it for you, all I’ll say is that the robot and puzzles do start giving you more details about the building and why you’re ascending it.
A play on colors and light
I love colors, specifically in light, and how they combine to form rays of new colors. Hostlight feeds my joy by letting you manipulate the primary colors to create secondary ones. It’s an epic journey with puzzles where you learn how to mix them, following the lines and displays before you.
How many levels are in Hostlight?
At the moment, there are just over 20 levels in Hostlight. It took me about ten minutes for the first two levels, but then the third level took me almost just as long as the two together. Every level becomes increasingly more challenging and longer to play, and you’ll easily rack up to 8 hours or more, depending on how quickly you solve the levels.
Solving puzzles in Hostlight
You now have a rudimentary overview of Hostlight, and I’m sure you can tell I like the game a lot already. Next up, I want to cover the primary gameplay elements so you can see what playing the game is like. I may even give you some tips and tricks along the way.
Learning how to play Hostlight
Your friendly robot will always be around to show you how new items work on different levels. You’ll never reach a point where you discover a new object and wonder what it is and how to use it. Besides appearing to help you, there are also noticeboards on the stages that give you hints as to how it works. From there, you need to solve the puzzles with only your brain power.
Moving light beams
So, the main gameplay mechanic in Hostlight is moving beams of different colors onto spots that power pedestals via cables. Once you place the correct color, the game releases a puzzle piece for the central elevator. There are four types of beam spotlights: completely fixed, vertical movement only, horizontal movement only, and free movement.
Herein lies the one and only gripdI have with Hostlight. When using the keyboard to move the beams, you have to wiggle up and down or left and right until the light finally lands on the designated spot. There’s no smooth movement as with the controller, so you may need to juggle around until you get it where it needs to be. Even just a light tap can send it too far to the other side.
Using mirrors and refractors
A fun element that appears in one of the early levels is working with mirrors. You need to shoot the beam onto one of them, and then head up to turn them so the light lands where it should. There are also different types of mirrors that work like the spotlights, with limited and free movements.
Later, you’ll meet what I’m calling refractors, as they refract the light at different angles. It’s certainly more complicated than mirrors, as the lights enter on one side, combine in the center, and then exit on the other side. You’ll need to find the right angle for the beam to land where it should.
Manipulating and combining light
I mentioned primary and secondary colors before. There will be times when you need cyan, magenta, yellow, or white light. If you look closely at the platforms holding the hidden puzzle pieces, you’ll see they have color charts to show you what to mix to get specific colors. By the fourth level, you shouldn’t need those anymore, as you’ll be used to the process.
Solving the puzzle
Here’s how you complete levels in Hostlight. You know those puzzle pieces I mentioned that you find when beaming the lights? They belong in the elevator with yellow light in the center of the level. Once you place all of them there, you’ll need to align them to match the shadow on the floor.
It can be tricky at first, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it after a few levels. There are six directions you can turn each piece. The game even lets you highlight only that piece’s shadow on the floor so the other shadows don’t confuse you.
Similar games to Hostlight
There are a few games I can think of that have similar casual elements to Hostlight. The one that springs to mind the most is Real Myst with its puzzle elements. If you’re looking for a more recent entry, then Recursive Ruin is probably the closest in magnitude. Two Point Campus has the same casual game style, but you won’t deal with puzzles.
PC requirements for Hostlight
Fortunately, Hostlight isn’t too demanding when it comes to PC specs. While you’ll need at least Windows 10, it plays perfectly well on Windows 11 without any performance issues. The requirements for the graphics card aren’t too high, either.
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel i5 6400 | AMD Ryzen 5 1600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1050ti | AMD RX 570
- Storage: 8 GB
Bright colors and relaxing sounds
I’ve already mentioned these elements a few times, but the graphics and sound need a special place for some well-deserved attention. Let’s see how beautiful Hostlight is to look at and listen to.
Gorgeous environments
The developers of Hostlight weren’t shy to add gorgeous environments to each level. From the first-person perspective, you’ll behold beautiful walls, dilapidated ruins, and massive platforms that make you feel as small as an ant. They truly went all out to make it a lovely game to look at while playing.
Stunning visuals with light and color
The lights and colors are obviously the focal points of the game. Hostlight portrays them beautifully, and they become more than puzzles. You’ll love looking at how the lights and colors play across your screen on the various platforms. Of course, you’ll also be scratching your head in confusion in the later stages.
Soothing sounds and music
Soft humming sounds and background music complements the casual nature of the puzzle game. You won’t hear any thumping music pressuring you to complete the level before you die. Thankfully, there’s voice acting in the game, and you’ll enjoy listening to your robot companion chat with you.
Final Verdict of Hostlight
Hostlight is a splendid game that I can easily sit back and enjoy for several hours. Even with the puzzles becoming really difficult at a later stage, it’s still enjoyable trying to wit them out and complete the level. There’s a sense of satisfaction when you win and ascend the tower, especially when you reach the end. It’s worth buying if you love puzzle games.
I’ve mentioned some alternatives earlier, and you’re welcome to read my Two Point Campus and Recursive Ruin reviews for more details.
Pros
- Fun puzzle elements
- Gorgeous environments
- Play with lights and colors
- Handy guides along the way
- Tests your thinking power
- Easy to master
Cons
- Aligning beams on the keyboard can be challenging
Developer: ESDIP_GAMES
Publisher: Selecta Play
Game Modes: Single Player
Platform reviewed: Windows 11 – Steam
