We’ve had a busy few months launching our retro space shooter Super Mega Space Blaster Special Turbo on Switch, Xbox One, PS4 and PC. I’ve finally had time to have a gander at some indie games by other developers for our March award. ‘There is No Light’ looks like a really cool isometric hack ‘n’ slash dungeon crawler. Its developed by Zelart and published by HypeTrain Digital, the publisher behind the acclaimed ‘12 is Better Than 6’.

SINISTER POST-APOCALYPTIC HACK ‘N’ SLASH

There is No Light is set in a post-apocalyptic world. It has a dark, gory, pixel-art art-style with hints of Death Trash, Below, and Hyperlight Drifter. The scenes on show have a lot of detail bringing the world to life. The videos show a hack ‘n’ slash fighting system with a dash mechanic used to dodge. The enemies look really interesting and there’s quite a variety in the small areas we’ve seen. From spiders, to weird fleshy creatures, to dark knights. This should bring some variation to the fighting in the final game. The screenshots and videos show the player talking with NPCs and interacting with the surroundings. This suggests the game may have puzzle elements adding further depth to the game.

NON-LINEAR EXPLORATION

There is still very little information about There is No Light and a release date is yet to be announced. The developer did have a playable demo at PAX East 2020 but, unfortunately, I have not played it. Other information that is known is that the game will be non-linear, have a range of player abilities, and have locations that change based on the player’s actions. The story seems to be centred around a planet’s entire population being eradicated by a catastrophic event. One man now has the task of saving the world from bloodthirsty demonic forces or aiding its destruction. This hints at the player’s actions being judged as good or evil a la Fable. Perhaps this will lead to many different paths, or multiple endings. Add this to the detailed sinister pixel art, the hack ‘n’ slash gameplay, the NPCs to talk to, and the non-linear world and you have a very interesting looking game indeed. It is for this reason that “By the power vested in me, There is No Light; I crown you ‘best indie game in development’ for March 2020!”.

SUMMARY

There is No Light is a sinister looking pixel art hack ‘n’ slash indie game. The game has a vast non-linear world to explore which changes based on the player’s actions. There are plenty of demonic enemies to battle and characters to interact with on your perilous journey.

If you like the look of There is No Light why not wishlist the game on Steam or follow the game on Twitter. I’m off to work on The Flawless: Art’s Tale and play a few more retro games in eager anticipation of the Final Fantasy VII Remake coming out in April. To keep up to date with everything BKD join the Discord or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.