Candles [Edit Game]

Who said that having a house in the middle of the woods was a good idea? In Candles, a free horror game developed by Lasse Westmark Nielsen, the player returns to his house only to find out it was invaded by imps, horrible gremlin-like creatures. A letter from the postman tells us about the brief but capable storyline, saying that our generator ran out of fuel and imps, creatures who love to dwell in the dark, promptly invaded our home.Now, the only way to get rid of the imps is by lighting every candle in the house (imps seem to go up in a cloud of smoke when entering a well lit area) and going down to the basement to refuel and start up the generator.Candles world is straightforward, with a short path leading to the house and a few rooms to explore. Everything is appropriately dark and the house is extremely cozy at first sight, but contains all the elements necessary to instill terror (besides the imps). A painting even contains some disturbing imagery. Graphics are of striking detail and lighting is suitably impressive, something convenient for a game where the player has to light candles and attract imps to the light. Imps are nicely modeled and theres even a solid physics model supporting the gameplay, although real interaction is limited to the candles, doors and a couple of objects. There are some quite shocking scares to be had, something that the amazing soundtrack contributes to.This game is great fun and a perfect example of an indie project that could be turned into a successful commercial game given the proper budget and team. It successfully accomplishes the purpose of instilling fear in the player, with a palpable sense of dread each time he has to open a door for the first time. There are a few glitches (sometimes candles seem to be already lit when they shouldnt be and turning the generator on is a nightmare, but its possible with some patience) but overall its completely worth it. Amnesia fans will immediately see how Frictional Games masterpiece