The Red Lantern

Short but beautiful, I cried. I do wish there were more options, like when you get to the cabin if you had more missions.

I feel like 90% of the bad reviews come from people who simply did not know what the game is gameplay-wise. I wholeheartedly recommend getting it on a sale, and trying it out when you feel like playing a chill strat-survival game. It isn't hard nor demanding, but you won't always have it easy trying to survive either. In my opinion, in the state this game is in right now, it's absolutely worth playing, especially with the end-game additional content and achievements.

A very fun and semi challenging experience that proves to be addicting

We are all familiar with that feeling when we strive for our true dream — vivid, fleeting, but so desired. We often feel disappointment in ourselves and desperately want to prove to the world that we are worth something. This is precisely what drives the main character in The Red Lantern.

Sometimes people become so attached to ideas of what is "right" and "perfect" that they forget one simple truth: the world is made up of mistakes. We are what we do. We are our mistakes. It is them that shape our identity and define who we are.

The Red Lantern is a game that seeks to convey an important message: there is nothing perfect in this world, even if we sometimes think so. Our imperfections make us and everything around us whole. Without them, we couldn't be ourselves.

This game is about the simple quest for self-discovery, about understanding our capabilities and how the world will remember us. Each of us has our own Red Lantern, and each has a unique path to it.

We have only one life, and it should be lived as if every moment is the last. Don't be afraid of mistakes; love yourself as you are, with all your flaws, because it is those flaws that make us real.

May everyone one day find their own Red Lantern.

Suuuper cute and fun game! Think Oregon Trail but with dog sledding and Alaskan bush! Cannot wait to go back and get all the doggos and finish their stories 🖤

A super cute game, but maybe not the best explanation of what the game actually is on it's store page.

The graphics are charming and unique. The voice acting is solid and I love the storytelling. You get invested with the dogs and it's very easy to step into the protagonist's shoes and truly feel their excitement and fear in the moment of each event.

However, I will admit, it gets repetitive pretty fast and you only really get about 3-6 hours of game play before finishing everything. I got the game on sale for 5 or 6 USD, and at that price, I definitely don't mind getting 3-6 hours of game play. So I would honestly only recommend getting this game when it's on sale due to hours of play vs. cost.

I will also admit, I didn't expect this game to be a point and click game. From the features list and game play videos- I thought there would be more active engagement. I also thought we would get to actually train our dogs and engage in dog racing instead of just a point and click story game with your only true choices being how you manage your resources to make sure you don't starve halfway through.

It /is/ a cute game, but it's also not a game worth $25 usd, maybe closer $4-8usd.

I got this game on one of the sales, so I highly suggest it for that price. If you are a dog lover, I highly recommend this game. The dogs are fun and absolutely adorable. I love their stories. However the game can be repetitive, but it's not the worst. Once you unlock all the tools, its extremely smooth sailing. Your first run will most likely be your hardest with everything after being significantly easier. 10/10 was attacked by a squirrel.

It's a fun game! However, I only bought because it was 90% off. For full price there should have been more to do, because it does get repetitive pretty face!

I bought it after watching some gameplay and liked the idea of the gameplay loop. And honestly I was enjoying myself although you must have a bit of a suspension of disbelief to buy the plot (why would anyone go unprepared to Alaska? And whenever you die on a run, if you made significant progress the main character says "Oh what a terrible dream good thing I remembered to pack this -insert item that should've been packed in the first place").

I had to refund this game because, while looking for information on the next objectives, I came across the information that there are bugs that make it impossible to the player to reach 100% completition on the game and the devs refuse to acknowledge them. Also read that some people being unable to reach the end, probably because of bugs as well. So, I refunded it before I wasted too much time on it.

Might give it another chance if they end up fixing the game.

Amazing game, Story is funny, deep, and most of all the dogs story's are interesting and fun, this game is a must have if you like calm story games with lots of pets

Gets better the more you play it. The journal helps push things along and its full of little secrets you can unlock each play through. The setting is really nice with great voice acting. The dogs are awesome.

Very cute and cozy game. Imagine rogue like Firewatch, but more vibes than mechanics. Pick your sled team, get to know your dogs, and manage resources. Just lovely.

this game is so fun.i have always wondered how it would be in the alaskan wilderness and now i know!i highly recommend this game

i love this game its fun and cozy 10/10 game

nothing at all like i was promised or expected.. there is a bug i have where theres just a straight up chance a sucessfull hunting or shooting minigame straight up counts it as a loss.. there was very little story until you beat the game.. only then does it start.. every time you loose you get the same repeated story really burning out any flow of story. the events are wildly garbage where its very little skill and mainly just luck. my latest run every single event was food.. about 8 or 9 in a row.. not at all what i was hoping for. not to mention every time you loose its the whole *OH IT WAS ALL A DREAM*

From what I have tried this far:

The pros:
- In the very same graphical style of Long Dark.
- In the somewhat same mechanics of Long Dark - except you now have dogs.
- As of the dog you get to choose your pack
- You get to somewhat decide the direction - and basically something always happens.
- The hunting is simplified
- You need to keep track of rest/energy and hunger, also for the dogs.

Cons:
- The game cannot truly decide, how the mechanics are - you are told, when the hunger meter runs out and you pass a marking, the run will end - my hunger meter was near the end but not quite there, and BOOM, the protagonist dies - while not even passing a marker.
- The hunting is simplified (and it seems more as a RNG whether whether animals die when you shoot it)
- minor detail, you do not get to name the dogs, but that would have been a nice touch.
- from a deer you only get a single meat - and a single meat only restores a single energy block for the dogs, or a single energy for you. A deer would hold enough meet to keep both you and the dogs running for a while.

Conclusion:
I like the idea, and there are some nice things added to it. I like the elements of randomness, whether a random even is good or bad and you just have to follow your instinct with it - and take the consequences of. Though, from what I have experienced already this far, it seems like a RNG, rather than something that is skill based. With that said, I will not recommend it. Maybe when it is on sale.

the best game ive ever played, i was smiling the whole time while i played.

the dogs are amazing with cool events and the game progresses every run you do

This thing has a cute graphic style and cozy tone, but keep in mind, it's very much a narrative focused experience and is essentially on rails. There's not much here in terms of game-play, and the bits that are interactive -like hunting- have poorly explained mechanics.

Voice actor from Life is strange is the reason I bought it.

They sell it for a very high price for a game that has 3-4h worth of content to finish. I grabbed it on sale for less than 3$ so I guess at this price, you can't go wrong.

- Graphics are beautiful, very cartoony but beautiful!
- The gameplay is pretty relaxing and easy. The roguelite seems confusing at first but after 2-3 runs, you start to understand how it can work which such a strange story/game. And it does work. Not gonna say much to not spoil but it works. It's just important to understand that it's intended that you can't make it to the end of first runs. That's how it works.
- Enjoy being able to pet my furry friends!!
- The voice actor is the one from Life is Strange (Chloe), Borderlands (Tiny Tina) and Fortnite (Ray in STW) (and many more other games that I never played). She is absolutely amazing so it was a big plus for me when I decided to buy!

Overall, on sale like it is right now, it's a very cozy relaxing game with a very simple gameplay. You just take it easy, enjoy the wild, the voice acting, the music and pet the pups every time you can!

It looks like the long dark and looks interesting but its just a point and click game not very interesting at all, story is decent but i was hoping for a sledding game not a press this to follow a trail and the hunting sucks its also just a click at the right time, would not recommend.

it was so much fun if you like the wild or dogs you will love it

Really fun of all the things that could happen. The game is still able to continue even if you made it to the cabin.

Super fun, lots of hidden stuff to find.

every dog have their own storyline! You get to know ur pups' personality! And the first 5 pups that u chose will always have a special place in ur heart 😊

it is like a cozy chill road trip except u are the passenger princess so u only have to watch the scenery and choose options for the exploration events, ur pups will do the "driving" part.

it is also very rewarding to finally run a successful run and reach your destination after many times of trial and error.

however, that's it, u only have 1 map (the training run) that u replay over and over again for unlocking dogs & achievements, I was expecting to have at least a few real sled dog races after the training run 🤦

But still, i get this game on sales so Im not angry about the price vs the amount of game content

Just finished the game. It's a little buggy - a few times I failed hunts because I was the reticle and the circle simply never lined up. The luck-based mechanics are somewhat annoying. However, it's very pretty, and the dogs are cute. I enjoyed it.

The game is chilled, relaxing and very pretty but it gets highly repetitive and the RNG for the achievements being annoying and some journal entries just refusing to happen no matter how many lakes you see or encounters you have is irritating. The guide helps a little but with most the luck of the run and things just not happening get in the way, with conflicting info online and no sure way to seemingly complete this. Time sink, ig you care about the achievements maybe don't bother because it is just ruining the game for me despite my opinion other than this being positive.

it's a fun adventure game.

Really fun game, been playing it on my steamdeck, the rogue like elements make it fun to replay and try to get all of the endings. My favorite part though has to be the art style.

Wow I love that game, It's really cozy even tho there is some survival mechanics. The rogelite (I think) elements are veru enjoyable and of course all of our pups are super cute!! Perfect to play in the cold winter of the True North. I would recommend for any dog lover AND snow lover, the landscapes are beautiful and it also runs really well on my computer.

Very cute game with lots of charm and love all the dog's personalities. Fingers crossed for a sequel where you take part in the Iditarod, Noodle as my lead dog obviously.

This game is actually pretty entertaining. Trying to bond with a particular dog can be kind of tricky though, but that's probably for the best considering each run doesn't really take that long and even losing just resets you. I may consider playing more of this game on the steam deck now that it's verified.

I love this game, it's short but powerful.
The narrative about finding your place hits home, and I feel it's a must play for anyone who may be going through cycles of doubt in their life.
While the game lacks in a lot of game play mechanics, the story, dogs, and music all but make up for it.

An amazing game could never recommend it enough! Im, not 100% through but so far it's helped my interest and made me shed a few tears! The only thing I'd recommend for the developers is making the home screen a bit better with a load game option! =D

Please add the non-killing option!
I can't play it: the weasel is so nice and the wolf is in trouble :(

very fun game , relaxing and good storyline. but you will start stressing when you dont find birch to cook your food. My personal favrouite dog is iggy or Noodle is the name of my real cat......hes missing tho}

I like the strategy element of this game, it's very well designed, the graphics are amazing, the mechanics are very good, the only thing that's annoying is you sometimes cannot avoid encounters that cost food or health, but always loving sled dogs, I absolutely adore this game, it does take AGES to get to the cabin, I haven't even gotten there yet, and every time you die or fail a run, you get extra materials to start with to make it easier, very good game, 8.5/10 for me, definitely worth it.

A lovely game! It's a great game and extremely underrated. There's a great story line, amazing graphics, and a rare view on sled dog mushing through Alaska. Overall, I think this game would thrive off of an expansive community, and I would highly recommend the game to anyone.

DONT BUY UNLESS ON SALE.

i beat this game fairly quickly. it got boring very fast because its basically only a point and click game. you can't move with wasd. you can't go where you want. you can only say "haw or gee" to move the sled and decide whether to stop or not. it was not worth the 12 or so bucks i spent on it.

im someone who enjoys a game i can pour hundreds of hours into, and this was not it for me. the graphics were stunning but it felt lack-luster because you can barely move around. to put it blankly, this game is extraordinarily boring. the main character will not quit talking to herself and she is EXTREMELY annoying. at first i enjoyed and was charmed by her dialogue but it got rapidly irritating and repetitive. only buy this if you can make up your OWN STORY for the dogs, which i think that you shouldn't have to do to enjoy a game!

TLDR; annoying MC, basically zero fun gameplay, point and click, pretty graphics but thats about it, finished in not even 2 hours.

A Beautiful, Frustrating Adventure!

The Red Lantern is one of those games that immediately pulls you in with its atmosphere, gorgeous art style, and engaging premise. The combination of survival mechanics and dog sledding through the Alaskan wilderness makes for an addicting experience. There’s something incredibly satisfying about managing your resources, strategizing your choices, and pushing forward through the snowy, unpredictable terrain. It’s a game that keeps you coming back, even when you know it’s going to test your patience.

And test your patience it will! The biggest frustration—and I mean biggest—is how the game completely resets every time you fail. You can spend so much time carefully managing your journey, only to run out of resources or get taken down by an unfortunate encounter, and boom—you’re back to square one. I get that it’s part of the roguelike structure, but it can feel punishing rather than rewarding. It makes progress feel painfully slow, especially when you get unlucky and lose in ways that feel out of your control.

Speaking of control, another issue is that you don’t actually control the movement of your character. The game moves forward on its own, and you just make choices at key moments. This takes away some of the immersion and can make it feel like you’re more of a spectator than an active participant in the journey. For a game about dog sledding through the wilderness, I was hoping for a bit more direct interaction with the movement and terrain.

That said, I can’t deny that The Red Lantern is addicting. The random events, the risk-reward decisions, and the survival elements all make for a game that constantly tempts you to go for “just one more run.” But the frustration of restarting and the lack of movement control definitely hold it back from being as immersive and fun as it could be.

If you love survival games and don’t mind a bit of trial-and-error pain, it’s still worth playing. Just be prepared for a love-hate relationship with this one.

This is a lovely game that I would describe as a visual novel with survival and roguelite elements. Here are some quick positives and ehhh kinda negatives:

+you can pet all the dogs!
+pretty scenery
+good voice acting by Ashly Burch (if you're a fan of Aloy, you'll enjoy this)
+relaxing soundtrack

-you are "on rails", so don't expect open world style exploration
-there's a decent amount of different scenarios, but it can get a little repetitive if you're trying to complete all of the dogs' stories

Overall, I really enjoy it! I think the dev team created something unique. The story is just alright, though- I personally find the MC's decision to "live off the land" naive and reckless, but maybe that's partly my age talking, lol. Still, it makes for an adventurous and often cozy setting (particularly the campfire scenes with your pups).

Also, a note for my fellow animal lovers- you do have to hunt a LOT in this game, but the act of doing so is treated with respect. There are a lot of chances to simply observe the various wildlife, too. Additionally, there's an option to turn off dog deaths (which I took full advantage of, thank you, devs!)

A Breathtaking and Emotional Journey

The Red Lantern is an absolute masterpiece of storytelling, survival, and adventure. From the moment I started my journey with my loyal team of sled dogs, I was completely captivated by the game's breathtaking art style, immersive atmosphere, and emotional depth.

The game masterfully blends survival mechanics with a deeply personal narrative, making every decision feel meaningful. The bond you develop with your dogs is incredibly touching—each one has its own personality, strengths, and quirks, making them feel like true companions on this epic journey. The voice acting, especially from Ashly Burch, adds an extra layer of emotional connection, making the protagonist’s struggles and triumphs feel incredibly real.

Visually, The Red Lantern is stunning. The Alaskan wilderness is brought to life with gorgeous, painterly landscapes that change dynamically with the time of day and weather conditions. The soundtrack is equally impressive, perfectly complementing the game's moments of tension, beauty, and solitude.

What truly sets this game apart is its emotional impact. It’s not just about surviving the wilderness; it’s about self-discovery, resilience, and finding hope even in the most challenging circumstances. Every run feels unique, and even in failure, there’s a sense of growth and learning.

If you love adventure, survival, and emotional storytelling, The Red Lantern is an unforgettable experience. Whether you’re a casual player or a seasoned gamer, this game will stay with you long after the credits roll. I cannot recommend it enough!

10/10

Love this game!

get goo goo alu

soooo fun but herd i died so meny times.

*Bangs fists on table* "I DID NOT WANT TO BE BORN A SAD, SUBURBAN CHILD. I WANT TO BE AN AWESOME DOG-RACING HOMESTEADING LADY WHO LIVES BY HERSELF IN A QUAINT LITTLE LOG CABIN IN A TREELESS VALLEY BETWEEN THE HUGE MOUNTAINS IN THE MIDDLE OF ALASKA, WHO HUNTS GEESE, ELK, AND CARIBOU THEN SMOKES THE MEAT HERSELF TO MAKE DELICIOUS JERKY, WHO'S ONLY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION DURING THE WINTER ARE HER DOGS, WHO ONLY GOES INTO TOWN IN THE WINTER (ON HER DOGSLED, OF COURSE) TO GET SUPPLIES LIKE COFFEE AND BATTERIES FOR HER RADIO WHICH SHE USES TO LISTEN TO SOAP OPERAS WHILE SHE TRAINS FOR THE BIG DOGSLED RACE FROM A COUNTRY STORE THAT IS RUN BY AN OLD RUSSIAN COUPLE WITH AN WORN-DOWN BLOODHOUND THAT SLEEPS ON AN FADED GRAIN BAG, AMD THEY ALWAYS ARGUE ON WHAT HARNESS IS BEST FOR HER DOGS. BUT IN THE SUMMER SHE HAS A GIANT VEGETABLE GARDEN AND LEAVES HER DOGS WITH THE OLD RUSSIAN COUPLE TO DO COWGIRL WORK FOR HER NEIGHBORS, NED AND VIRGINIA SIMMS, WHO NEED HER TO HERD THEIR CATTLE TO THEIR SUMMER PASTURES IN YUKON TERRITORY WITH THE HELP OF THEIR TEENAGE KIDS GARNET AND JACOB, AND THEIR COY-DOG , ZEPHYR, THAT THEY USE AS A CATTLE DOG. THEN SHE HELPS TRANQUILIZE AND TAG BISON WITH THE STATE RANGERS, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!!" 10/10 great game.

10.5 horas depois com 100% do jogo completo e com 100% das conquistas feitas.

Podia ser pior é a frase que me vem na cabeça terminando The Red Lantern. Graficamente bonito (para o que se propõe), além de uma boa ambientação. A jogabilidade é diferente, objetiva, e talvez até inovadora, porém é extremamente passiva e nem um pouco desafiadora. É de fato um jogo que pode ser classificado como "cozy".

O lado negativo fica, sem dúvidas, com a trilha sonora e a falta de repetibilidade. O jogo é super curto, terminei a campanha em 2.7 horas e a partir daí foram os mesmos diálogos, sons, músicas, e também a mesma gameplay até o final.

Comprar durante uma boa promoção e jogar no fim do dia só pra relaxar seria o cenário ideal.

This game really makes you feel like a dog musher.

For such a short game everything feels nice. Beautiful story for one evening.

cool graphics

yay dogs

I love the thrill of the game and how the whole can can depend on the dogs you choose. Its the survival that gives the thrill and adrenaline to survive in the winter during the whole run. i recomend this game if your looking for a animal game!

+ decent graphics
+ cute dogs
+ no bugs

- you can't really steer the sled?
- at intersections you can choose left or right. THE BUTTONS ARE ARRANGED VERTICALLY
- lackluster minigames
- the game doesn't create a sufficiently sombre (or funny) atmosphere to justify repeatedly failing at dogsledding a couple of miles.

all in all, this might be fun for some people, but if you come in expecting proper dogsledding gameplay or the long dark vibes, this is not for you.

4/10