Lighthouse: The Dark Being
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ken Williams, Roberta Williams |
Key people | Jon Bock (art director) |
| Products | Lighthouse: The Dark Being |
Lighthouse: The Dark Being is an adventure game created and released by Sierra On-Line. It stands as the sole title developed under the direction of Sierra On-Line’s art director, Jon Bock.
Gameplay
This title features a first-person perspective within a graphic adventure framework, utilizing a point-and-click control scheme. Its gameplay closely resembles that of the well-known game Myst.
Plot
Players start off as a struggling author who has recently relocated to a cottage along the Oregon coastline. They have just made the acquaintance of their unusual neighbor, Dr. Jeremiah Krick, and his daughter Amanda, who reside in a nearby lighthouse. After witnessing a lightning strike that causes the lighthouse to emit an eerie glow, the player receives an urgent request from Dr. Krick to look after Amanda.
Upon arriving at Krick’s residence, the player discovers Amanda alone in her crib. Suddenly, the "Dark Being," which Krick documented in his journal, kidnaps Amanda through a mysterious portal. The player then pursues this entity or alternatively uses equipment in Krick’s lab to open their own portal, leading them to a rocky shoreline within an alternate dimension. Notably, Krick’s writings reference the scientific concept of Godel's universe.
The objective is to navigate this parallel realm in order to save both Dr. Krick and Amanda from the Dark Being.
Development
Designed explicitly as a "Myst clone," Jon Bock, the lead designer, recalled that Ken Williams challenged him to emulate Myst’s commercial success, which spurred the project’s initiation. While acknowledging the resemblance to Myst, Bock highlighted their intention to improve character engagement and concentrate more heavily on narrative depth beyond what Myst offered.
Reception
Lighthouse garnered mixed feedback, holding an average score of 71.29% on GameRankings based on reviews from seven critics. Despite being generally critical of Myst-style games, Next Generation complimented the game’s intricate visuals and compelling storyline involving alternate realities and creative machinery but criticized its puzzle design for being frustrating and lacking logic. Likewise, GameSpot praised the striking graphics yet found the puzzles unclear and excessively challenging, particularly noting negative reactions during attempts to rescue a kidnapped infant.
In contrast, Entertainment Weekly delivered harsh criticism, faulting the control system, voice performances, and narrative—describing it as a "talentless rip-off of a Stephen King novel"—and ultimately concluded that the game failed to succeed overall.