I am honestly surprised I have not reviewed The Red Lantern yet, especially considering how much I love this game and how much I have played it. This is easily one of my favorite games, and I recommend it to pretty much anyone who is interested in survival games, dogs, or just something more relaxing.
I actually did not know until recently that the voice actor for the main character is the same voice actor as Chloe Price from Life is Strange. Someone in my livestream pointed it out while I was playing, and I was genuinely surprised because I had never noticed it before.
The main thing that bothers me about this game is how repetitive it can get. I was told there are around a thousand different scenarios and events, but I feel like I keep getting the same ones over and over again. The dialogue also repeats a lot, especially the main character's voice lines, which gets pretty annoying when you have played through multiple runs. Other players have mentioned the same problem, saying that the runs can start blending together and that you can see a lot of the same events repeatedly.
Scavenging for supplies can also be pretty difficult sometimes. You have to be careful about how you use your supplies, and some runs can feel like you are constantly struggling to get enough food or other things you need. I do like that your choices actually matter, though, and that you can slowly learn what works and what does not.
My favorite part of the entire game is definitely the dogs. I love that every dog has their own personality, characteristics, stories, and things they do. They actually feel like different characters instead of just being different skins for the same dog. Choosing which dogs to take with you is one of my favorite parts because you start getting attached to them and want to learn more about each one. A lot of other players seem to agree that the dogs are easily one of the best parts of the game.
I do wish there was more to do after reaching the cabin, though. The first time I reached it, I was basically thinking, "Okay, so what do I do now?" I thought we would actually be able to go inside, explore it, decorate it, or have somewhere to relax with the dogs. Instead, you basically finish the journey and can start another run. It feels like such a missed opportunity because the cabin could have been used for so much more. Other players have had the same idea and have specifically wished there was some kind of cabin gameplay or resource management after reaching it.
I also think the game could use more maps, more events, and more things to do during runs. The basic idea is really good, but after a while you start seeing the same things again. More random events, new dangers, new areas, and more things to discover would make me want to keep playing for much longer.
The title also confused me when I first played it. I did not really understand what "The Red Lantern" meant or what the actual goal of the game was. I basically knew nothing about the game before playing it, so I was expecting something completely different. Once I understood what the Red Lantern actually was and that the goal was to reach the cabin, I liked the title a lot more. I just wish the game explained the premise a little better at the beginning.
The game was also extremely laggy the first time I loaded it up. I am pretty sure that has been fixed or somehow fixed itself for me because I do not really have that problem anymore, but the first experience was pretty rough.
I also really like the achievements. Some of them are surprisingly rare, which I always enjoy seeing. There are also achievements for completing the different dog stories, so there is actually a reason to keep playing and trying different dogs. There have been some complaints about the journal and certain entries not unlocking properly, though, which can make trying to complete everything pretty frustrating.
Despite all of these complaints, I genuinely love this game. It is relaxing, the scenery is beautiful, the dogs are adorable, and I really like the whole idea of traveling through Alaska with your dog team. It has a really nice atmosphere, and even when the game gets repetitive, I still enjoy coming back to it.
I would love to see another game like this from the same developers. I think there is so much they could do with the idea. More locations, more events, more dog stories, more things to do at the cabin, and more ways to interact with your dogs would be amazing.
Overall, I definitely recommend The Red Lantern. It is not perfect and it can get repetitive, but I still consider it one of my favorite games. If you like dogs, survival games, or relaxing games where you make choices and see what happens, I think this is absolutely worth playing.
