The Red Lantern

I have been waiting to get my hands on The Red Lantern ever since the announcement trailer back in March of 2019. Initially, this trailer prognosticated a summer of 2019 release date, but summer of 2019 came and went, as did summer of 2020.

Fast forward to fall of 2020 and we finally have a release date for The Red Lantern. Thankfully, it’s just around the corner. The Red Lantern is set to release on Nintendo Switch ($24.99) and the Epic Games Store (on sale for $19.99 through 10/29/20) on October 22.

I have been champing at the bit to play this game. Before The Long Dark finally released on Switch, The Red Lantern was the only such survival game on the horizon that looked like it would scratch that very specific itch on the Switch. And although both games share a similar art aesthetic, and both take place in a frozen wilderness, The Red Lantern looks to set itself apart from other games in this genre with a slew of dogsledding game mechanics.

The Red Lantern

In The Red Lantern, you must survive as the player character while also facilitating the survival of your five-dog sled team after getting lost during you run of the Iditarod. There isn’t much info regarding what survival will entail, but it looks like hunting and some form of foraging are in the cards. Given the frozen setting, I would imagine that warmth will also factor into your odds of survival.

It also sounds like you can choose your dogs from a selection, which sounds like a lovely touch. I suspect you will be spending a good amount of time with your dogs, bonding and surviving, so it only makes sense that you’d get a say in which ones make the cut.

The dogs will no doubt prove to be one of the games stronger emotional elements, and thankfully, it looks like you can pet them. Lord help me, though, if any of my dogs shove off to doggy Heaven I might end up being a total wreck (you can turn dog permadeath off if you choose, which sounds very tempting).

The Red Lantern

There’s no word yet on whether there will be a standalone survival sandbox mode to offset the more story-focused campaign, and although I’m not holding my breath, it would be a welcome inclusion. Either way, I am always keen on playing yet another survival game, especially one that adds a fresh take on the genre.

You can check out the latest trailer for The Red Lantern below.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x