Espacio Cosmic Light-Seeker

Genre: RPG / Misc.

Players: 1

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Review:

Espacio Cosmic Light-Seeker, released on Nintendo Switch in 2021, is… weird. I suppose if I were to categorize this game, I would say it is some sort of RPG, possibly a Dungeon Crawler or even a Board Game, but really there’s not anything else quite like it.

Players find themselves in a dark void where they encounter the game’s primary helper character, Cellular. Cellular informs you that this is a place where humans do not belong, and your life will gradually sap away as long as you stay here. Your only hope is to find the exit to this place, the Light that serves as the exit to the dungeon and the goal of each of the game’s levels.

However, your map isn’t super-helpful in this regard, and so players must track down the Light themselves, with Cellular’s help. This involves some detective work, as in each level the Light has a distinctive sound, smell, and set of colors, so as they wander through the void, they must gather information about the Light’s properties, and then use this information to pick up on the trail to track the light down.

Pretty much each square on the map contains an encounter of some kind. These encounters can contain a friendly character, a shop, some other oddity or occurrence, or a hostile enemy or hazard. Some encounters will tell you outright something about the Light, or contain tracking information for multiple things that could be the Light. Some encounters will have you making a choice – do you ask the anthropomorphic piece of sushi for advice, eat it, or bring it with you? Do you spend money on the shopkeeper’s wares, or offer to trade them an item? In some cases, a hostile encounter can be nullified if you have the right item, and in other cases a friendly encounter can turn hostile if you offer the wrong item to someone you encounter.

As such, much of the gameplay here isn’t about fighting enemies (there are no “battles” per se, just hostile encounters that deduct from your life), but about collecting knowledge about the world you find yourself in. Red went Northwest but Blue went East? Hmm… I’ll have to remember that for when I find out what color the Light is. The Light in this level smells like flowers? Good to know! The walking fish will try to kill you if you offer it sardines? Okay, I guess if I get any sardines and if I meet the walking fish, I’d better not do that.

In its best moments, this game has players feeling like they’re a detective on the trail of a mystery in a bizarre setting with some very odd characters. However, too often this game’s encounters seem arbitrary and unpredictable. There’s no warning if the square you’re about to walk into is a life-threatening hazard, often no indication what items are better to trade and what’s better to hold on to, and ultimately this means that your fate can seem up to pure chance.

The presentation in this game is one of its charms, with players encountering hand-drawn 2D characters in mostly black and white (save for times when color is specifically a part of the gameplay), and with those characters being both cute and strange and a little unsettling all at the same time. This is all backed by a minimal atmospheric soundtrack that’s not memorable but does a good job giving this game a unique mood.

In the end, I kinda’ like Espacio Cosmic Light-Seeker, and I give it massive credit for being unlike anything else out there. However, I also recognize that this game is not going to appeal to everyone. In particular, I expect that the highly random nature of the gameplay will be frustrating to some players. However, for those who want to try something truly unique, something with elements of Dungeon Crawlers and Board Games and detective games, with a heavy helping of strangeness… if all of that appeals to you, it may be worth your while to give Espacio Cosmic Light-Seeker a try. After all, at only $3.50, it’s not going to be an especially risky purchase.

tl;dr – Espacio Cosmic Light-Seeker is a strange game that has players moving through a grid of rooms in a dark void trying to track down the Light that serves as each level’s exit. The game has elements of Dungeon Crawlers, Board Games, and even elements of detective games, but more than anything it’s very weird. This game won’t appeal to everyone, in part due to how strong a part chance plays in the gameplay. However, those seeking something truly unique will likely find this game to be worth the $3.50 price tag.

Grade: C+

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