Game Review: Static Dread: The Lighthouse (Xbox Series X)

Developed by Solarsuit Games and published by Games Harbor, Static Dread: The Lighthouse is a Lovecraft inspired game that combines psychological horror with simulation and resource management gameplay. If all of that wasn’t enough, it also has the player making constant decisions that affect the story which can result in numerous different endings. It might not look like much initially, but it is a game that has dark depths, where wicked things wait.

The story surrounds an aurora, which has soaked the sky and caused global issues, particularly with navigation. Forced to go back to old-fashioned processes, the harbour authorities re-open the Outsmouth island lighthouse, and send you, the player, to man it. Your goal is simple. Listen to the radio, wait for ships to signal you, and then guide them to the correct port.

It sounds simple enough, except the end of the world is coming, and you have a big part to play in how things pan out. This lighthouse is way more special than anyone knows and across fifteen nights, you’ll discover just what that means.

The story behind Static Dread: The Lighthouse is one of its strongest points, with many twists and turns along the way. Not only that, it features tons of branching paths that means even after several playthroughs, there’s still more to experience. What happens if, instead of insisting that no-one comes inside the lighthouse, no matter how desperate, threatening, or seductive they are, you let everyone in? What happens if you stick rigidly to the job demands, regardless of the cost? What happens if you obey the sinister voice barking orders at you across the radio?

These are just some of the ways that Static Dread: The Lighthouse’s story can change, and I found it be so appealing, especially as it comes soaked in Eldritch horror.

Gameplay though, is not quite as strong.

The main component of gameplay involves guiding ships to ports and each night, how this is done gets more challenging. At first, it’s as simple as plotting out the course, and sending over the instructions. Later, you’ll need to check IDs and incident types before sending ships to ports, and near the end, you’ll have to carefully navigate complex routes, mined areas, and decide who sounds like a cultist, and who doesn’t. It’s surprisingly well done and easy to understand, once you get to grips with it.

Its flaws become apparent quite quickly though. As it’s quite a repetitive process and even though it might seem like you’re making life and death decisions, there’s not enough weight behind that. Often, your only punishment for sending a ship to its doom, is a $30 fine. Hardly meaningful.

Although you will want money as you’ll need to pick up supplies if you are to survive the long and dark nights. Which brings me to the next part of gameplay, one that leans heavily into the horror side of things.

There’s an entity in the lighthouse, and it wants to be free. So, it’s trying to drive you mad. Not only leaving twisted scribblings on the wall, but turning out the lights, shutting off the generator, and even sending shadowy tentacles your way. Let all of this consume you, and it is game over. Which also applies to falling asleep. You have to keep an eye on your tiredness and sanity throughout the night too.

Happily, to make things easier, you can consume food and drink items before and during the shift. Not only do these items improve your mind and stamina levels, but they can help give you a boost, so you don’t fall asleep. Certain characters will also sell you certain items that help improve your stats. Such as the coffee maker that helps you stay awake for longer or the radio that plays music to help you concentrate. Clever touches that help make the lighthouse feel more alive as each night goes on.

Yet, once again, it doesn’t take long for the flaws in this to become apparent with the most notable being that the entire thing feels more like a distraction then an important gameplay element. The more you play Static Dread: The Lighthouse, the more repetitive things become, and the horror side of things is severely lacking. Not only because the same events cycle over and over again, but because the resource management is so basic that it’s harder to fail than it is to survive.

To be honest, having to stop giving ships navigation forms to eat a fish, banish a dark tentacle, or get the light mechanism working again, ended up becoming quite tedious. Especially as the lack of time management meant that I never felt under pressure to sort out the problems inside in case it had an effect on what was going on outside. A ship that is waiting for navigation will wait until you’re ready.

What’s the deal with the closet too?

The story hooks, the gameplay doesn’t, and this does mean replay value isn’t quite as extensive as it could have been. Simply because it’s hard to want to play it over and over when you’re going to have to put up with tedium. It’s a rare example of a game that really should have been shorter. It’s not a bad game though and it nails a lot of what it was going for, in particular, atmosphere. Something the comic book style visuals and haunting sounds add to. I like it, I just don’t love it.