Fight the darkness with a stick
Lianthus is a free indie adventure video game developed by dev_dwarf over at itch.io. In the game, you play the role of a skeleton that was risen from a shrine by a witch. Armed with little more than your wits and a stick, you’ll have to save the world from creeping darkness.
Gather your sunflowers
Lianthus is an interesting adventure game developed by dev_dwarf. It's a charming world full of witches, magic, and power.
The game's unnamed protagonist is a hulking skeletal figure, awakened from its eternal slumber by a bumbling witch. After following her cat, you’ll stumble into a dark mirror-world beneath our own. There, you’ll begin to regain your powers, starting with a big throwing stick.
Unlike many adventure games, Lianthus is light on dialogues and reading. Instead, it tells its story visually, little by little. The game features retro pixel art graphics, which are uniquely expressive and very effective in this genre. Sound design is generally excellent. The soundtrack is on point throughout the game and very enveloping.
Storywise, it follows a setup similar to classics like Ori and the Blind Forest. Our protagonist awakens to find the world under threat, and only they can save it. Visually, though, it’s a far cry from Ori. Lianthus is more like a gothic Roseblight, with A Short Hike gameplay.
The camera system is notoriously inflexible though. It’s a semi-fixed 2.5D camera and can completely obstruct your view at times. Also, the lack of any kind of tutorial or explanation of the interface when starting the game means that figuring out the controls can be confusing for first-timers.
Where can you run this program?
Lianthus is fully compatible with computers running Windows 7 and higher. Older versions of Windows aren’t guaranteed to be able to run the game, though it may be possible.
Is there a better alternative?
No. While there are many fun adventure and exploration games out there, like A Short Hike, Lianthus stands out as being rather unique. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience and story.
Our take
The game is short, easy to play, and very fun. If you enjoy adventure games and visual narratives, Linathus will be right up your alley.
Should you download it?
Yes. It’s a lightweight game with hours of entertainment and very low system requirements. It's definitely worth giving it a shot.
