{"id":199263,"date":"2022-08-26T08:56:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T06:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sftarticles.wpenginepowered.com\/en\/?p=199263"},"modified":"2025-07-01T20:30:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T03:30:07","slug":"hostlight-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/hostlight-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Hostlight Review | Entertaining light puzzle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hostlight is a puzzle adventure game,<\/strong> developed by ESDIP_GAMES and published by Selecta Play. It was officially launched on July 22, 2022. The main theme revolves around ascending a tower<\/strong> by completing levels filled with colors and light<\/strong>. As you progress up the tower, the puzzles become more challenging, testing your brain to the limits.<\/p>\n\n\n

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This casual game will have you busy for hours as you work out how to align beams, mirrors, and other items<\/strong>. You\u2019ll also learn how to mix colors using light<\/strong>, so there\u2019s a small level of education involved. It\u2019s entertaining, and you won\u2019t want to stop once you start. Welcome to my Hostlight review<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising in the Hostlight tower<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics. Hostlight has a small story element<\/strong>, that is — you\u2019re a character trying to get to the top of the tower<\/strong>. While your motivation isn\u2019t known, you\u2019re surely determined to get there. You\u2019ll also have some help along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meet your robotic host<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While Hostlight could have gotten away with simply giving you tooltips for how to play, the developers decided to put in some extra work. You\u2019ll meet a floating robot<\/strong> on the first level that\u2019s happy to help you on your journey. Once you have the basics down, it will head back to doing maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you ascend the tower, you\u2019ll see why the bot is so busy with maintenance<\/strong>. Many of the platforms have fallen over, making the puzzles more challenging. However, the robot is always ready to come and tell you about new ways you can solve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rising tower<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The primary goal of Hostlight is to reach the top of the tower<\/strong>. Perhaps you were a wayward wanderer that stumbled upon the magnificent structure called the Needle. While I don\u2019t want to spoil it for you, all I\u2019ll say is that the robot and puzzles do start giving you more details about the building and why you\u2019re ascending it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hostlight<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A play on colors and light<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I love colors, specifically in light, and how they combine to form rays<\/strong> of new colors. Hostlight feeds my joy by letting you manipulate the primary colors to create secondary ones<\/strong>. It\u2019s an epic journey with puzzles where you learn how to mix them, following the lines and displays before you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How many levels are in Hostlight?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the moment, there are just over 20 levels<\/strong> in Hostlight. It took me about ten minutes for the first two levels, but then the third level took me almost just as long as the two together. Every level becomes increasingly more challenging <\/strong>and longer to play, and you\u2019ll easily rack up to 8 hours or more, depending on how quickly you solve the levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Solving puzzles in Hostlight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You now have a rudimentary overview of Hostlight, and I\u2019m sure you can tell I like the game a lot already. Next up, I want to cover the primary gameplay elements<\/strong> so you can see what playing the game is like. I may even give you some tips and tricks along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning how to play Hostlight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your friendly robot<\/strong> will always be around to show you how new items work <\/strong>on different levels. You\u2019ll never reach a point where you discover a new object and wonder what it is and how to use it. Besides appearing to help you, there are also noticeboards on the stages<\/strong> that give you hints as to how it works. From there, you need to solve the puzzles with only your brain power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hostlight<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Moving light beams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, the main gameplay mechanic in Hostlight is moving beams of different colors<\/strong> onto spots that power pedestals via cables. Once you place the correct color, the game releases a puzzle piece for the central elevator. There are four types of beam spotlights<\/strong>: completely fixed, vertical movement only, horizontal movement only, and free movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Herein lies the one and only gripdI have with Hostlight. When using the keyboard to move the beams, you have to wiggle up and down or left and right until the light finally lands on the designated spot. There\u2019s no smooth movement<\/strong> as with the controller, so you may need to juggle around until you get it where it needs to be. Even just a light tap can send it too far to the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Using mirrors and refractors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A fun element that appears in one of the early levels is working with mirrors<\/strong>. You need to shoot the beam onto one of them, and then head up to turn them so the light lands where it should. There are also different types of mirrors that work like the spotlights, with limited and free movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, you\u2019ll meet what I\u2019m calling refractors<\/strong>, as they refract the light at different angles<\/strong>. It\u2019s certainly more complicated than mirrors, as the lights enter on one side, combine in the center, and then exit on the other side. You\u2019ll need to find the right angle <\/strong>for the beam to land where it should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hostlight<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Manipulating and combining light<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I mentioned primary and<\/strong> secondary colors<\/strong> before. There will be times when you need cyan, magenta, yellow, or white light. If you look closely at the platforms holding the hidden puzzle pieces, you\u2019ll see they have color charts <\/strong>to show you what to mix to get specific colors. By the fourth level, you shouldn\u2019t need those anymore, as you\u2019ll be used to the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solving the puzzle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how you complete levels in Hostlight. You know those puzzle pieces I mentioned that you find when beaming the lights? They belong in the elevator with yellow light in the center of the level. Once you place all of them there, you\u2019ll need to align them to match the shadow<\/strong> on the floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be tricky at first, but you\u2019ll quickly get the hang of it after a few levels. There are six directions<\/strong> you can turn each piece. The game even lets you highlight only that piece\u2019s shadow on the floor so the other shadows don\u2019t confuse you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hostlight<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Similar games to Hostlight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a few games I can think of that have similar casual elements<\/strong> to Hostlight. The one that springs to mind the most is Real Myst<\/a><\/strong> with its puzzle elements. If you\u2019re looking for a more recent entry, then Recursive Ruin<\/strong><\/a> is probably the closest in magnitude. Two Point Campus<\/strong><\/a> has the same casual game style, but you won\u2019t deal with puzzles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PC requirements for Hostlight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, Hostlight isn\u2019t too demanding <\/strong>when it comes to PC specs. While you\u2019ll need at least Windows 10, it plays perfectly well on Windows 11 without any performance issues. The requirements for the graphics card aren\u2019t too high, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n