Finding Light

Finding Light is a 2018 RPG Maker MV game and the third entry in the Knights of Ambrose series. Set two years after the disappearance of the Black Tower, the world is flooded by a new spire called Heaven’s Door, and Mari must gather allies to search for her missing friend Abbie and uncover the mystery behind the rising waters and the madness spreading among powerful beings.

Finding Light: A Retro RPG That Struggles to Shine

Finding Light is a curious entry in the RPG landscape—a deliberate throwback to the monochrome Game Boy era that aims to evoke nostalgia but stumbles under the weight of its own ambition. Developed by Joshua Keith as part of the Ambrose Saga series, this 2018 RPG Maker MV title attempts to capture the charm of early handheld RPGs while telling a story of loss, adventure, and cosmic mystery. Yet, despite its heartfelt intentions, Finding Light ultimately feels more like a rough prototype than a polished gem.

Development History & Context

Finding Light arrives in a gaming landscape increasingly dominated by high-definition visuals, sprawling open worlds, and complex narratives. Keith’s decision to strip away modern trappings in favor of a grayscale, 8-bit aesthetic is bold, even contrarian. The game is the sequel to Knight Bewitched and the third entry in Timeline 1 of the Knights of Ambrose series, continuing the story of Mari and her partner Abbie two years after their victory over Morgoth in Mari and the Black Tower.

The choice to use RPG Maker MV—a tool often associated with amateur or indie projects—signals Keith’s desire for creative control and a rapid development cycle. The monochrome pixel art and chiptune soundtrack are clear homages to the Game Boy era, particularly titles like Final Fantasy Legend and Pokémon Red/Blue. However, this retro approach comes with inherent risks: the genre’s early entries were often riddled with technical limitations, repetitive combat, and shallow mechanics—flaws that Finding Light inadvertently replicates.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The story begins with Mari, a forest fairy, waking to find her partner Abbie missing after the mysterious emergence of “Heaven’s Door,” a colossal spire that floods the world. Joined by allies like the cleric Keller, the rogue Stray, and the witch Malady, Mari embarks on a quest to rescue Abbie and uncover the truth behind the cataclysm.

The narrative is straightforward, almost to a fault. It hits familiar beats: loss, friendship, and the struggle against cosmic evil. The revelation that Gi, a monk in Mari’s party, is an incarnation of the god Zamas—created to spy on humanity—adds a layer of intrigue, but this twist is underdeveloped. Zamas himself, the game’s antagonist, is a bald god of chaos who despises humanity’s disorder. His motivations are thinly sketched, and his ultimate defeat feels anticlimactic.

Themes of identity and self-acceptance surface through characters like Malady, who grapples with her unconventional parenting, and Uno, who retires to raise his son Dylan. Yet these moments are fleeting, overshadowed by the game’s relentless pacing and lack of emotional depth. The dialogue is functional but rarely memorable, and the humor—such as a dated “What does the fox say?” joke—falls flat.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Finding Light’s gameplay is a mixed bag. The turn-based combat is simple and accessible, with characters learning skills through equipment and spell orbs rather than leveling up. This system offers customization but lacks the depth of more modern RPGs. Roxie, a spirit fox, can consume monster meat to gain abilities, adding a unique twist, but this mechanic is underutilized.

The game’s structure is linear, with players progressing through dungeons, battling random encounters, and solving basic puzzles. Random battles occur every few steps, a design choice that feels nostalgic but quickly becomes tedious. The difficulty spikes in certain boss fights force excessive grinding, and the lack of meaningful side quests or exploration makes the world feel small and static.

Technical issues further mar the experience. Bugs—such as getting stuck in walls or game freezes during battles—break immersion and frustrate players. The UI is clunky, and the lack of a robust tutorial leaves players to figure out mechanics on their own.

World-Building, Art & Sound

The grayscale pixel art is Finding Light’s most distinctive feature. The monochrome palette effectively evokes the Game Boy era, and the sprite work is competent, if unremarkable. However, the lack of color limits the game’s ability to convey mood or atmosphere. Environments are repetitive, and character designs are generic.

The soundtrack, composed of chiptune-style music, is functional but forgettable. The sharp, beeping tones quickly become grating, and the absence of dynamic music or sound effects diminishes the game’s emotional impact. The sound design, like the visuals, feels like a deliberate throwback but lacks the charm or innovation to elevate the experience.

Reception & Legacy

Finding Light received a muted reception. Critics praised its nostalgic appeal and tight pacing but criticized its technical issues, shallow mechanics, and lack of depth. Defunct Games awarded it a 71%, noting that while it works as a love letter to retro RPGs, it suffers from the same problems that plagued early 8-bit adventures. IndieDB users appreciated its retro aesthetic but found the gameplay repetitive and the story underdeveloped.

On Steam, the game holds a 91% positive rating from 22 reviews, suggesting a small but dedicated fanbase. However, the absence of critic reviews on major platforms and the lack of a Metacritic score indicate limited mainstream exposure. The game’s legacy is likely to be that of a niche curiosity—a passion project that resonates with a specific audience but fails to leave a broader impact.

Conclusion

Finding Light is a game of contradictions. It is a heartfelt homage to a bygone era of gaming, yet it is also a reminder of why the industry moved beyond those limitations. Its retro aesthetic and simple mechanics will appeal to players seeking a nostalgic experience, but its technical issues, shallow narrative, and repetitive gameplay prevent it from standing alongside the classics it emulates.

For fans of the Ambrose Saga or retro RPG enthusiasts, Finding Light offers a brief, if flawed, adventure. For everyone else, it is a cautionary tale about the dangers of nostalgia—how the past, when stripped of its context, can feel hollow and incomplete. In the end, Finding Light is a game that tries to capture the magic of the Game Boy era but, like its protagonist Mari, finds itself lost in the shadows of its own ambition.