Sights & Sounds
- Despite seeing all the fancy looking gameplay footage and screenshots, it's hard to appreciate just how good this game looks for a new studio's first effort. The rippling water, the dense swaying foliage, and especially the use of light help to bring the game world to life. The game doesn't have to look as nice as it does, but I appreciate the devs' efforts
- There is no voice acting, but the sound design is otherwise fine
- The soundtrack is appropriate but forgettable

Story & Vibes
- You control a small sentient candle who awakens in the bowels of an abandoned ship. You're the only lit candle, and certainly the only one that is walking around
- Eventually you spot a lighthouse on the horizon, and your aspiration to shine more brightly draws you to it, kicking of a perilous journey
- You play as a candle in almost exclusively dark environments, and the music is all very somber. This leads to a very 1-note moodiness throughout the game until the more optimistic ending

Playability & Replayability
- Candleman plays as a isometric/top-down 3d puzzle platformer with a fixed camera. Each level is a simple get-to-the end affair with some candles you can light along the way (both as a collectable and additional sources of light). You can also burn brightly to light your environment, but note that you risk burning out if you do it to much. While this seems like a simple proposition, the genre comes saddled with a few issues
- First and foremost is camera angle while jumping. In basically every 3D platformer since Mario 64, judging distance while jumping away from the camera (especially at an angle) can be frustrating. There were numerous times I felt like I would clear a gap with distance to spare, but wound up hitting the edge of the platform and splatting to my death
- The other downside comes from the puzzle platformer gameplay. That isn't to say I have a bias against puzzle platformers; on the contrary, I love them. But one can only endure so many weight balancing or door switch puzzles before everything begins running together
- While I'm happy that the devs didn't fill the game with a bunch of tedious additional collectables, there isn't much reason to retread your steps if you lit the candles in each level. There's some achievements for time trials, but I'm fine leaving those unearned

Overall Impressions & Performance
- The visuals are nice, but there's just not much else that makes Candleman stand out. It's fine enough for a single playthrough, but there are other puzzle platformers out there that will do more to engage your mind and reflexes while still looking good
- The game ran well on the Steam Deck

Final Verdict
- 5.5/10. Looking nice can really only take a game so far. Candleman is a competent game, but not one that will excite you in any way