Are you ready to step out of the light? Find out by playing Candleman, the 3D puzzle platforming game, released today in over 28 regions including North America, available for $14.99 USD exclusively on Xbox One. From publisher E-Home Entertainment and developer Spotlightor Interactive, as part of the ID@XBOX program, Candleman features lush environments, dynamic lighting and fantastical challenges that respond to the introduction of candlelight in the ever-oppressive darkness. The premise is elegantly simple: help a small candle find his way through the dark with only 10 seconds of candlelight available per level.
In Candleman, players travel through nine chapters of awe-inspiring and mythical adventures, a total of 36 levels that become increasingly difficult to explore and navigate. They must beware of dangers in the dark beyond deadly falls and running out of candlelight – Candleman will need to surpass raving furnaces, bottomless depths, menacing ghosts, massive machinery and more throughout his journey to find the distant light. While Candleman drips precious candlewax on the floor from illuminating his wick, he gains one major advantage – the decreased weight allows him greater maneuverability and jumping height to leap over obstacles.
“Candleman is an important project for Spotlightor Interactive since the game is subtly expressive of the Chinese culture’s introspection of contemporary life”, explains Gao Ming, co-founder of Spotlightor and creator of Candleman. “Even though the game’s adventure is contained inside of a magical world, it focuses on the internal struggle of seeking out purpose in a world juxtaposed by light and darkness.”
Helping to bring Candleman from proof-of-concept to a fully-realized game has been the work of E-Home Entertainment. “It’s been our pleasure to work alongside Gao Ming and the team at ID@XBOX to grow the original vision behind Candleman into the expansive, fully-realized adventure experience it is today. Together, we’re very excited to see how fans around the world fare within the fantastic adventure we’ve created for them.”
Candleman was originally created as an entry into the Ludum Dare game jam competition by Gao Ming, with the theme “10 seconds of light.” Emerging from the event as an award winner in several categories, Candleman went on to receive additional recognition on the web from Kongregate as well as within ID@XBOX, allowing Spotlightor to develop the game into a full-length adventure. After launching previously in China, Candleman is now available in 28 regions including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.