The core loop of "The Lamplighter" consists of the following three mechanics.
Players have to move around and make use of environmental elements and light-related abilities in a level to overcome obstacles, such as dark orbs and shadow moths.
Players have to light up the sconce by collecting all the light orbs as the Lamplighter, or light up lamps using Flit’s inner flame. Doing this will remove the obstacles in their way and allow them to move forward.
Players have to establish dialogue with NPCs to understand the storyline, figure out their character and motivations, and make decisions that will change the ending of the game.
This game is made up of 6 chapters, a total of 46 levels. Players have to go through at least three loops in order to finish all levels and unlock the hidden ending.
Before the end of each loop, in the temple, players will make a major decision — support either the mentor or the gods, using the information they collected in the game. This is true of all loops except if the players have unlocked the hidden ending. Players' decisions in loop 1 and 2 will affect the game flow of loop 3. The hidden ending and chapter 6 become available only after players have aligned with both the mentor and gods at least once. If players are in loop 3 and have already cleared chapter 4 and 5 in another iteration of the loop, they can skip these 2 chapters and go to the final level directly.
A level in this game consists of three parts: dialogue (highlighted in orange), the Lamplighter's mission (highlighted in blue-green) and Flit's labyrinth (highlighted in yellow). Shadow moths (highlighted in blue), which might impede the player’s way, only appear in chapter 2 and 3. This does not preclude the existence of a level with multiple Lamplighter/Flit sections, or a level without either one.
Please refer to the Chapter and Level Design section for details of the level structure and elements in a level.