Recolit is a brief puzzle game of an astronaut finding his way through a town that never moves on from night, filled with people made out of light. Read on to see what the game did well, what the game didn’t do well, and if it’s worth your time and money.

Recolit Review Overview

Recolit Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Simple Puzzles That Make Sense Cozy Art and Atmosphere	Gameplay Lacks More Variety Too Short

Recolit Overall - 64/100

Recolit is a bite-sized short story in the form of a game with a bittersweet narrative, simple gameplay mechanics, basic spriteworks, and serviceable audio. Though it is by no means a bad game, it falls short due to its length and the underwhelming sense that there could’ve been more depth and intricacy involved. However, for what it is, Recolit is a brief and enjoyable time spent.

Recolit Story - 7/10

Recolit’s story, although brief and bite-sized, is very charming and is akin to the feeling of reading through a short story in one sitting. It’s self-contained and well-paced, regardless of its overall length and slow in-game walk speed. Though, as short stories go, its faults lie not in what it has, but what it doesn’t have. Though very cozy and alluring, Recolit falls short of having more depth, unable to leave a more lasting impression. However, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the story that exists, as it’s still a good bittersweet tale of an astronaut crash landing onto a town in perpetual darkness.

Recolit Gameplay - 7/10

Recolit is rather barebones in the gameplay department, being a simple side-scrolling pixel indie game where you have to find the correct item/agent and bring it over to its corresponding goal/reactant. However, Recolit made the most of this simple system and constructed very simple but almost challenging puzzles that were rather engaging. Most importantly of all, contrary to other games in the genre where a found item might serve some very obscure and unknown purpose, every time and puzzle in Recolit makes perfect sense, and also serves to further the narrative.

Recolit Visuals - 7/10

Recolit doesn’t have the most high-fidelity visuals, even for a modern pixel-graphics game where most in the genre have been churning out amazingly intricate portraits and sprites. However, its sleek and basic sprite and environment designs are aptly cute and perfect for the story it wants to tell along with the simple and effective gameplay. All in all, the basic art style and design brought out a cozy atmosphere perfect for the kind of game it is.

Recolit Audio - 6/10

There is an abundance of sound effects(SFX) present in Recolit that serve to immerse players further with all the everyday objects being found and used. However, a glaring absence has to be music, as though there are a few tracks sprinkled throughout the game, there were major downtimes and gaps of silence that felt devoid. Though this could have been a purposeful implementation of using silence to instill the eternal nighttime slumber of the city, it was used very frequently which made the absence of music apparent numerous times throughout.

Recolit Value for Money - 5/10

As good and bittersweet an experience Recolit is, the $14.99 is not entirely defendable. The entire game can be completed in a single sitting, the gameplay, although good, is rather simple, and there is an underwhelming feeling of completing the title that makes one go, "Wait, that was it?" Recolit is still an adequate game, but it is not worth the full price.

Recolit Review: Short, Cozy, Sweet, and Underwhelming

Let me get this out of the way first and foremost: Recolit is by no means a bad game. It’s perfect for what it is, which is a short story in the form of a video game – easily digestible and quickly experienced within a single sitting. Short stories do not need to be contrived or lengthy or world-shattering, and only serve to be brief consumable encounters. However, video games are a different medium, and as such Recolit must be treated as a video game. Though there are other titles of the same narrative-driven pixel art genre that can be completed in one sitting, Recolit is far from the heights of old RPG maker games such as the To The Moon series in terms of compelling stories. However, it makes up for it with its basic but unique implementation of its puzzle mechanics.

Throughout the story, you will meet various characters made of light who will be in need of help, and of course, as the player and protagonist, you willingly have to help anyone you find in your way. The gameplay is simple enough that you merely have to find objects, pick them up, and use them in combination with other objects to progress. However, the twist is that, in a town perpetually in darkness, you need light sources to interact with ANYTHING. You may speak with any light beings you wish, but any object you see in the darkness cannot be reached, and you must find a way for light to reach them. Littered across the world will be sources of light you can use, or light that will only shine once you complete certain tasks. It seems rather simple, but it progressively gets somewhat complex as you move onto later chapters, with tons of intertwining quests and objects you must find purposes for.

The story is somewhat bittersweet too. Without going into too much detail, it’s a very relatable tale of longing and recollection, wishing for things to just go back the way they were.

However, even with all of those caveats, there’s still something underwhelming about Recolit as a whole, and it unfortunately boils down to the game’s length. It definitely feels like there could’ve been more done with the lightsource mechanic, as well as more complicated puzzles using the more variants of objects. Recolit’s faults lie not in what it has, but what it feels like it should have. Reaching the ending fills you with a sense of, "Wait, that was it? I kinda wanted more…" There is big potential for another narrative-driven game with these implemented mechanics, and I can only wish for the developers to do so and build off of the untapped potential in Recolit.

Pros of Recolit

Things Recolit Got Right
Simple Puzzles That Make Sense Cozy Art and Atmosphere

Simple Puzzles That Make Sense

Recolit has very simple mechanics of finding items, picking them up, and using them at appropriate times and places. It gets a bit more complicated when you realize you can only interact with any items and objects when there’s a lightsource nearby. That includes picking them up and placing them on the ground. The simple lightsource mechanic paves the way for easy puzzles to be a bit more challenging, but not by much. However, the mechanic gets really creative at certain points in the game while still making sense logically AND for the story. It fits really well for the title’s overall theme of lights, and turns Recolit from a basic puzzle game into a good one.

Cozy Art and Atmosphere

Recolit is filled with cozy looking sprites and environmental artwork that feels relaxing all throughout. It perfectly serves to portray the city under constant nightfall with liminal spaces of empty roads, passageways, halls, corridors, and the like, where the absence of bustling crowds is perfectly felt. The citizens being abstract creatures of light with low levels of detail are unique and clever, subtly hinting at the narrative unfolding as one progresses through.

Though the art style is simple and direct, it perfectly serves the identity and essence of the game, and perfectly captures the feelings and atmosphere it wishes to immerse players in.

Cons of Recolit

Things Recolit Can Improve
Gameplay Lacks More Variety Too Short

Gameplay Lacks More Variety

Though the gameplay can be praised for its excellent use of its basic mechanics of only being able to interact with objects if there’s light around, this mechanic stays consistent throughout the game and doesn’t really stray away from the formula. Though the lightsource mechanic is unique and leads to interesting puzzles late in the game, it doesn’t really implement any other variant by the end, leaving a somewhat underwhelming sense of "I feel like they could’ve done something more with that."

Too Short

Needless to say, Recolit is rather short, as it can be entirely completed in one sitting even with all the extra side-objectives such as taking out the trash. It can easily be completed within 2-4 in the initial playthrough, depending on how much one stalls and how quickly they figure out the puzzles. It’s divided into four different chapters of varying length and difficulty, but they’re easily done once you brute force your way through enough. The game’s length definitely adds to the underwhelming aspect of it, feeling as though it had more potential to continue further with more different puzzles. However, perhaps the story had to conclude where it was, and that was a hurdle the developers did not intend to jump over.

Is Recolit Worth It?

A Light Maybe, but Wait for a Sale

Recolit is definitely a good game that is recommendable for anyone interested in such a bite-sized experience. It has a good open-ended bittersweet story, clean art direction with an immersive atmosphere, and interesting straightforward gameplay. It’s not meant to be revolutionary, but a brief short story of a game meant to be consumed in one sitting as an experience. On that basis, Recolit is very worth it, but not for the full asking price of $14.99. Those who wish to support the developers can freely purchase at full price, but those only seeking to dip into the game and are not wholly committed to play it, around half would be the best asking price.

Recolit Overview & Premise

You are an astronaut who has crash-landed in a mysterious town where night seems to be permanent. The townsfolk made out of life all shimmer and glow as they normally go about their normal lives, seemingly blissfully unaware of the dark skies that hang over them. The astronaut will meet various townsfolk requesting your help, which ranges from handing them a drink, helping them find their lost friend in the station, or completing a museum’s stamp card.

Fulfill as many requests as you can and follow the strange girl who met you on the beach where you crash landed, and figure out what brought you to this strange town.

Recolit FAQ

How Long To Beat Recolit?

Recolit can be finished within 2-4 hours of playtime depending on the players’ ability to solve the puzzles.

How Many Chapters in Recolit?

Recolit has four chapters in total. The first chapter takes place through a residential area, the second within a train station, the third throughout several floors of a museum, and the fourth and last being across an apartment complex.

What are Recolit‘s System Requirements

Game8 Reviews

Recolit Product Information

Title	RECOLIT
Release Date	February 16, 2024
Developer	Image Labo, Mauridice
Publisher	Image Labo, yokaze
Supported Platforms	PC(Steam)
Genre	Adventure, Puzzle, Pixel Graphics
Number of Players	1
ESRB Rating	N/A
Official Website	Recolit Official Website

Clark Jason Kong

Growing up playing all sorts of games, they love playing a little bit of everything, all of the time. Favorites include Counter-Strike, Life is Strange, Final Fantasy, Spiritfarer, and Devil May Cry.