How to enjoy Hollow Lantern without ruining it

Hollow Lantern is best played blind, so this is less a walkthrough and more a set of gentle nudges for when you're genuinely stuck and about to reach for a full spoiler guide.

First rule: read everything. The notes scattered around the lighthouse aren't flavor text, they're the puzzle solutions. That lock on the upper floor that stumped half the internet? The combination is written on a wall two rooms below, hidden in plain sight.

Second rule: the game rarely wants obscure logic. If a puzzle feels like it needs a leap of faith, you've probably missed an object or a note. Backtrack instead of brute-forcing.

Finally, play it in one or two sittings with the sound on. The atmosphere does half the storytelling, and chopping it into tiny sessions kills the mood. It's only about four hours, and it's worth giving it your full attention.