Lamplighters League may have officially failed, according to publisher Paradox Interactive, but developer Harebrained Schemes hasn’t stopped improving the pulp strategy adventure since its introduction. The latest free update is probably the biggest yet, adding new playable characters. And a new event system.
Launching to mixed reception in October, Lamplighters League blends tactical turn-based action with real-time stealth in a globe-trotting adventure inspired by classic 1930s pulp stories and players control a heterogeneous group. Rogues trying to stop an occult-obsessed cabal known as the Court of Exile.
And as of today, with the launch of Lamplighters League’s 1.3 update, the number of playable rogues has increased by one with the arrival of Isaac Greymoor. Described as “a short-tempered, lead-throwing mercenary who wields a deadly light machine gun to devastating effect,” Isaac is the Sun of Lord Greymoor, former leader of the Lamplighters League.
Despite falling into the melee-focused bruiser category, Isaac is equipped with a light machine gun that spits out a rain of bullets when fired, generating heat and additional damage. However, the more Isaac rips, the more likely he is to overheat, and when that happens, Isaac himself begins to take damage.
After installing the free Isaac DLC (which, it’s worth noting, must be downloaded from your chosen storefront separately from today’s 1.3 update), Isaac will be available from the next agent recruitment mission found . He can also be selected by the player as one of his four starting agents when starting his custom game.
Elsewhere, The Lamplighters League’s 1.3 update introduces a new event system that comes into play when viewing activity on the world map after a mission. Most weeks, players receive a Fate event that provides a mini-story that focuses on the League’s adventures outside of missions and expeditions. Each contains choices on how to resolve the event and determines the rewards the player receives for aiding in the fight against the Exile Court.
However, in some cases, players may encounter house events. House events differ from fate events in that they typically require resources to resolve. However, by doing so, the player can slightly shake up the balance of power between his three houses in the Court of Exile, but if they choose to do nothing they will instead gain a slight advantage. It will be. And wrapping up his 1.3 update today is a series of bug fixes detailed in Harebrained’s patch notes.
After today’s release, it’s unclear how many more updates The Lamplighters League will receive before development officially ends. Paradox announced its parting ways with Harebrained in October, shortly after admitting the game was a commercial failure, and said the studio would only continue supporting The Lamplighters League until the end of 2023.
For me, when I saw The Lamplighters League on Eurogamer earlier this year, I thought it was a very uneven experience. At its best, this is a “sublime atmosphere and richly rewarding tactical adventure” – as I wrote in my 3 out of 5 review – but with bland maps, uninspiring mission objectives , and is too often let down by woefully underdeveloped real-time stealth. Still, I really enjoyed The Lamplighters League the moment it found its groove, and I was eager to come back after a ton of updates to see how things were improving.