The Lamplighters League - Review After 100%

Talking about the latest tRPG from harebrained schemes, The Lamplighters League, after doing all of the things!
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:02 Overview
01:45 Technical State
02:36 Story Set Up & Thoughts
04:05 Difficulty
05:20 Game Structure
07:31 Progression Systems
10:40 Gameplay & Combat
19:55 Steam Deck Compatibility
20:46 Positives/Negatives
23:22 Conclusion
24:30 Wrap Up
Intro Music By Juan Andrés Matos, www.juanmatosmusic.com/
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#gaming #gamereviews #trpg #lamplightersleague #harebrainedschemes

[@travispierce4458]

I’m confident that the contract allowing you to 100% games so quickly is found behind a DC30 wall panel in the House of Hope.

[@MortismalGaming]

Just 30? Anything below 35 seems like an insult tbh.

[@wbeytel]

​@@MortismalGaming😂

[@karlklein2263]

this seems like a good wishlist game to pick up on sale over christmas or some other holiday. always glad to have more entries in the genre

[@cachorrofilosofico]

It is on gamepass.

[@cachorrofilosofico]

@@blshouse its just a fact, what u do is ur problem.

[@HistoryTeacherSteve]

​@@blshousewhat a childish comment

[@Astronaut_Zero]

@@blshouseTell us you don’t understand how money works, without telling us you don’t understand how money works.

[@cleebe6905]

@@blshouse The dude was just informing you, I was also waiting for sale priceon this game until I realized it was on Gamepass on release. It is an objective way to save hundreds of dollars per year if you like games of all genres.

[@mindParalysis]

Your dedication at reviewing games after 100% is very respectable. I like the XCOM feel of this game and am so happy that turn based games are becoming more popular these days! Will definitely give it a shot!

[@NeostormXLMAX]

I wouldnt say this is turn based, its more like tactical topdown rpg, weve already had mutant and miasma chronicles release with almost the exact same mechanics including the stealth ones except that one is more linear and story and quest focused

[@dutyfreeadventures5924]

I'm happy to hear this review... So many reviewers don't seem to even get to the core mechanics where you recruit other characters and earn new abilities.

[@joelmitchell7597]

I sincerely hope that your rush to 100% doesn't diminish your enjoyment of games, in general. Thank you for sharing.

[@grok8211]

It diminishes the quality of all the reviews he does,

[@hombreg1]

@@grok8211 nah, Mortim is great

[@dasphoenixable]

The setting seems cool, but mechanically this doesn’t seem like it’s for me. Thanks for the great info Mort.

[@synthetiCore]

My thoughts as well.

[@Baraz_Red]

Your description of the difficulties is really useful. As a completionist, who hates timers, I will go for normal (Adventurer) whenever I play this (probably not this year to be frank).

[@VanBurenPhilips]

I love HBS' Shadowrun and Battletech games, but there's always something holding them back. The save issue here reminds me of Battletech's in-game interface which got painfully slow late game, and Shadowrun's save/load menu seemed to get slower the more saves you have (?) Very fond of this studio but I wish they could sort this stuff out.

[@shawngillogly6873]

The menu issue is a classic Unity optimization problem. As is the Recon mode stuttering. Maddening to me that a decade into using Unity, they still don't optimize on release.

[@ChristmasLore]

Same goes for BG3...I erase saves daily...and it makes me ... uneasy, never been a issue but still. Imagine a reviewer like him with hundreds of saves...the sheet loading time ...(but then, he has an high end pc, maybe it's better than on my entry level laptop pc)

[@shawngillogly6873]

@ChristmasLore Yeah, wondering if too many saves on BG3 causes issues. Because I've had a few nasty, full restart the PC, crashes I've seen no one talk about. This despite being able to maintain 60fps on Ultra.

[@jmmywyf4lyf]

​@@shawngillogly6873those are usually temperature related, and that's your Hardware protecting itself

[@etienne8110]

​@@ChristmasLorejust cut paste your save files to a file outside of bg3. You get to kep your files if shyt happens on your play and keep the game smooth. It is a patch to a problem, not a cure, but it works 😂. At least until larian can figure/fix this.

[@TheCraitor]

I’ve been following your channel for almost a year now and I really enjoy it. I’m currently playing Borderlands 2 and just started Battle Brothers which is probably one of the more complex games I’ve played ..keep up the good work👍

[@Lumios_UA]

Awesome video! Thank you for such a detailed review!

[@tlbignerd]

This was exactly what I was looking for, and what I was thinking after playing the demo. I loved Mutant Year Zero and Miasma Chronicles for the sneaking and controlling before battles, and this seems similar. The battles and stages feel more clunky, and I agree it's worth waiting until it goes on sale. I'll probably hop in and play it in a few months to a year.

[@vinniecorleone62]

I have been looking forward to your take on this new game! Thanks for the comprehensive review my friend!

[@View619]

Thanks for your review, this seems like one to pick up after a few updates fix the issues. And probably on sale as well.

[@Van-qp7eh]

I've always been a fan of Harebrained Schemes' games, but I'll have to give this one a few months, maybe a year, before I start it. Thanks for the insight Mort!

[@KasparL]

there are multiple reports of losing progress and save on the xbox gamepass verison with no way to recover just a heads up

[@estebanjvidal]

One thing that seem to have helped me, is saving on multiple campaign slots and overwriting the Save slot inside. I tried that after a Paradox support suggested overwriting on steam discussions ( its XBOX gamepass only issue and working on it but they replied on steam when someone reached through there more easil) I do save in another campaign after some time just to have a "backup" too in case, but the issue did not reoccur to me after doing this (only using one save slot).

[@wicketd7730]

Appreciate the thorough review. I have been playing the game on xbox and I have really enjoyed it but I have run into a couple of crashes. For me the game is a net positive but i have never played a game in this genre before so I don’t have much to compare it to.

[@shawngillogly6873]

I'm a TRPG fan, and the game is net positive still. Between the Undrawn Hand and how it integrates stealth and combat, along with interesting characters, it offers enough...just. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope for more than "just enough" from HBS.

[@erikskoog8415]

Well on the sale list it goes! Good show sir

[@HighFunctioningMedium]

nice! I'm not seeing anybody review this one so this is very welcome

[@bi_smth]

Great review as always. I love HBS esp for introducing me to Turn Based through Shadowrun but ig I'm gonna wait out til the game is polished and updated. My PC is on the lower end so I always have to minimize crash risks.

[@DSMTyralion]

Well done as always!

[@cbake52]

Gonna give this one a few patches before picking up

[@DEUS_VULT_CROATIA]

Bro your voice is perfeqt for this kind of content. So chill and full of harmony. I love everything about your person , from what you have told us. A strong character 💪 you are.

[@bigego503]

Enjoyable review, as always. I have this on series x and, thus far, no tech issues. It's a strange thing when console is smoother than pc; I'm curious if that will continue. In passing, will mention again that I would love to see you review all the Xcom games, which this reminds me of, just a bit. Good vid

[@nojuanatall3281]

The big issue with PC is the shader compilations. It will only become more common that a console version will run better from the starting gate.

[@jamesclark9494]

Thanks for another great and informative review.

[@HillHomeGaming]

Been enjoying this one so far. My only gripe is that it doesn't run very well so I'm hoping for some more optimization patches to come in the future.

[@Seba-rr3dx]

Thanks for the informative review! I'm having fun with the game but it indeed has issues. A question I could not figure out: is it possible to stop the signal towers from teleporting new enemies into battle? Hope they will patch the game a bit, especially the exploration mode is awful. And that collecting text and other pieces of intel has no effect ad all (not even the text beeing put into a sort of collection) was a bit disappointing. But all in all I like the game.

[@technophobe0790]

I just started this game and I can definitely see the influence of the Shadow Run series.

[@Adam-xd9tr]

Glad to hear that the gameplay itself is good, though it's a shame that it has several technical issues. I was really looking forward to this since I love the XCOM games and the "pulp fiction/Indiana Jones adventure" style is something I wish we saw more of in both games and movies. Guess I'll be waiting for a sale, or at the very least some patches before picking it up.

[@randomusernameCallin]

I find that it is a much faster pace for this style of game. It is nice know you can get back to where you were sooner but is also encourage using one party which has been an issue with these games need to deal with.

[@PR2k9]

I think the thing that makes this game stand out among other CRPGs is actually not the Undrawn Hand but rather character builds. The Undrawn Hand is implemented quite well and it is a separate skill tree with a heavy RNG element to it. I've only played a handful of other CRPGs (Battletech, Divinity OS, Wasteland 3, Baldur's Gate 3, and of course the Xcom series) but I found that Lamplighters' character building is head and shoulder above all those. It has the skill tree, tech tree (allies), gear, consumables, Undrawn Hand, and build/character synergies to make a character play in a variety of ways. On the other end of the spectrum Xcom has very little build diversity so it plays significantly differently. Neither approach is better or worse, rather they provide very different experiences. Xcom plays more like a chess game since every class/character plays almost identically with every play through (yes, you can go down different skill tree paths but essentially there are 2 or 3 builds per class compared to half a dozen or more very very different builds per character in LLL). Lamplighters gets you to think about making new builds with each subsequent playthrough akin to making new builds in Diablo/other ARPGs. I don't think about new builds in Xcom on subsequent playthroughs.

[@AyarARJ]

This was on my wishlist and I couldn't tell if it would enjoyable for me. It's a genre and gameplay style I generally enjoy. I greatly appreciate this comprehensive review. I have developed an aversion to timers. While Firaxis XCOM games are pretty easy, I think Phoenix Point put the nail in that coffin for me. Beyond the various other initial weaknesses--these often do get addressed after bit, we can wait to purchase even If Mort cannot, and best to see how post-release support will shape up in a timely fashion, or not--I think I will remove this from my own wishlist. I have a backlog of games I'm going to 60% right now.

[@zakroishikov]

Thanks for the review.

[@Alexandragon1]

Thx for the video!

[@Daviddododo]

Definitely going to wait for the sale or at the very least patches that fix the game's bugs and such. Was down to pick up the deluxe too, but after hearing about its technical issues, I pulled back my excitement

[@billc.8569]

I am loving the game so far. The recon mode is really my only complaint. Haven't had any crashes yet but I am still early in the game. I did think the asking price was a bit high but because of the style, I really didn't want to wait for the price to go down.

[@wernernel7223]

Another great review. Thanks and keep it up. I believe it was in your Elden Ring review you said you use a gamepad. Can I ask which one?

[@sodapopinksi667]

If you want one that will last, I recommend getting one with 2nd gen hall effect joysticks. There are a lot of them now and later, and they don't cost like the elite. Back buttons are good for Souls-like games. Again, not expensive if you look.

[@MortismalGaming]

I use a gaming keypad, I said it weird in that video. I used to use an Orbweaver but they stopped making them so I use a Tatarus 2.0 now

[@cleebe6905]

Great review as always. I will try it on Game Pass.

[@Jasta85]

Thanks for the review, going to wait for a sale as it's a bit pricey at full price and that should hopefully give them time to iron out the performance and balance issues in future patches.

[@cykeok3525]

It's on Gamepass!

[@cykeok3525]

I'm playing it on Gamepass atm, then purely to fund devs that I like, I'm going to buy it on Steam when it's on sale later, too. I'm not flush with cash, but I do what I can.

[@mikeuk666]

​@@cykeok3525just use gamepass. They get their money from there anyway

[@DNDmaster29]

Keep up the great work

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

Playing it (Series X) on GamePass right now and absolutely loving it. My only beef is performance; the jittery, sluggish tactical cam and the occasional hard crashes to desktop (one of which happened as I was leaving a completed mission!) are a bummer…hopefully to be patched out ASAP. Otherwise, the setting, characters, plotline, solid (if not groundbreaking) mechanics are all excellent, IMHO.

[@moralesjourneyman]

Have you had any issues with the game not saving?

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

@@moralesjourneymanNo issues there!

[@DarrenRoberts123]

Have you seen 'every day we fight'? Looks like an interesting game and certainly one you'd be interested in with it's turn based system. Haven't seen it mentioned in many places or your games to look out for list.

[@MortismalGaming]

I have, I'm keeping an eye on it, still a little early imo, but if it makes its 2024 release date I'll be talking about it

[@lyrrakell]

Your review is pretty spot-on. It's a decent trpg but nothing ground-breaking. I did find the interface on PC quite clunky and slow--probably due to catering to controllers. I play these games a lot, so I did my first playthrough on Survivor and got through it without much trouble. Mainly, I had to ignore most recruit missions to deal with threats and rush the story missions, so I think that's sort of a bummer in that you have less game to play on the harder difficulties (compare to something like X-COM WOTC where you can eventually stabilize your threat meter, even on the hardest difficulty and explore every aspect of the game). Though, I didn't realize you would get a 'last chance' mission when the threat meter maxed out, so maybe that is a viable way to just delay things--I don't know. I also think there is little replayability. Maybe to see some of the characters you miss, but otherwise, meh. It's not interesting enough to go through again as there isn't a lot of mission variety.

[@kingfreedom160]

I would like to point out to anyone planning on getting this on Xbox that not only are there bad crashing problems on it (Especially if you play it through quick resume, it will crash at the end of a mission every time, at least for me it did), but it also has a very bad bug that will delete saves. I had to redo an entire mission twice because all of my manual and autosaves for the mission specifically got deleted all the way back to the mission's beginning after I had completed the mission. I'm also having the same issue in the next mission over. Buyer beware until they roll out a couple bug fixes.

[@JustHereForDaContest]

i started on hardest difficulty and going on week 14. Gotta say the difficulty is getting scary and like half the enemies at this point are immune to takedowns

[@Mikester88]

Love this games aesthetic!

[@NotaVampyre111]

I just got this and a free download of one of the characters on Steam. It was on sale and while I don't normally play this type of game I do like it. I think the hot fixes or patches may have fixed some of the issues you have mentioned. I'm not sure though, I am just to the end of the second mission.

[@Shikao87]

Definitely waiting for a sale

[@kaidorade1317]

This game is on gamepass so it’s a no brainer! Also anyone else think of Little Lamplight from FO3 when you see this title?

[@DCM68W]

Given your appreciation for the previous work by Harebrained Schemes and the role it played in kick-starting the CRPG genre, I expected you to treat them with kid gloves.

[@kida4313]

I wish they'd do more Shadowrun

[@Waffletigercat]

I love the aesthetic of this game.

[@javiernovoa8756]

Thanks for the insight. Maybe they'll patch some of the errors. Either way I'll wait till sale.

[@ThomasPaine01]

Buy it on sale! Yessir!

[@johnnykeener3727]

Playing on PC, no crashes, cool game.

[@alias_alias4548]

Absolutely loved this video! Has the BG3 video dropped yet? If not, do we have a release date? I'm genuinely thrilled to see your hard work being recognized and welcoming so many new subscribers to your fantastic KZbin channel!

[@MortismalGaming]

Not yet, probably still like a month out, just a few too many new releases I'm trying to juggle right now

[@alias_alias4548]

@@MortismalGaming I'm eagerly looking forward to the BG3 video! Although it's hard to wait for a whole month, I'm excited for all your upcoming 100% reviews, especially the one on BG3. Your game tests are always a highlight and I'm thrilled to see what you have in store for us next!

[@coconutologist]

18:41 is there any other way to play? Onward to 300k. All glory to the algorithm.

[@chriseggroll]

I've been wanting to see what they would put out after Battletech, but the look/feel of this isn't really my thing. I might try it on sale but doesn't look like it has a deep story which is what I thought they did well in Shadowrun. They're probably never going back to Shadowrun but it would be nice to see what they could do with it given a bigger budget since they are now owned by Paradox.

[@TheNinthFaith]

ty

[@sebastiansochanski]

👌

[@AMDGBananaBen]

I really wanted to like Lamplighters League, played it thanks to Gamepass. On top of the performance bugs, I just don't want to wait a few months for the game to be in a mostly bug free state (was getting the savegame bug before recent patch too) and felt that the lategame difficulty was more tedious than interesting. Having said all that, the characters are cool and the potential build variety is excellent, arguably on par with modern X-com (not even mentioning what fun combos you can do with the cards).

[@nwordjoe9356]

If it's still on game pass in a few months lmao. Apparently the game really really underperformed and didn't sell well at all. So now the company has to write off 22.7 million dollars cuz they are 100% confident they are not going to make their money back. Plus it's kinda boring af

[@AMDGBananaBen]

@@nwordjoe9356 Yikes, it's pretty unfortunate for them but again not unexpected. I'd imagine they probably sold the license (to Gamepass) for at least a year or so, would be surprised if it vanishes faster than that, average is normally about 2 years from memory.

[@Heldermaior]

This is basically the Arkham series of boardgames in digital form. Arkham horror LCS is really good.

[@Amdor]

For me there were no crashes so far (about 8 hours), but I had unpleasant bug where when I activated dlc after starting campaign, my new recruit had no way of getting her skills improved (game stated she has 0 out of 0 skills) annnd had to restart to get her to work.

[@ffaristocrat]

Midnight Suns had the same issue with its DLC characters initially too.

[@hananiahmoore]

Soon as this game becomes playable on xbox, ill be all over it

[@R3GARnator]

This is why I always wait for a sale before buying games.

[@mikeuk666]

Gamepass

[@JamesTillmanjimthegray]

weird my pc is not that beefy but no lag issues , wonder what can cause it

[@MarkTheLeo]

Just want people to know, as I'm not sure if it affects all platforms, but there is a major save bug that causes you to lose your saves. The current fix is to have only 1 Manuel save file. Having more causes the game to have issues with the save files being too big, thus not saving your game. I lost 3 to 5 hours of gameplay, going from Week 15 to Week 11, having to do all the missions over again. I thought I was losing my mind, but it is an issue that is addressed but is a major deal breaker for some.

[@PadreMarceloR]

I have this issue. But i didnt know that was because of the save file. Só maybe i can delete the past saves and stay only with one. I Will try that, because ive already erased from the hd. But i was having so much fun and was waiting for a patch for the save bug.

[@lunattyyk]

Looks interesting, will pick it up on sale, the price rn is way too high

[@Sleepless4Life]

Wow this reminds me a bit of Xcom. Think I'll wait a but for purchase till the game is matured a bit aka patched up. Seems like fun. Defo goes on my wishlist.

[@Thunderbeer604]

Please do a tier list for agents.

[@rikusalo6873]

is it more stable now? its -50% on steam

[@elliotfrost8412]

So easy mode doesn't make combat easier it just makes the pace easier right?

[@shawngillogly6873]

It reduces enemy numbers. Survivor increases them over Adventurer. But if you only engage on your terms, that doesn't increase mission difficulty terribly.

[@Robert-yt9pq]

I think it's a fine game. I like turn based combat. Reminds me of Fallout 1 and 2. Wasteland is like that too, i think. Game Pass Ultimate is the best way to play.

[@TheoreticalString]

I'm gonna pick this up at $30. Hopefully at that point it'll have the performance issues patched. Also I hate the "character behind paywall" junk. Exceptions for expansions that add a ton of new content because of course new characters are going to be a part of that, but just 'pay for a character' feels terrible.

[@Cameron_David_]

Agree that agent recruitment is the biggest problem but I assume that is kind of intended so people do multiple playthroughs

[@stefanburczymucha8772]

but why later agents are harder to level up ? strange decision

[@shawngillogly6873]

@@stefanburczymucha8772 Because in a custom start, you can choose which agents to begin with. So that way you can run them the next time.

[@stefanburczymucha8772]

thank you! @@shawngillogly6873

[@catmonarchist8920]

I would kill to have your work ethic lol.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

It seems that this game will itch the scratch for many XCOM fans!

[@Throrface]

Are you planning to review Assassins Creed: Mirage?

[@MortismalGaming]

Not really, I havent played an AC game since 2

[@AWY-LO]

Would be boring to grab 1000 collectibles just for 100%.

[@quietchase]

Game is very fun

[@ceno10101]

the review makes me think of the "Arkham Horror" board game, but as a video game.

[@TheGronkus]

Gronk!

[@traviseicher9118]

Do you know time lord science?

[@Yetersiz_Bakiye_Kulubu]

Although I was interested in the setting, I couldn't push through first 15 minutes which gave me a lazy writing vibes with the dialogue. Also performance problems in my series X. I am watching the review now, curious what Mort thinks

[@richardclark6858]

Just got it for half price on steam with all the patches and dlc..😊

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

Sounds pretty typical for Hare-Brained: bug fest with tons of minor annoying stuff at launch, HOPEFULLY polished via patches into a classic later.

[@rickb7646]

My game crashes on extraction almost every time on XSX

[@jarrodhroberson]

I played the demo level on a 6900XT and 128GB 5900X and had the same issues crashes on the same things and extremely low fps in the same scenarios.

[@miguelgomes6849]

have a 3080ti and have stuttering and ridiculous bad performance in this game wtf

[@ggs4869]

does 100% mean platinum or just do most content?

[@sodapopinksi667]

He always means all achievements on PC, so platinum if you are on ps5

[@ggs4869]

@@sodapopinksi667 thx

[@shawngillogly6873]

It includes the achievements. But is more than that. He has a whole video on what 100% means.

[@Quincy_Morris]

My biggest concern is that the game doesn’t expect you to fail missions. One of the cooler at things about XCOM was balanced so you were supposed to lose about 20% of your missions, and lose a soldier every half dozen missions or so. So a lot of the fun of the game was knowing when to retreat and recovering from a team wipe etc. This game doesn’t seem to have any of that as your squad and roster sizes are so much lower and character loss seems like it’s supposed to be very rare, where recruitment is a permanent upgrade, not something to recover from a loss like in XCOM or Darkest Dungeon. Which is a real shame as it seems to have all the other XCOM ingredients that made it good. Like a good doom clock and strategy layer, which was my issue with Darkest Dungeon: the lack of a well balanced doom clock. Are these concerns justified?

[@shawngillogly6873]

Actually, the game does expect you to lose agents. It just gives you a way to rescue them after. At a cost. And there definitely is a fail state for both the game and missions.

[@pascaldifolco4611]

Game at 50EUR plus the D1 DLC for 8EUR made it a no go for me I'd wait for a sale on full game under 40EUR

[@shawngillogly6873]

FWIW, pretty sure Jagged Alliance 3 was ~50 too. So unfortunately, it seems the new normal. Especially for games like these 2, which have essentially full voice acting for (which always adds to cost). On the whole, I like the game, and HBS has shown they'll stand behind a game long enough to make it great. And the plus side of the Paradox DLC model is that they also are quite disinclined to pull the plug on a game early. So this is going to get support. The issue I have is that I can't shake the feeling this needs a bit more. The campaign isn't anywhere near JA3's 100+hrs. Which means it does avoid mid-game TRPG slog. But the only replayability is turn up difficulty and/or use different heroes. Which is kinda...meh for a TRPG. So yes, I really like it. But even for me, I gave it a soft buy on Steam.

[@MortismalGaming]

The 'new normal' means nothing when games offer less content with the same mechanics. Rising prices means rising expectations. When I can spend $30 on older games that play and look effectively the same, then why would anyone buy one that is more expensive and has less content? It's good, I liked it, but this won't sell what it needs to for $50. Which is a moment where I think something like gamepass shines.

[@BenchongDy]

Dude, this came out October 3. 3 days ago.. Man...

[@Dermetsu]

I've enjoyed Battletech and their Shadowrun trilogy, but the day 1 DLC and performance issues means this one is a "wait for a discount."

[@onatgz]

free comment.

[@Masked-Hero-Acid]

xcom game systems with shin megami tensei premise

[@graceypatrick]

Ok now this is really cool. Is this on PlayStation

[@MortismalGaming]

Just xbox and PC I believe

[@Momoka7]

Nice Review! But this isn't my cup of tea, I hate overall time limits.

[@yaosio]

You didn't wait for me to answer what's going on you. You're mean.

[@SA80TAGE]

I can't see the name LampLighter without thinking of The Boys. lol

[@SpoonyBard88]

The game is really awesome but it's such a technical mess I could not finish it.