Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Lightmatter (Video Game)

 Lightmatter (Video Game)
type
TVTItem
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
label
Lightmatter (Video Game)
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
page
Lightmatter
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Congratulations! You've been invited to the launch day tour for Lightmatter, the world's first infinitely renewable energy source! Unfortunately, the cornerstone of our operation, the CORE, has been a little overloaded and caused a catastrophic accident, but it's fine! Just make your way out of the facility in a nice and orderly fashion and keep yourself in one piece. You may notice some peculiar effects like hair loss or headaches while navigating our headquarters, but that's perfectly normal.....Oh, and by the by, please keep out of the shadows...Lightmatter is a first-person Puzzle Platformer Indie Game created by Tunnel Vision Games and released on PC via Steam on January 15th, 2020. Lightmatter puts you in the shoes of a Featureless Protagonist who awakens after an accident in Lightmatter Technologies. Having been left behind in the facility, you must now find your own way out, with only the guidance of the egotistical CEO of Lightmatter Tech, Virgil (David Bateson), to assist you.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })However, there's a bit of a snag in your escape: the shadows will eat you alive. Literally. To escape, you must light a way home, using any source of illumination that you can get your hands on: environment, lamps, photon beams, you name it, to solve scores of puzzle rooms impeding your path. Using the light and a little ingenuity, you may just be able to get out without a scratch. But be warned, as nothing in Lightmatter Tech is as it seems, and the dark hides many secrets...
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
fetched
2023-02-26T22:28:41Z
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
parsed
2023-02-26T22:28:41Z
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
processingComment
Dropped link to DieHard: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
processingComment
Dropped link to DoctorWho: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
processingComment
Dropped link to Hitman: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
processingComment
Dropped link to Portal: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_1aa08f77
type
Multiple Endings
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_1aa08f77
comment
Multiple Endings: In addition to the normal ending, there is a "secret" ending obtained by waiting 21 minutes in the lever room at the start of the final puzzle without activating Ellen's message. Virgil comes back and explains that the shadow anomalies have caused The End of the World as We Know It, but proclaims that he can build a new world with Lightmatter. The player is invited to join Virgil in his new endeavor, whereupon the player is pronounced the new "James".
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_1aa08f77
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_1aa08f77
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_1aa08f77
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2854b56d
type
Uncertain Doom
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2854b56d
comment
Uncertain Doom: Following the Final Boss, the remainder of the story is said by Arthur off-screen, with what happened to the protagonist unknown. Though, considering Ellen reassured them that they would survive the CORE's overload, they might be okay. It's just very hard to tell overall.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2854b56d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2854b56d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2854b56d
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2c77fae3
type
Darkness Equals Death
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2c77fae3
comment
Darkness Equals Death: Literally. Touching the shadows will result in you getting absorbed into them.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2c77fae3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2c77fae3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_2c77fae3
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_363f94c9
type
Awful Truth
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_363f94c9
comment
Awful Truth: The "infinite" energy that Lightmatter produces is actually the photon crystals siphoning energy from everything around it, including living beings and the shadows. When Ellen discovers this, she makes it her mission to finish what Arthur started and destroy Lightmatter, and ultimately entrusts the task to the player when she is unable to do so.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_363f94c9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_363f94c9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_363f94c9
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_3eed59a8
type
Explosive Overclocking
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_3eed59a8
comment
Explosive Overclocking: This is how the player destroys Lightmatter: by feeding it so much energy that it self-destructs. This is demonstrated earlier in the game with a miniature CORE that you destroy; while the explosion knocks out the power in the immediate area, the absence of a CORE renders the shadows harmless.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_3eed59a8
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_3eed59a8
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_3eed59a8
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_401d4116
type
Broken Aesop
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_401d4116
comment
Broken Aesop: The intended moral of the narrative is that the ends do not justify the means, since Virgil is willing to sacrifice entire cities to give humanity a brighter future. But the man who The Reveal tries to set up as having had the right idea all along, Arthur, tried to shut Lightmatter down by poisoning people and framing the phlebotinum as responsible. At least, if you believe Virgil, considering that the supposed 'poisoning' kept spreading even after he was gone.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_401d4116
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_401d4116
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_401d4116
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4378c556
type
Loose Canon
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4378c556
comment
Loose Canon: To the Cave Johnson era of the Half-Life / Portal setting, despite being owned by an entirely different company.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4378c556
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4378c556
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4378c556
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4966bf38
type
Perpetual Motion Machine
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4966bf38
comment
Perpetual Motion Machine: Lightmatter is basically this, as it has a 107% output of the energy used to power it. Unfortunately, No Conservation of Energy doesn't apply, and that extra energy has to come from somewhere...
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4966bf38
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4966bf38
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_4966bf38
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_504e271f
type
But Thou Must!
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_504e271f
comment
But Thou Must!: Late in the game, you come across a miniature CORE. Virgil frantically attempts to get you out of the room as quickly as possible, but the player is forced to push the highlighted button to activate the CORE before they are allowed to leave.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_504e271f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_504e271f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_504e271f
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5b1a2f4e
type
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5b1a2f4e
comment
Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Once you're within walking distance of the final switch to overload the CORE, Virgil begins begging you not to pull it, promising money or power, or even that he'd let Arthur take over Lightmatter in his place.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5b1a2f4e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5b1a2f4e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5b1a2f4e
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5f611b7e
type
Good All Along
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5f611b7e
comment
Good All Along: Arthur is initially portrayed in a very negative light by the narrative, with both Virgil and Ellen believing that he wanted to sabotage Lightmatter for his own gain. However, as described by Ellen's Apocalyptic Log, it's revealed that Arthur had genuinely good intentions, and was attempting to destroy Lightmatter because of the potentially disastrous consequences if it isn't shut off.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5f611b7e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5f611b7e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_5f611b7e
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_68068108
type
Evil Laugh
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_68068108
comment
Evil Laugh: Virgil lets one out as he traps the player and is about to kill them. Unfortunately, he didn't expect James being a Spanner in the Works.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_68068108
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_68068108
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_68068108
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_720e28a4
type
Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_720e28a4
comment
Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: The first mechanic you are introduced to is lamps, rudimentary movable objects that project light at long ranges. Halfway through the game, you instead use photon connectors, which project a beam of light when in sight of a power source. By the end of the game, you are introduced to puzzles that use both lamps and photon connectors.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_720e28a4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_720e28a4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_720e28a4
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_8e3b5b4d
type
Minimalist Cast
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_8e3b5b4d
comment
Minimalist Cast: There are no other characters besides Virgil, Ellen, and James. Arthur is mentioned repeatedly and is a major backstory character but never appears directly.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_8e3b5b4d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_8e3b5b4d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_8e3b5b4d
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_957e5fc2
type
Villainous Breakdown
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_957e5fc2
comment
Villainous Breakdown: The normally cool and collected Virgil goes absolutely ballistic when he realizes that you're trying to destroy his life's work.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_957e5fc2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_957e5fc2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_957e5fc2
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
type
Homage
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
comment
Homage: To Portal in particular, being a first-person puzzle game set in a future sci-fi lab that you must escape from and whose progress is being monitored by a Black Comedy Deadpan Snarker with strong sociopathic overtones.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_a1a1491e
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad22fa80
type
Apocalyptic Log
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad22fa80
comment
Apocalyptic Log: Midway through the game, you pick up tape recordings left behind by an engineer named Ellen, who documents her experiences working at Lightmatter Technologies. She soon discovers that Virgil's partner Arthur is planning to sabotage the Lightmatter project, and helps Virgil and James to get rid of him... only to discover that Arthur was Good All Along and that Virgil is neglecting the lethal effects of Lightmatter in order to advance his own agenda. Ellen thus makes it her mission to destroy Lightmatter in Arthur's place, but evidently never succeeds. She does, however, leave one final message for the person who will finish the job for her: the player.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad22fa80
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad22fa80
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad22fa80
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad4a45be
type
Final Boss
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad4a45be
comment
Final Boss: The CORE is functionally the final boss of the game, comprised of one massive puzzle room split into multiple individual puzzle rooms where the player must pull four separate switches to destroy the CORE.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad4a45be
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad4a45be
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_ad4a45be
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_b0a0108d
type
All Up to You
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_b0a0108d
comment
All Up to You: Ellen ends up entrusting the duty of destroying Lightmatter to whomever listens to her recording. That person happens to be you.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_b0a0108d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_b0a0108d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_b0a0108d
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c2cedc1c
type
Big "NO!"
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c2cedc1c
comment
Big "NO!": Virgil repeatedly screams these as you begin to overload the CORE.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c2cedc1c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c2cedc1c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c2cedc1c
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c3c18143
type
Hope Spot
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c3c18143
comment
Hope Spot: Any time you expect to escape the facility via an elevator. At the end of the game, Virgil instructs you to pull a lever to shut off the CORE. It works... for about five seconds, until it turns itself back on and it's revealed to be self-sufficient.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c3c18143
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c3c18143
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c3c18143
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
type
Shout-Out
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
comment
Shout-Out: Numerous references to Portal are scattered throughout the game, among them, Virgil makes a few jabs at Aperture Sciences' No OSHA Compliance , while a Turret and Companion Cube can be seen in a darkened room late in the game. The achievement "The cake is Alive" is an allusion to the "The cake is a lie" meme. Amongst the references, a radio can be found playing an instrumental version of Portal's "Still Alive" in Lightmatter's full version. Another moment that comes up is when Virgil receives a phone call from Cave Johnson himself out of nowhere, who quickly hangs up not long after the call begins. Virgil, to say the least, is not happy with this, cursing Cave under his breath. Upon finding a briefcase, Virgil mentions that before his work on Lightmatter, he did contract work, and that he was the best in the business, which doubles as an Actor Allusion too. The Achievement "Vashta Nerada" is the name of the parasites that live in the shadows in Doctor Who episode Silence in the Library; the name meaning "shadows that melt the flesh". Fitting, considering that the shadows in this game do exactly that. The description for the achievement; "Hey, who turned out the lights?!" is also a quote from the same episode. The "Now you're playing with power!" achievement is the slogan from this 1986 NES Zapper commercial. The "Yippie-Ki-Yay" achievement is named after the famous one-liner said by John McClane from Die Hard.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_c75df49a
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_cf5335c
type
Energy Absorption
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_cf5335c
comment
Energy Absorption: This is how photon crystals actually operate, by drawing energy from organic matter and darkness. This causes a cavalcade of problems, as much of Lightmatter Tech's staff who are working on the project lose their hair and are eventually afflicted with severe headaches in absence of light. This also results in the "shadow anomaly", where coming in contact with shadows near a CORE causes rapid cellular degradation, otherwise known as "getting vaporized".
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_cf5335c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_cf5335c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_cf5335c
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d0f0a80d
type
One-Word Title
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d0f0a80d
comment
One-Word Title: About the new power source on display at Lightmatter Technologies.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d0f0a80d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d0f0a80d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d0f0a80d
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d71d51fd
type
The End of the World as We Know It
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d71d51fd
comment
The End of the World as We Know It: The secret ending reveals that the shadow anomalies spread to the rest of the world at an exponential pace upon escaping the mountain, killing billions of people and essentially dooming humanity.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d71d51fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d71d51fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_d71d51fd
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_da8c447e
type
Unobtainium
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_da8c447e
comment
Unobtainium: Photon crystals, a unique mineral discovered in the mountain where Lightmatter is stationed. It has the ability to indefinitely produce light, but does so by absorbing the energy of organic matter and shadows around it.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_da8c447e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_da8c447e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_da8c447e
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dc579c91
type
Contrived Coincidence
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dc579c91
comment
Contrived Coincidence: Most of the game's events are the result of things "conveniently" breaking when they are necessary, thus forcing you to go through the bulk of the facility in order to escape.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dc579c91
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dc579c91
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dc579c91
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dcbe8a6e
type
Chekhov's Gunman
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dcbe8a6e
comment
Chekhov's Gunman: James, Virgil's security manager, who repeatedly communicates with Virgil from offscreen but never appears in person. When he finally does show up, he saves the player from being disintegrated at the last minute, giving them the opening needed to destroy Lightmatter.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dcbe8a6e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dcbe8a6e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_dcbe8a6e
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e3f34fb4
type
Featureless Protagonist
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e3f34fb4
comment
Featureless Protagonist: Nothing about the player is revealed aside from them waking up in a part of the facility that they shouldn't have been in in the first place. Virgil makes several assumptions about the player but it's ultimately never revealed who they actually are.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e3f34fb4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e3f34fb4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e3f34fb4
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e5421161
type
Expy
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e5421161
comment
Expy: Sticking to the Homage to Portal, Virgil is very clearly based on Cave Johnson from that series, and shares many of the same sociopathic remarks and Black Comedy one-liners as him.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e5421161
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e5421161
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_e5421161
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_f9f2c33
type
Running Gag
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: Virgil's "titles" for the protagonist. He initially refers to the player as a 'Tourist' and then moves to "Inspector" before changing to "Journalist", then "Assistant", then back to "Journalist", and finally, "Spy". Various manners of transportation breaking whenever the player comes into contact with them, typically elevators and bridges. Virgil spends much time lampshading this.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_f9f2c33
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_f9f2c33
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_f9f2c33
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_fd4f8299
type
Well-Intentioned Extremist
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_fd4f8299
comment
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Virgil. He wants to create infinitely renewable energy to save the future of mankind, but he'll do anything to do it, including sacrificing potentially countless human lives to the shadow anomaly or killing one very persistent video game protagonist.
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_fd4f8299
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_fd4f8299
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_fd4f8299
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_name
type
ItemName
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_name
comment
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_name
 Lightmatter (Video Game) / int_name
itemName
Lightmatter (Video Game)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Indie Game / int_dbe48164
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
Minimalist Cast / int_dbe48164
 Lightmatter (Video Game)
hasFeature
No Conservation of Energy / int_dbe48164