The Town of Light is a psychological adventure game set in a real location, the Ospedale Psichiatrico di Volterra psychiatric hospital in Tuscany, Italy. The protagonist, Renée, was an inmate at the institution starting in 1938 and explores the abandoned hospital in 2016 through interactive flashbacks, switching between present and past moments as moments are relived.
The game's story is largely linear, but with a few twists, featuring elements such as Experience (written accounts), Memories (short flashbacks), and Medical Records (documents that can be consulted). Renée makes choices that affect the story, guiding her through events and interpretations. The game consists of fifteen chapters, each acting as a checkpoint, with save systems based on certain choices.
Gameplay revolves around exploring the hospital and its surroundings using a first-person perspective. Renée interacts with the environment, opening and closing doors and windows, and examines objects to gather information. The player can rotate and zoom freely, with a flashlight available in dark environments.
The game features a synopsi menu that stores elements of Renée's background and life story through documents, flashbacks, and events. Optional discoveries and events are also present, and the branching storylines introduce new events and approaches to situations, encouraging replayability. Puzzles are often environment-based, requiring interpretation of hints and audio cues.
Throughout the game, Renée's mental illness and hallucinations are a central aspect, with the player left to interpret many aspects of the story. The themes and events are suspenseful, but without horror elements or fail state situations. The game is exclusively intended for adult users due to its mature content and themes.