The heroine of Til Morning's Light got locked inside a haunted house without any advanced notice, but that doesn't mean you need to go in with her unprepared. Help Erica out of a tight spot and get the most out of the experience with these handy tips.
Turn on the lights
Haunted houses tend to possess a certain spooky ambience, and the mansion of Til Morning's Light is no exception. You're going to have to be able to see around nooks and crannies as clearly as possible in order to find the items that you need, however; you could be missing clues or walking in circles for a while if you don't give yourself a hand. Go into your "Display & Brightness" settings and be sure to turn off the "Auto-Brightness" setting so that you can enjoy this game even during non-daylight hours.
Don't get twitchy
Til Morning's Light is about as scary as an episode of Scooby Doo, but by the time you start collecting creepy dolls and hearing unbidden animal howls in murky hallways, you might start feeling a little twitchy. Calm down when you're in combat, though, because this game does not favor speedy reflexes; resist the urge to tap or slide too fast when you see dots and arrows appear. I've played too many twitch shooters, so I can hardly resist tapping the screen as soon as I see anything appear; it took a lot of trial and error before I trained myself out of my speedster ways.
No rhythm? No problem
I've seen the combat of Til Morning's Light described as a "rhythm game" over and over — but it's more of a visual timing game. Your attack coordinations don't ever line up with the combat music, although it might be easier if they did! Even though the game recommends using headphones during the loading screen, you won't have any trouble defeating enemies even when your device is on silent. All you need to do is watch carefully. I assume headphones are recommended for the sake of the spooky sound design and ace voice acting; they're not necessary for honing combat skills.
Read the letters — and pay attention
Sometimes clues in 'Til Morning's Light involve counting, as in the screenshot above, or entering numerical combinations based on codes you find lying around. You'll need to pay attention to more than just numbers in this haunted house, though. Some clues will require you to actually read and absorb the content of the letters and journal entries you find, and to think critically about what the words might connote. In other words, some of these puzzles are pretty darn tricky.
Save up for the shopkeeper
The first offerings from the shopkeep may not be impressive, but eventually, he'll start to offer you combat skills and gold-collection tools. Save your money for the moments when you really need it. Don't waste your gold on the in-game hint system, either — that's what search engines and online walkthroughs are for!
Remember where you left your tools
The map in Til Morning's Light may be its biggest downfall: In big rooms, it can be unclear based on the map which door you need to exit, and since the door-opening animation lasts a while, going in the wrong direction can cause frustration ... especially when you're looking for something you need. Since you can only hold one weapon or tool at a time, and picking a new one up requires you to drop whatever's in hand, you'll have to remember what room you left each item in. For example, you'll often need to circle back to grab a shovel again in order to dig up keys and coins in gardens and graveyards, so make sure to note where you left yours after a recent dig. If you need an item to complete a level objective, the game will occasionally clue you in on its location, but if you're just digging around for extra cash, you're on your own.
What did I miss?
Have you been enjoying the creepy corridors and goofy ghosts in Til Morning's Light? Which keys couldn't you find? Which statues couldn't you place? Which boss stumped you the longest?
