How Lowlight works

What is Lowlight?

Lowlight is a top-down shooter for two to eight players in the half-dark. You see the map from above like a floor plan: light concrete floor, hatched walls, stencilled lettering on the ground. But you only see what lies in your line of sight. Behind walls it is black, and enemies there aren't even drawn – until they step into your view.

That makes Lowlight a game about corners, doors and patience. Run blindly into a corridor and you often run straight into a barrel. Know the map and hold your angles, and you win. Lowlight runs in your browser, on computer and phone, with no sign-up and no download.

Controls

Computer

• WASD – move
• Mouse – aim, left click – shoot
• Space – dodge (dash)
• R – reload
• Tab – scoreboard

Phone

On a phone there are two sticks: the left one to move, the right one to aim and shoot. On top come buttons for reload, dodge and scoreboard. On a phone you see a slightly smaller part of the map so that everything stays large enough.

The weapons

Carbine

Everyone starts with it. 30 rounds, about ten shots per second, 17 damage per hit. Reloading takes a second and a half. The first shots land precisely; with sustained fire it spreads more and more, and it is also less accurate while you move.

Shotgun

Lies on the map to be picked up. Each shot fires nine pellets with 12 damage each – point blank, a sure kill. The effect drops off quickly with distance. Ten shells, after which you have the carbine back in your hands.

Marksman rifle

Also a pickup. 100 damage – one hit is enough. It shoots very accurately and very far, but needs a little over a second between shots and spreads noticeably while you move. Six rounds.

Medkit

Restores 50 health and is back 15 seconds after being picked up. Weapons respawn after 20 seconds.

Dodge

Space makes you leap quickly in the direction you are moving – about three times as fast as running, for a short moment. After that the dodge needs a little over two seconds to recharge. It is your tool for getting out of a line of fire or crossing an open area.

Rules

Every player has 100 health. If you are taken out, you leave a chalk outline on the floor and rejoin after three seconds, briefly invulnerable. You play free-for-all or in two teams, to 10, 20 or 30 kills, for 5 or 10 minutes at most.

The maps

Both maps are built from tiles and are point-symmetrical: the bottom half is the top half rotated by 180 degrees. So each side has exactly equally good routes, cover and weapons.

• Warehouse: a storage hall with partition walls, wall blocks and a loading zone. Lots of passages and short sightlines – if you come around corners here, the shotgun serves you well.
• Yard: blocks of buildings around an open yard in the middle, with alleys in between. Sightlines across the yard are long – a good place for the marksman rifle.

Multiplayer

One player creates a game and gets a five-character code. Friends open Lowlight and type it in – or you send them the link. You play directly between browsers (WebRTC), and the host's browser runs the match. Bots fill empty slots or are your opponents when you practise alone.

Strategy and tips

• Hold corners instead of rushing. Whoever waits at a corner sees the enemy first. Whoever runs around it sees them second.
• Stay in the dark. Shooting draws attention. After a fight, change your position.
• Save the dash. It takes a little over two seconds to recharge. Waste it just to get around and you won't have it when it counts.
• Reload before the corner. Walking into a room with a half-empty magazine often ends with a reload in the middle of a fight.
• Short bursts. The carbine's first shots land, then it spreads. Pause and re-aim.
• Control the weapons. If you know when the marksman rifle respawns, you can wait there.

Common beginner mistakes

• Running through the middle of open areas instead of along the walls.
• Chasing an enemy after hitting them – they are waiting behind the next corner.
• Firing the shotgun at long range.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I see some enemies?

That's on purpose. You only see what your character can actually see. Enemies behind walls stay invisible, even when they are very close.

Can I play alone?

Yes, against bots. They, too, only see what lies in their line of sight.

What is saved?

Your name and sound setting stay in your browser's local storage. There is no account.

Behind the scenes

Lowlight runs 60 steps per second. The host and each player call the same function with the same inputs so your own character moves without delay; if something does differ, the host wins. The host checks hits by rewinding: it looks up where the enemies stood at the moment the shooter saw on their screen. One detail on the side: empty shell casings stay on the floor. Once they come to rest, they are painted into the ground and cost no computing power after that – after a long fight there is brass everywhere the battle took place.