Lamplight City
Lamplight City
Game
Game2014
A Golden Wake
Developer Grundislav Games
A Golden Wake is an adventure game developed by Grundislav Games. The game was released on October 9, 2014. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
231 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 2, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
74
Fresh
142 positive · 51 negative
95% range 67–79%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 142 | 51 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 12 | 0 | 16 |
| Mastodon * | 6 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
204 of 276 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
74% recommend · 142 yes, 51 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 193 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (267 of 355 positive).
Players praise the unique 1920s Florida setting and historical story. [1][2][3] Some find the game too linear, short, or lacking in puzzles. [4][5][6] Voice acting and pixel art are generally well-received. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [12]
Read all those reviews saying this game is boring. They are right. Unless the topic of the 1920s Florida land boom heavily interests you, stay far far away from this one. Nearly an hour into this game, I found myself bored to tears by: 1) the extremely dry way the topic was presented; 2) nothing exciting happening; 3) the lack of drama/mystery; 4) the complete lack of connection to the game's lead and any of its …
- [1]
I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this game. When I saw that my main character was a real estate salesman, I almost groaned. Oh yay! A point and click on selling real estate! What could be more fun!?!? And like an idiot, I uninstalled this game and didn't touch it for over a year. This is not just a story about some guy trying to find homes for people, this is a story about the rise of Alfie Banks during the …
- [8]
Although the gameplay feels offensively casual, the game delivers a strong flavor of inspired work. Mini-games are unusual and interesting, the graphics is pleasant to look at, and the voice acting is outstanding. Frederico Gonzales had made a great series of free Ben Jordan the Paranormal Investigator games (which I would strongly recommend to any adventure games fan), and The Golden Wake is a fine addition to that …
- [4]
6/10 disadvantages - too linear story - very closed world - short story - unintuitive use of items advantages + game requires using your brain + interesting story + atmosphere (pixel graphics, digital music) + interesting period and place Did you think about going into real estate market? Sure you did! That is why you're reading those reviews. A great adventure game in atmosphere of games created in 80s and 90s. See …
- [2]
Fantastic game... AGAIN another masterpiece from Wadjet Eye Games. A Golden Wake fictionalizes the 1920s Florida / Miami land boom and bubble burst through real characters and one fictional character named Alfred Banks, a real estate agent whose fate is linked to the rise and fall of the real estate business. You'll learn and remember a lot of real historical facts and characters in A Golden Wake. Very interesting …
Summarised from 34 of the 231 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked A Golden Wake talk about unique historical setting and story; those who didn't talk about too linear and short. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
In a preview of promotional material, Destructoid wrote, "these early screens and details have me excited. It's like The Colonel's Bequest and Boardwalk Empire are coming together, just as I always dreamed." In a preview, Hulking Reviewer wrote "The deliberate story build-up suggested a well-crafted tale that wasn't just about going through the motions from one puzzle to the next but trying to pull you into its world completely. And that's one of the things that makes an adventure game a classic. So whether it's condemning a man's house because of violations or stealing designs, it all feels part of an overarching scheme that will lead to some exciting and rewarding scenarios. The hands-on…
From the “Critical reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 231 · most liked firstThere are a lot of adventure games out there using the so-called Adventure Games Studio that gives you a pixelated environment due to a very low resolution, thus reminding you of the good old LucasArts games back in the early '90s. Many are developed or published by WadjetEye Games - here the developer is different but I noticed Gilbert's name as one of the producers. Off to a good start, aren't we? So are we worried about the graphics? No, not really. It is accompanied always by great voice…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Historical adventure game A GOLDEN WAKE is historically discounted at 90% off during the Steam Autumn Sale! Grab the 1920s adventure for less than $1! (I had to edit out the butt shots in this GIF or else Bluesky will mark my post as adult content) store.steampowered.com/app/307570/A...
neutral · AI labelView post →For A Golden Wake, Lamplight City, and Rosewater, I bumped it up to 10 frames. It's interesting how the frame count worked in all 3 games despite being 320x200, 640x400, and 1280x720, respectively. (Also amusing to note how my rotoscoping process improved with each game) (🧵3/6)
neutral · AI labelView post →@wadjeteyegames.com slowly playing my way through every game made or published by Wadjet Eye. Just got done with A Golden Wake. Got this one next
neutral · AI labelView post →Welcoming innovative adventure game developer Francisco González of Gundislav Games to LI Retro this weekend! Known for his incredible titles A Golden Wake, Shardlight, Lamplight City, and Rosewater, join him for a masterclass discussion in writing and designing point & click adventures! LIRetro.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Read all those reviews saying this game is boring. They are right. Unless the topic of the 1920s Florida land boom heavily interests you, stay far far away from this one. Nearly an hour into this game, I found myself bored to tears by: 1) the extremely dry way the topic was presented; 2) nothing exciting happening; 3) the lack of drama/mystery; 4) the complete lack of connection to the game's lead and any of its other characters. I don't usually last this long in such a monotonous game (I view…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game ticks nearly all of the boxes of what I look for in a classic point and click adventure, but something is not quite right throughout. It's not just the one recurring bug where the protagonist consistently sits down just to the right of any chair if he's facing away from the camera, the mood is dour and dry and unfriendly. To really inhabit this character as he becomes increasingly bitter and cynical, I'd have to be made to see it his way... but his complaints always feel petty, he…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think out of all the Grundislav Games, most people sleep on A Golden Wake. Lamplight City and Rosewater have the most "game" elements, with mysteries to solve and epic adventures to have, but A Golden Wake is sneakier. It's a point-and-click about the 1920s Florida land boom, and that's cool!
positive · AI labelView post →80% off makes A Golden Wake $1.99 on Steam and that is a righteous steal for one of the most interesting and original adventure games of the last 20 years. Fantasy is fine. Sci-fi is good. But 1920s Florida is about as unique a setting imaginable for an adventure game. It's a gem!
positive · AI labelView post →A Golden Wake is an underrated gem. Unique setting for a point and click adventure game.
positive · AI labelView post →Sometimes a game just calls to you! This is certainly one of them! I AM SO EXCITED TO PLAY THIS! | A Golden Wake by @grundislavgames.bsky.social & @wadjeteyegames.bsky.social (BLIND) Ep1 youtu.be/YIcq_hOd5TA
positive · AI labelView post →TLDR: The game genuinely isn’t bad. It just isn’t any good. General Thoughts/Overview: Honestly, I found A Golden Wake (GW) to be extremely boring. I like me a noir story, and I thought I was going into a sleazy 1920’s gangster story, or at least a historical point and click adventure. Turns out what I actually got was an extremely niche story about an estate agent’s fall from grace. Not really all that interesting for me. You play as Alfie, a young and talented salesman on the up who is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yet another point and click that isn't actually point and click. I have to rely on walkthrough to find out that there is some ridiculous thing I need to do quickly, some of course illogical thing that you can't find out easily because there aren't hotspot highlights and there are timed events. Timed events, in a point and click. How about using classic quicktime events if you really want to have a limited action event rather than trying to reinvent the wheel? Or at least make some logical…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Re: development time, it seems each game I’ve done has taken longer than the last. A Golden Wake took about 2 years, Shardlight took a little over 1 year (because I wasn’t doing everything), Lamplight City took 2.5 years, and Rosewater has been in development for nearly 6!
neutral · AI labelView post →Makes a great Holiday gift, too! And if you need a sticking stuffer, try the criminally underrated A Golden Wake! www.gog.com/en/game/a_go...
neutral · AI labelView post →Among Wadjet Eye's umbrella, Golden Wake is probably the black sheep of all the games either developed or published by the company. It's drawn very little attention compared to their other titles which I would attribute to the premise. Rather than the dystopian science fiction or urban fantasy narratives the company is usually known for, Golden Wake is a historical drama partially based on real life events and people. Because of this, you kind of have to be interested in the premise and the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An extremely disappointing, short, ugly mess of an adventure game. I personally consider Watjet Eye Games as the go-to studio when it comes to retro adventure games, almost never missing their mark when it comes to developing and publishing point and clickers. Sadly, A Golden Wake is that rare miss. The biggest offender are the puzzles - or rather the lack thereof. Outside of a few 'find item and bring to npc' quests, the game is almost entirely on rails 'click to continue story' which…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not sure what to say about this one. It's neither bad nor really outstanding. All in all I'd still recommend it anyway. The character portraits look pretty weird, but it's fine as soon as you find out the cause after finishing the game. Jumping to other timezones never was one of my favourites but it's needed due to the storyline (which is also fine). Scenes and things to interact with are so limited that there's almost no chance to miss something or to really have to think about where…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'll add I also like pretty much anything I've played by Francisco Gonzalez, including A Golden Wake and Shardlight, and his far earlier 8-part Ben Jordan series is a great way to see his growth as an adventure game developer in the Adventure Game Studio freeware scene!
positive · AI labelView post →Going into the deeper cuts from the Wadjet Eye Games library, I truly recommend trying out: -Primordia -Gemini Rue -Resonance -Technobabylon -The Excavation of Hob's Barrow I also enjoyed Shardlight, A Golden Wake and the quite disturbing Sanitarium-style psychological horror game Strangeland.
positive · AI labelView post →I’ve been feeling drawn to playing A Golden Wake for a while now! Have you played it, and if so, what did you think of it? #AGoldenWake #AdventureGame #PointAndClick #Gaming
neutral · AI labelView post →Bottomline at the top: I've played worse point and clicks. I am recommending this if you are a true point-and-click aficionado or are trying to play all the Wadjet Eye Games titles. However i strongly recommend picking up on sale. Pros -------------------------------------------------------- -Voice acting sounds appropriate for the depression era time the game takes place in -Backgrounds ,although low res, are well designed. (Every piece of artwork and pictures hanging up in the back has a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Although the gameplay feels offensively casual, the game delivers a strong flavor of inspired work. Mini-games are unusual and interesting, the graphics is pleasant to look at, and the voice acting is outstanding. Frederico Gonzales had made a great series of free Ben Jordan the Paranormal Investigator games (which I would strongly recommend to any adventure games fan), and The Golden Wake is a fine addition to that line. Looking forward to see the next of Frederico's games!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Golden Wake by @grundislavgames.bsky.social I recently played and completed this adventure game, highly recommended! If you're a fan of early 90's Sierra-style point-and-clicks, don't miss out on this one. Lovely art and an excellent soundtrack. It's currently on sale too! 🎮
positive · AI labelView post →It’s not a bad story, but it’s not a good game either. The main problem is the lack of real puzzles. There’s no real challenge. As a player, you’re never given a chance to show any ingenuity or wit. A Golden Wake feels more like an interactive story than a proper game. The one exception is the persuasion scenes. They’re fun in theory, but only a few work as intended. Most boil down to guessing games with infinite retries. By the end, the gameplay feels like dull busywork rather than genuine…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game tries to do a lot of very interesting things. It's a game set in the 1920s in US, based around the character trying to make it big in the ongoing real estate bubble, and it does use dramatized versions of real historic people in that. It also attempts to introduce the more involved dialogue and persuasion mechanics (highly reminiscent of Deus Ex: Human Revolution). And its story covers over a decade, something that I still wish more games would do. And it starts pretty well - the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't buy. Any other Wadjet Eye game is miles ahead of this. There's minimal interactivity - no flavor text on objects or when you try counter-intuitive actions. Any effort you put into exploring the world is wasted - you can only choose the action that advances the weak and contrived (albeit historically inspired) plot. The protagonist is hard to identify with, irritating, and ultimately boring. Puzzles are nonexistent, and many setpieces are recycled. The exciting and underused 1920s setting…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a typical Adventure Game Studio adventure set in Miami during the construction boom. There seem to be a lot less puzzles and a much more emphasis on having conversations in the style of LA Noire where you try to get someone to do what you want. Those conversations have a fail state so you must choose from multiple options the correct answers. I have not successfully passed a single one and have zero clue as to why one answer was better than the rest. I feel that conversation influence…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly I thought this was going to be a great old romp of an Adventure Game, and it did get good in the second half (Chapters 3 and 4) but you've got to get through a slog before anything interesting does happen, couple that with the fact the game crashed on me at multiple instances, one causing me to replay almost an entire chapter and you find that i'm left feeling a little annoyed. I'm not too impressed with this game, maybe the developer has better titles...I do have both Rosewater and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Completed it two times, one blind and the other listening to the commentary and achievement hunting. I had a great time, and this game reminds me why I love curated, relatively short experiences that give you a good story and solid gameplay. Kudos to the voice actors, they really added to the experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was really excited for this game. As an avid point and click adventure game lover and someone who enjoys the time period and setting this game takes place in, I was intrigued. The premise is interesting as are some of the mechanics in the game. A persuasion system alone was incredibly fascinating and I still stand it's a highlight of the game along with the music and art. However, it's incredibly straightforward and feels like it lacks *something*. The story, while interesting, feels…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh it is a bad game. Unfortunately. I like almost all the other Wadjet Eye Games and I usually don´t write reviews, but this game is very disappointing so I wanted to warn you on spending your money on this one. The part in the free demo was picked perfectly, as it is the best part of the game (wich is why i gave it a shot). Things which really made me angry: - Poor voice acting, especially Merrick (in my opinion). The main character speaks good though. - Very (very) poor and few "riddles" -…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sadly, I have to give this game a thumbs down, but it has a lot going for it. The research behind it is meticulous, and the respect for and care given to the people and places is inspiring. It's highly recommend to play with developer commentary on, if only to get more background history. It will include a few spoilers, but I don't see that is a problem (see below), and will also earn you an extra achievement. The pixelated graphics do a surprisingly good job at capturing the atmosphere, and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WadjetEye has become maybe the most consistent publisher of indie retro adventure games. They consistently put out adventure games that are at least very good and polished. By this point, many fans will be very familiar with WadjetEye's high quality music, voice acting, and charming and beautiful graphics. Unfortunately, A Golden Wake is something of a low point. The voice acting and music are still consistent, but the story and characters lack flair and fail to hold much interest. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The sucker punch we were waiting for! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG! | A Golden Wake (BLIND) Ep11 #AGoldenWake #PointAndClick #AdventureGame #IndieGame #GrundislavGames #Gaming https://youtu.be/TdfikXDBWi4
positive · AI labelView post →In my consideration "Lamplight city" is much better than "A Golden Wake", but this game is lovely too. It reminds classical quests of 90's and has it's own unique atmosphere, so rare nowadays.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I enjoyed this point & click adventure game. I wish I had gotten and played it years ago, though. The story is loosely based on American History (loosely- creative license was taken to make some historical situations fit the game narrative and keep it more interesting for the player). Play with the Commentary on from the start- there are some good chuckles and explanations to be found there. Some spoilers, but nothing that really seemed to give away puzzle solutions to me). Puzzles aren't…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Far be it for me to ever ♥♥♥♥-talk a Wadjet Eye game, but this game is pretty lukewarm compared to the rest of their titles, IMO.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worst game ever from Wadjet Eye Games ... and it's still not a bad game, but I'd advise you to stay away from this, unless you are familiar or really fond of History of America in the 1920s. Story Story was boring for me. Basing it on true events was a bad idea IMHO and it raised so many boundaries that story couldn't develop the way it should be. It has many twists in it, but it still remains flat. It was pretty hard for me to emphasize with the main character. Gameplay, Music, Voice Acting…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Of all the Wadjet Eye games I've played, this one's probably the one to skip. P&C adventure games, as a genre, rely on story and puzzles. Neither is executed particularly well in this game. Puzzles and their solutions are more or less laid out in front of you in very small steps, and because of it the pacing of the story that is tied to the puzzles is rushed. The best examples of this in puzzles are probably in a section where you have to track some moonshiners in the everglades. This…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While the game starts out nicely with the usual Wadjet Eye Games quality of voice acting and music, it soon turns out to be a non-story non-game. In A Golden Wake you play a real estate salesman moving from New York to Miami to get a piece of the boom. And, that's basically the story, with some turns later on but there's no mystery or crime to solve or anything along those lines. Gameflow is pretty straight forward with maybe 3 puzzles and some 4 persuasion games where you need to get…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"A Golden Wake" is a straightforward and story focused game. Rare in the genre, and I appreciate it greatly. What I mean is, there is no moon logic or senseless dragging. A short and enjoyable one and done game. Developed by a single Indie developer, this is a great achievement. One can see the attention to detail and style carried over to the later games like Shardlight, Lamplight City and Rosewater. I have played Shardlight and it was a decent game with a great story. This game has a good…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, playing till the end of this game give me mixed feeling. Is it a good game or a bad one I can't tell. The good is that there is a bit of historical story here, the bad is that it gives me a Deponia feeling kinda game. It is definitely a black sheep among other games I have played of this franchise. Give it a try when it's on sale, otherwise read other reviews before consider buying.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don’t think we can trust this guy! MERRICK SEEMS VERY SHADY! | A Golden Wake (BLIND) Ep4 #AGoldenWake #PointAndClick #AdventureGame #IndieGame #Gaming https://youtu.be/BUeFF2sUTos
positive · AI labelView post →A new opportunity beckons! HELLO MIAMI! | A Golden Wake (BLIND) Ep2 #AGoldenWake #PointAndClick #AdventureGame #IndieGame #GrundislavGames #Gaming https://youtu.be/h0f1FvbIxxc
positive · AI labelView post →I’ve been feeling drawn to playing A Golden Wake for a while now! Have you played it, and if so, what did you think of it? #AGoldenWake #AdventureGame #PointAndClick #Gaming
neutral · AI labelView post →Yikes. Just, yikes. I've said before I'll always give a Wadjet Eye project a chance, even if it's widely panned or conceptually dumb, but A Golden Wake is the first game published by them that I would recommend you absolutely stay away from. A Golden Wake is just pretty bad. It reeks of edu-tainment, which normally I'm not against. I think games in general have a huge and largely untapped potential for being informative in a more effective way than books or documentaries can be, but this is a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If I had to describe this game with one word, it would be slow. The narrative pacing is slow. I admit the setting is certainly an interesting, but the story is underwhelming and the dragging narrative doesn't help. The game is filled with unnecessary puzzles, that are so childishly simple and their solutions so naive and straightforward, that they just feel like artificial padding to increase the playtime. To top it off, everything related to the actual gameplay is unbearably slow as well.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Golden Wake isn't going to top any of my favorites lists but it's also not among the worst. It's kind of in between. It's a good game but, not a great game. The graphics are retro pixel style graphics common to Point & Click games from the 80's-90's. For the style they did a fairly good job with the graphics. The sprites are fairly decent and easily differentiated from each other. The animations are pretty good, mostly smooth and simple and there's actually quite a few unique animations…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this game. When I saw that my main character was a real estate salesman, I almost groaned. Oh yay! A point and click on selling real estate! What could be more fun!?!? And like an idiot, I uninstalled this game and didn't touch it for over a year. This is not just a story about some guy trying to find homes for people, this is a story about the rise of Alfie Banks during the roaring 20's, and his fall duing the Depression in the 30's. This game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the worst of a bad bunch. no wonder wadget eye canned the guy.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The puzzles are too simple.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Fantastic game... AGAIN another masterpiece from Wadjet Eye Games. A Golden Wake fictionalizes the 1920s Florida / Miami land boom and bubble burst through real characters and one fictional character named Alfred Banks, a real estate agent whose fate is linked to the rise and fall of the real estate business. You'll learn and remember a lot of real historical facts and characters in A Golden Wake. Very interesting The game also makes you think about life, the foibles of a cruel society, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very enjoyable point and click adventure. This game follows Alphie Banks through in career in the 1920s in America. The voice acting is very well done, the pixel art is nice and I really enjoyed the historical aspects of the story. The puzzles are quite unique, with Alphie using his sale skills to persaude people to do what he needs (and some inventory puzzles).
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting game set in the 1920's is a refresing step away from the usual themes seen in adventure game we've been seeing in past decade or so. The story follows a rise and fall of a real estate agent striving to make a name for himself in the decade preceeding great depression. Presentation relies on suggestive musical score and nicely stylized graphics that effortlesly convey the atmosphere of the 20's. A sure grab when on sale, but rushed ending may leave a feeling of game being a bit…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is just incredibly boring. I finished chapter one, and that's all I could take.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I sort of lost interest in the game about halfway through, it was quite a slow story and the pay-off didn't seem worth it. But, thought I should get my money's worth and finish it. It was okay, not terrible but not amazing.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 disadvantages - too linear story - very closed world - short story - unintuitive use of items advantages + game requires using your brain + interesting story + atmosphere (pixel graphics, digital music) + interesting period and place Did you think about going into real estate market? Sure you did! That is why you're reading those reviews. A great adventure game in atmosphere of games created in 80s and 90s. See for yourself! See ya in Miami in 1920s.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So I only really play games until I get all of the steam cards for them, then I go back and finish them after I've gotten all the cards for all of my games. So as of this review, I've only gotten up to Chapter 3 of the story. I like the story so far, but the game lacks the charm I've come to expect from Wadjeteye games. Graphics are fine, music is good, voice acting ranges from good to poor. I don't agree with some of the other reviewers saying some of the puzzles make no sense, they all…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A totally overrated-in-hype game due to the publisher, famous for Point and click adventures. I found the plot extremely boring, as well as the way the story proceeds. One may expect a certain rhythm; well, it lacks from the beginning to the tail. There is never the feeling of playing, say, something like The Black Legacy or Gemini Rue. Simply a waste of time for me, I couldn't even finish it, I gave it up.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.