The game isn’t afraid to show any of these hardships, and it’s a great game because of it. Set in 1844, Lamplight City works to highlight the racial and sexual discrimination prevalent during the time. It’s unfortunate that someone was almost killed by being interred, but how sad is it when the attack was in retaliation for the many people she’s harmed in the past? It doesn’t shrug it as a thing of its time rather, Lamplight City uses those uncomfortable moments to show the horrors of bad people.īut the game doesn’t present examples of racism or sexism without making a statement about them. Miles Fordham, the private investigator and main character of the game, is white, but his wife Adelaide is a Black woman working as a hairdresser. Adelaide isn’t a detective, yet she helps her husband in many ways throughout the game.
Interestingly, when she does aid Miles during his investigation, she’s often accused to being up to no good. For example, Miles asks his wife to persuade an officer to leave his station, but when she goes and tries to flirt, the officer assumes she’s trying to lure him to an ally to be mugged by “a gang of sambos.” Miles punches the officer in anger. It’s not often that a game allows a puzzle to be solved by punching a racist. Even with his body gone, he continues to be Miles’s partner as a narrator. Despite his death, William is still a prominent character within the game. Further, he isn’t murdered because of his sexuality, but rather his involvement as a detective on a crime scene. It’s an interesting spin on a narrative stereotype. Importantly, there are LGBTQ characters, as well as Black characters, who do survive, who are not murdered because of discrimination.
Still, there’s something to be said about the main character being a white, heterosexual man. The help he receives come from people of different genders, sexualities and races, but Miles himself falls right into the classic detective image. Again, Miles complicates the trope as he actively seeks the help of those around him. He recognizes racism and sexism and tries to right those wrongs, but doesn’t stop to address his own privilege.
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