Lamplight City

Players conduct the game as a former cop turned private detective in their efforts to solve a series of cases. Each of the game's locations, those relevant to a case and uncovered during an investigation, feature various objects that can be examined - some are trivial, while others may hide important clues to the current case - alongside a variety of individuals who can be questioned on different subjects. Any relevant information, such as clues and documents, are recorded in a casebook belonging to the detective; any objects that can be used to help solve puzzles, are also stored in the casebook, rather than the traditional inventory system used by games of the same genre, and used automatically where needed. Alongside clues and documents, the casebook also lists any possible suspects based on clues and conversations with relevant people, and a list of objectives which define what the player should be doing in their investigation.

With the exception of the first case, the game's prologue, each case features a choice in how to proceed in various circumstances - for example, if a player tries to get a character to be more co-operative through using something against them, they are given a choice of how to do so. While the correct choice will allow them to glean new information, the wrong choice will close off an avenue of investigation to them, and effectively a solution to how a crime was committed. Although a game does not end if the player chooses incorrectly, what choices are made can not only determine how an investigation concludes - including who, if any, is arrested for a crime - but also impact the game's overall ending; repeated mistakes with choices and declaring cases unsolvable, ultimately lead to the game's negative ending.

Lamplight City takes place within an alternate 19th century Earth that incorporates steampunk elements. In this timeline, the North American colonies remained a part of the British Empire and developed into a nation called Vespuccia, which retains many elements of British culture at the time, including currency and political systems, with the Industrial Revolution being more advanced and developing "steam-tech" that included automated machines and airships. The game's story takes place with the city of New Bretagne—a city that combines the Victorian elements of New Orleans, New York and London—divided into several districts, which is facing growing disruptions against the growing use of steam-tech.

In 1844, detectives Miles Fordham and Bill Leger visit New Bretagne's roughest district to investigate a report about a series of break-ins at a flower shop. The men learn that a thief regularly breaks in to steal an order of flowers from the shop, but mysteriously leaves money behind in the process. Miles' decision to stake out the shop and catch the thief in the act goes disastrously wrong when they are spooked, and the subsequent pursuit to the rooftop causes the untimely death of Bill. Guilt-ridden over his partner's death, Miles retires from the city's police and pursues a new career as a private investigator. However, following the funeral he begins to hear the voice of his deceased partner, who urges him to locate the burglar who caused his death, forcing him to take a sleeping medicine to cope with the strain it places on both his mental well-being and personal life with his wife Adelaide.

Lamplight City uses the Adventure Game Studio engine. The inventory system was inspired by the 1997 video game Blade Runner. Other influences include Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Dishonored, and Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. The fictional city in which the game is set, New Bretagne, is a mix of New York City, New Orleans, and Victorian London.

Video game developer Francisco Gonzalez had previously worked for Wadjet Eye Games, who was to publish the game. After the release of Shardlight in 2016, Gonzalez was laid off as a full time designer. Ultimately, he and Wadjet Eye decided not to go forward with publishing Lamplight City, citing creative differences. As a result, Gonzalez sought a new publisher. Applications Systems Heidelberg released it on September 13, 2018.

On Metacritic, a review aggregator, the PC version has a score of 72/100 based on 16 reviews, which the site categorizes as "mixed or average reviews". GameSpot rated it 6/10 stars; reviewer James O'Connor wrote that the game is "full of great ideas, but isn't quite able to pull them off effectively". Although praising the character and dialogue, O'Connor said the ability to fail a case turns out to be a gimmick, as the cases are not challenging.

Richard Hoover of Adventure Gamers rated it 3/5 stars, praising the visuals, sound, music, and worldbuilding. However, Hoover wrote that the game is not sufficiently interactive. Instead of offering branching storylines, player choices seem not to affect the story much except for possibly locking out certain content. Reviewing the game for Hardcore Gaming101, Jonathan Kaharl wrote that although the game initially seems to be lacking, its polish and excellent design makes it "one of the tightest, most constantly great games" of its genre. Although she said the game is a bit too easy, Tina Olah of RPGFan rated it 82/100 and called it "just plain fun", highlighting the plot as "genuinely interesting and surprising".