Garder la lumière allumée

2DevsOnly is the independent mobile game studio of 2DEVSONLY, a two-person company in Préfailles on the Atlantic coast of France. We design calm lighthouse-keeping games for Android, played to the rhythm of the tides.

Each night, small fishing boats need guiding back to harbour. The player turns the beam, watches the tide tables and keeps the lamp supplied with oil, while rocks appear and disappear as the water rises and falls.

Nights are short and the sea is forgiving. A boat that loses its way simply waits for the next sweep of light, and no ship is ever lost. Between nights, the keeper repairs the tower, tends a small garden and reads letters from the villagers the lighthouse protects.

The coastline is inspired by the rocky shore near the studio, painted in deep blues and warm lamp light. The sound of waves, gulls and the slow mechanical turn of the lens accompanies every shift.

The game is made by just the two of us, so updates arrive steadily rather than quickly. Every night is designed by hand and tested on our own phones by the sea.

A logbook keeps a record of every boat guided home, with the weather and the tide on that night. Players who want a little more challenge can switch on fog nights, where the beam reaches less far and the harbour bell becomes an important guide. As seasons pass, the village grows a little, with new boats, a café on the quay and a summer festival that fills the harbour with lanterns. The game can be played entirely offline, and a night takes about ten minutes, so it fits neatly into an evening. Letters from the villagers slowly reveal the history of the lighthouse and the families who kept it before.