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The Lantern of the Laughless Saint
At a glance
The Lantern of the Laughless Saint game facts
Steam store information checked 2026-08-21。- Studio
- NerveLabs Published by NerveLabs
- Release
- Aug 17, 2026 Released
- Official genres
- Action · Adventure · RPG · Early Access
- Play mode
- Single-player · Multiplayer · Online co-op · Local co-op
- Desktop platforms
- Windows
- Steam Deck
- Unknown No additional compatibility detail
- Controller
- Partial support
- Steam features
- Family Sharing
- Languages
- 1 listed languages Englishlanguages with full audio support
What that means for your setupThe Lantern of the Laughless Saint is developed and published by NerveLabs, sitting under the Action, Adventure, and RPG tags while clearly marked as an Early Access title. It released on August 17, 2026, and is currently listed at $17.99 with a 10% launch discount off the regular $19.99 price. The game is Windows-only on Steam, and Steam Deck compatibility is listed as Unknown with no additional detail provided, which is worth noting if handheld play matters to you. Controller support is officially only Partial, so a mouse and keyboard is still the safest bet for smooth play, and the only listed feature beyond the core modes is Family Sharing. Play modes include single-player, online multiplayer, online co-op, and local co-op, so you can bring a friend on the same screen or across the internet, while the only listed language with full audio support is English. As an Early Access release, you should expect the kind of rough edges and frequent patches that come with a project still in motion.
If the idea of a co-op Morrowind where a silent Tower summons dream-haunted madmen onto a strange island pulls at your heartstrings, NerveLabs' The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is shaping up to be exactly the fix you have been craving. Players are drawing constant comparisons to Bethesda's older work, calling it a love letter to that style of exploration, and the full campaign runs seamlessly with friends online or on the couch. That heady mix of discovery, weird NPCs, and shared choices is the clearest reason to give this one a look, even if the launch is rough around the edges.
What the game actually feels like
Exploration-first design where you piece together the world by walking it, chasing rumors, reading burned scraps of history, and stumbling into side stories that branch off the main Tower mystery in true Morrowind fashion, with no quest markers holding your hand.
Full co-op campaign where the entire experience can be played through with friends, sharing loot, exploration, and the moral weight of choices that ripple across the island and beyond, whether you prefer online sessions or couch co-op on the same screen.
A cast of bizarre island inhabitants like a giant toad learning to read, an ancient skeleton who just wants to swim, and a musician hunting for something precious, with most quests offering multiple resolutions through mercy, violence, compromise, or deceit rather than a single correct path.
Punchy visceral combat against strange horrors, with multiple weapon types and a class, spell, and perk system that lets you build wildly different characters, which multiple players found satisfying even when bugs were getting in the way.
What early players are seeing
What is landing
- Players with hundreds of hours in the playtest are calling it an RPG that recreates the magic of the TES franchise, praising a world packed with secrets, satisfying punchy gameplay, and a heart and soul not seen in many modern releases.
- The co-op experience is being highlighted as a major strength, with reviewers describing it as a true authentic scrolls-like adventure that is just as much fun with a friend, including seamless co-op and splitscreen support on the same machine.
- Voice acting is winning people over, including a Matt Mercer appearance, with most lines fully voiced and charming delivery that brings the quirky cast to life and gives the world a real sense of personality.
- The developers are receiving genuine praise for being hands-on and listening to community feedback, with reviewers noting that issues they reported were quickly fixed and expressing real faith that the project can grow into something special.
What still needs watching
- The Early Access launch is widely described as buggy and unfinished, with reports of crashes, falling through floors, doors you can clip through, enemy teleporting, and a famously confusing compass where west is south and south is east, so patience is required.
- Co-op has noticeable desync problems in both combat and time of day, and on Linux specifically a reviewer reports the game runs terribly even on hardware that handles Elden Ring and Witcher 3 just fine, which is worth weighing if your setup is non-standard.
Is The Lantern of the Laughless Saint worth buying now?
Current decision
Worth tryingThe core promise of a co-op, exploration-driven Morrowind-style RPG from a small team that is clearly listening to feedback is landing with a strong 87% positive review score from 617 player reviews, and multiple long-time playtesters with hundreds of hours are recommending it despite the bugs. The launch discount, the seamless co-op campaign, and the genuine heart players are finding in the world give a promising developer a strong case for support, while honestly flagging the Early Access jank, partial controller support, unknown Deck compatibility, and Linux performance issues keeps the recommendation honest. For the right player who is willing to ride out patches and bring a friend along, the upside clearly justifies taking a chance.
Who this is for
A good fit if you…
- Players who have been hungry for an indie spiritual successor to Morrowind or Oblivion and do not mind rough Early Access edges in exchange for that classic exploration itch.
- Co-op groups of two or three who want to explore a strange island together, share the loot, and see how their joint choices shape the island's strange cast of characters.
- Bug-tolerant RPG fans who enjoy janky sandbox fun with friends, love reading scraps of lore to piece together a world's story, and want to support a small developer that is actively patching and listening to feedback.
Wait if you…
- You need a stable, polished experience on day one, because crashes, floor holes, desync in multiplayer, and a famously scrambled compass are widely reported in this Early Access build.
- Steam Deck play or full controller support is a dealbreaker for you, since Deck compatibility is officially Unknown and controller support is only Partial, with mouse and keyboard still the safest option.
- You primarily play on Linux and rely on Proton, as at least one reviewer on capable hardware reported serious performance problems running the game on Linux.
If The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is not quite your game
SIMILAR OPTION
Palworld
Choose it ifChoose Palworld if you want a stable survival crafting sandbox with friends, and choose The Lantern of the Laughless Saint if you want a co-op RPG that trades polish for old-school Bethesda-style exploration and weird storytelling.
How it comparesOpen-world multiplayer sandbox with creature collection and crafting loops. Palworld is a polished, creature-collecting survival crafting game with structured base building and progression, while The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is an Early Access story-driven RPG about exploring a strange island, solving quests, and filling a phantom audience through your moral choices.
SIMILAR OPTION
REMNANT II®
Choose it ifChoose REMNANT II if you want a polished co-op shooter RPG with strong boss design out of the box, and choose The Lantern of the Laughless Saint if you want a slower, exploration-driven, story-rich co-op RPG that you are willing to watch grow through patches.
How it comparesCo-op action RPG with strange worlds, tough enemies, and shared progression. REMNANT II is a finished, fully released third-person shooter RPG focused on gunplay and boss runs across randomized worlds, while The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is a first-person Early Access RPG with melee and spell combat, open-world exploration, and a heavy narrative focus on a single haunted island.
SIMILAR OPTION
HELLDIVERS™ 2
Choose it ifChoose HELLDIVERS 2 if you want short, frantic, cooperative shooter sessions with a steady stream of live updates, and choose The Lantern of the Laughless Saint if you want a deeper, weirder RPG world to wander through together at your own pace.
How it comparesCo-op action game that leans on chaotic multiplayer fun with friends. HELLDIVERS 2 is a live-service third-person shooter built around brief, intense squad missions against swarms of enemies, while The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is a long-form, story-driven co-op RPG about exploring a single island and making meaningful moral choices.
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