Lantern Nomad: relight the gates across the desert

Lantern Nomad is a side-scrolling platformer set in a desert whose old lantern gates have gone dark. You play Nuri, a hooded wanderer who carries a lantern staff, and every level ends at a gate that only lights when you walk up to it. Run right, hop across gaps, find the gems scattered along the route and reach the exit alive.

The jump has two sizes. A quick tap gives a small hop, which is ideal for scarabs and low ledges, while holding the button gives a full high jump for wide gaps. You can also press jump a moment before landing or just after stepping off an edge, so the game forgives small timing slips. The strike swings the staff in front of you and is your main answer to enemies that you cannot jump on safely.

You have three hearts. Touching an enemy, a shot or spikes costs one, and you flash briefly while you recover. Lose all three and you restart from the last checkpoint banner you touched.

The levels are grouped into four worlds, and each world adds something new, so the difficulty climbs gradually instead of in a single jump.

• Sunset Dunes (levels 1 to 3). A gentle start. You learn running and jumping, then meet your first scarabs and the first gaps that need a held jump. Checkpoints are generous here.
• Buried Ruins (levels 4 to 6). Crumbling blocks, spikes and one-way ledges appear. Spitting cacti show up and the routes begin to split into a safe path and a gem-rich one.
• Green Oasis (levels 7 and 8). Moving platforms and drifting wisps ask for better timing over longer gaps. Hearts are placed where the risk is highest.
• Storm Citadel (levels 9 and 10). Everything you have learned is combined in tight sequences. Level 10 ends in a fight with the Sand Guardian, and the gate stays dark until it falls.

Levels unlock one at a time. Finishing a level opens the next, and you can replay any unlocked level to improve your stars.

• Scarabs walk back and forth and turn at edges. Land on one from above or strike it.
• Spitters are cacti that shoot sand along the ground. They take two hits, so keep your distance between shots, then close in.
• Wisps hover and drift from side to side. A strike or a stomp from above clears them, but their hover height makes jump timing matter.
• Crumbling blocks start to fall shortly after you land and return after a few seconds, so keep moving.
• Spikes cost a heart on contact. Moving platforms drift sideways, and one-way ledges let you jump up through them and stand on top.

Heart pickups restore health up to your maximum of three, so it is worth noting where one sits before you take a risky route.

Every level is rated from one to three stars. Finish the level for one star. Collect at least 70 percent of its gems for two stars. Collect every gem for three. Gems are the heart of the challenge: the easiest route to the gate rarely passes all of them.

Your score combines gems, enemies defeated and a time bonus against the par time of the level, which is a gentle target for a first run. Your best stars and score for every level are saved, and replaying only ever improves them.

The Sand Guardian on level 10 charges across the arena and slams into the wall. It cannot be hurt while it moves; it is vulnerable only while it is stunned after a crash. It takes six hits to defeat.

• Watch for the rumble before a charge and keep out of its path, using a ledge if the arena has one.
• Do not strike during the charge. Wait for the stun, step in, hit it and retreat before it recovers.
• Staying near the middle of the arena gives you room to dodge either way.
• Use heart pickups before a long streak of attempts rather than after.

• Take your first run to learn the level and the second to collect gems. Checkpoints keep each attempt short.
• Use small hops to cross enemy territory and save the high jump for gaps. A hop keeps you in control of where you land.
• Strike before you jump when an enemy blocks a narrow landing spot.
• Gems that look out of reach usually sit above a bounce or a moving platform. Look for the route, not a trick.
• If a section keeps beating you, wait for a crumbling block or a platform to reset. Nothing here punishes patience.

Your unlocked levels, stars and best scores are stored in your browser on this device, so there is nothing to sign up for. Clearing site data or switching browsers starts you from level one. If you play on a phone and a computer, each keeps its own progress.