A New ‘Scrollslike’ Steps Up While Elder Scrolls 6 Waits Drags On
With the wait for The Elder Scrolls 6 stretching on, fans hungry for a truly Elder Scrolls like game are looking elsewhere. The Lantern of the Laughless Saint is positioning itself as exactly that alternative, leaning into the label of a “Scrollslike indie RPG” rather than chasing Soulslike trends. Its reveal trailer doesn’t hide its inspirations; it even opens by joking that Elder Scrolls 6 is taking so long that the team is just making its own game instead. According to its Steam description, Lantern is a solo or co-op open world fantasy RPG that emphasizes choice, consequence, and exploration in the tradition of Western RPGs. Rather than trying to outdo Skyrim’s scale, it focuses on a tighter, weirder experience that recalls the specific charm of a Morrowind spiritual successor, hoping to attract players who miss the series’ stranger roots.
What Made Morrowind’s Cult Appeal So Special?
To understand why Lantern is exciting Morrowind fans, it helps to recall what made that classic so beloved. Morrowind wasn’t just an open world fantasy RPG; it was unapologetically odd. Its alien landscapes, prophetic plagues, and insect-like architecture created a dreamlike tone far from generic medieval fantasy. Builds were radically open-ended, letting players stack acrobatics to absurd heights or live as a spell-slinging bureaucrat instead of a conventional hero. Systemic freedom defined the experience: you could break quests, kill key NPCs, or sequence‑break your way across the map with levitation and speed buffs. Crucially, the game trusted players to live with the consequences rather than funneling them back onto a safe path. That willingness to get strange—mechanically and narratively—is what many fans feel later Elder Scrolls entries softened in favor of accessibility and spectacle.
How Lantern of the Laughless Saint Channels That Old Morrowind Energy
The Lantern of the Laughless Saint openly courts comparisons to a Morrowind style RPG by foregrounding its weirdness. The developers highlight “weird and unique” features in the vein of Morrowind, including absurd jumping spells, fungus wizards, and vulture gorillas, signaling a world that embraces surreal fantasy instead of grounded realism. It also promises an open-world structure with complex choices and consequences, echoing the Western RPG emphasis on player-shaped stories and systemic freedom. Where it diverges is in its support for co-op; unlike The Elder Scrolls Online, this is framed as a fully featured single-player experience that just happens to allow a partner to tag along. That twist could change how exploration and quests are designed, but it also offers something Morrowind never did: the chance to share those bizarre emergent moments with a friend while still feeling like you’re in a classic Elder Scrolls like game.
Beyond Bethesda: The Rise of Elder Scrolls Inspired Worlds
Lantern arrives amid a broader wave of Western RPGs trying to capture aspects of Elder Scrolls’ appeal while doing their own thing. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, for instance, is praised as one of the best games like Skyrim thanks to its quest variety and freedom to explore and ignore the main story, even though it trades magic for grounded medieval realism. Pillars of Eternity channels classic isometric RPG depth with rich worldbuilding and demanding real-time-with-pause combat, while Fallout: New Vegas showcases how open-ended choice and consequence can shape an entire wasteland. Together, these games show that players are increasingly turning to spiritual successors and genre cousins for that sense of agency and discovery. Lantern’s pitch is distinct because it doesn’t just want to feel like an open world fantasy RPG—it wants to resurrect the specific, offbeat spirit of early Elder Scrolls.
Will Lantern Really Scratch the Elder Scrolls Itch—and For Whom?
Lantern of the Laughless Saint is unlikely to match Elder Scrolls 6 in scope, and expecting it to would be a mistake. Instead, it looks best suited for players who value atmosphere, systemic quirks, and oddball worldbuilding over cinematic storytelling and endless content. If you love experimenting with broken‑seeming builds, following strange side paths, and laughing when the systems implode in unexpected ways, this Scrollslike indie RPG may land as a genuine Morrowind spiritual successor. If, however, your favorite Elder Scrolls memories come from Skyrim’s polished combat, modding scene, or sweeping main quest, Lantern might feel smaller and rougher by design. Go in expecting a focused, eccentric Elder Scrolls like game rather than a full replacement, and you’re more likely to appreciate what it brings: a bold attempt to keep Morrowind’s weird magic alive while the official series remains in limbo.