Lantern Watch
Play Lantern Watch free online. Guard the crypt with lantern beams as skeletons, wraiths and scarecrows march down 3 foggy lanes in this spooky defense game.
How to Play Lantern Watch
Five candles burn in the crypt wall behind you, and the restless dead want them out. Skeletons, wraiths and scarecrows shamble out of the fog down three graveyard lanes. Fire a beam of lantern light down a lane and it strikes the first creature in its path.
Every beam burns oil. A full lantern holds about five shots and refills slowly, so a wasted beam into an empty lane can leave you dry at the worst moment. Any creature that crosses the red ward line blows out one candle, and when all five candles are dark the watch is over.
Skeletons fall in one hit and are worth 10 points. Armored skeletons take two hits for 20 points, fast wraiths fall in one for 15, and slow scarecrows soak up three hits for 30, getting knocked back with each one. Clearing a wave pays 50 points times the wave number, and a wave with no candles lost earns half again as much. After each wave you pick one of three lantern upgrades.
Controls
Mouse and touch
- Tap or click anywhere in the top, middle or bottom lane to fire down it.
- Tap an upgrade card to choose it between waves.
- Use the Pause and Sound buttons under the game to pause or mute.
Keyboard
- Press 1, 2 or 3 to fire down that lane.
- Up and Down arrows (or W and S) pick a lane, and Space or Enter fires.
- Press 1, 2 or 3 to pick an upgrade between waves.
- P or Escape pauses, and M mutes.
Tips and Tricks
- Watch the tick marks on the oil bar and never run the lantern empty while a creature is close to the crypt.
- Only fire at lanes with something in them. A beam into an empty lane still burns a full shot of oil.
- Deal with wraiths first. They are the fastest thing in the fog, but a single beam stops them.
- Start on scarecrows early. Each hit shoves them back, but they need three beams before they fall.
- Piercing Glow pays off from wave 6, when the lanes crowd up and creatures start arriving in pairs.
About the Game
Lantern Watch is a free lane defense game from the Reaper Man Arcade. Instead of building towers you are the tower: one reaper, one lantern and a crypt full of candles that must not go dark. Nothing here is gory. Struck skeletons crumble into bones and dust, and wraiths simply fade back into the fog.
Waves grow longer and faster as the night goes on, and upgrades such as a deeper oil well, a quicker wick, cheaper beams, a piercing glow or a slowing ward stone let you shape the defense your own way. It runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer, keeps your best score on your device and can send each finished run to the global Top 10.
Lantern Watch FAQ
Is Lantern Watch free?
Yes. Lantern Watch is free to play in your browser, with nothing to download and no account needed.
Can I play Lantern Watch on a phone?
Yes. Just tap the lane you want to light up. It also works with a mouse or with the 1, 2 and 3 keys on a keyboard.
Why did my lantern stop firing?
It ran out of oil. Each beam costs oil, and the lantern refills a little every second and fully at the start of each wave.
How many candles do I have?
You start with five. Each creature that reaches the crypt blows one out, and the Relight a Candle upgrade can bring one back.
Is my best score saved?
Your best score is kept in your browser on this device, and you can post each finished run to the global Top 10 board beside the game.
