Lanternfall

A gothic Halloween tower-defense game set in handcrafted animated dioramas. Defend a pumpkin patch, a graveyard, a crooked bridge and a haunted forest — the towers you buy stay in your arsenal and follow you to the next battlefield. Single-player strategy, Windows PC.

Free demo Tower defense Windows / Steam Full release Oct 28, 2026
Steam page & free demo Official site The demo covers the first four realms — your towers, gold and lives carry across all of them
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No browser version: Lanternfall only runs as a downloadable Windows game — the demo is free on Steam. A few unrelated indie games share the name "Lanternfall"; this page covers the tower-defense game by EverLabs Software.

The demo's four realms

  1. 1
    Whispering Pumpkin Patch

    Home should feel safe. Tonight, the things growing in the fields have other ideas.

  2. 2
    Candlelit Graveyard

    Follow the candles between the graves — when the bell rings, be ready for company.

  3. 3
    Hollowood Bridge

    The way into Hallowford crosses here. Hold the road, but watch what moves beneath it.

  4. 4
    Lanternwood Forest

    Strange lights hang from the dead oaks. Whatever they're calling, it's not coming to guide you home — ends with the Beckoner's passage.

The full campaign has fifteen realms. Finishing the demo submits your score to the world Top 100 leaderboard.

What makes it different

An arsenal, not a loadout

Towers you buy go into a Tower Bank — redeploy them on later maps, upgrade through visible tiers, or sell at a loss. Early choices shape your whole campaign.

Read the wave first

Enemy portraits reveal armour type, immunities and movement before the wave. Physical, fire, shock and magic each have matchups they win and lose.

Essence: bank or spend

Stored essence speeds up tower attacks; activating ability cards drains it. The right answer changes mid-battle.

Aura towers & routes

Link aura towers to empower neighbours, and watch air lanes and waterways — the road is only part of the fight.

FAQ

Who makes it?

EverLabs Software Ltd — a small studio. The free demo drew attention with a first-to-finish competition (won October 9, 2026).

Release date?

October 28, 2026 on Steam. The demo stays free, and wishlisting helps the small team.

Price?

Not announced yet — the demo is free either way.

Same name, different games?

Two small itch.io games are also called Lanternfall (a colony sim and a horror platformer) — unrelated to this one.