I played this for an hour or so and I noticed those little lanterns in the game which you can light up. Whenever I do this the save icon (eyes) is shown in the bottom right corner so I thought those are actual save points. However if I die after lighting a lantern I will not respawn at the lantern but at an earlier point in game. Is this intentional or did I do something wrong?

I noticed the same.
However, the lanterns may be an achievement thing...

Die Laternen sind keine Savepoints. Savepoints sind dort wo ein neues "Gebiet"/ ein neuer Abschnitt beginnt. Die Laternen sind nur dafür da um sie an zu zünden und wenn du alle im Spiel angezündet hast bekommst du ein Archivement dafür.

I will translate since this is the international forum:
"The lanterns are no savepoints. Savepoints are in a new area and the lanterns only serve to be as an achievement after you lit them all"

Danke. Das erklärt es. Wäre nur schön, wenn es im Spiel selbst erklärt worden wäre.

Translation:
"Thanks. This explains it. It would have been nice if this would have been explained in the game itself."

ive read the lanterns are supposed to put you closer to die point than the auto saves, i didnt notice any difference, both were annoyingly far from actual death points leading to lots of replaying areas.

Seems that lanters works as respawn point. Tested in the kitchen with the lantern on top of the shelf.

False, on that specific area you simply happen to respawn next to a lantern. Start the game from a beginning and test again. That isn't true, I've played through 3/5 of the game and lanterns aren't "respawn points". When you have lit a lamp you can start from an earlier location after death.

Some areas require a long process before taking leaps of faith or hard to distinguish distances.
This game has recieved rave review.
Due to this one point, I find it very hard to see how.
It looks nice, plays pretty well, but I don't want to do the same 3 minute walk again and again to attempt a jump that will take me a few tries to perfect.
Either poor design or another example of the Dark Souls generation.
"Make it hard so when i've done it I can feel all superior when everyone whines about how hard it is"
Games are meant to be fun, not gruling... get your heads back on people.

same, im just playing it to get to the end and to admire the awesome art. i have to take breaks from the annoyance of it all. to be fair tho, thats what platformers are all about tho, the challenge. but in this game there are many 'cheap' deaths that they spring on you. I just thought this would be more in line with Inside as far as generous checkpoint saves and more story driven. Also, the pre launch trailer showing actual gameplay had the char resurrecting much closer than what happens in game, it was the main reason I went ahead and bought the game as I thought you didnt have to replay whole areas after death

Actually, I just had a save issue. Last time I played I got to a certain point, died, saw where the checkpoint was and assumed that's where I'll pick up next time. However, I just tried to play it today and noticed it took me back about 10 prior to that point. This makes little sense why it'd take me back so far when I know the checkpoint was much more recent.
Wish there was a manuel save or something.

Checkpoint - place from where you start once you quit the game.
Respawn - place where you respawn of enemy catches you or you die.

Lanters do work just like respawn points, not checkpoints.

Sadly this isn't working for me..
Short way into the game there is a walkway over a large chasmic drop.
You have to climb up the back wall, then pull a lever to raise a hanging box.
A second lever mover the box closer to you.
You then pull that second lever a second time to send the box away, at which point you are meant to sprint for the moving box to get passage across.
It's this jump i'm missing, and each time you fail it's a guaranteed death.
There IS a lanturn up there near the switches, however, each time you fail you're sent right back to the room before the walkway and you have to do the whole walk... climb... level... lever... sprint.. fail... thing all over agin.
It takes a couple of minutes.
An age when you're repeating it.

Just went in for a second try and the lanterns are just completely inert.
They seem to have no use at all.
Checkpoints govern saves entirely.
Thankfully I solved my own personal grump, but be aware they are completely without use... Presumably just a collection item as previously suggested.

This is simply not true. What obsidianse posted is exactly the way the game is working and it is exactly the moment when I first noticed that the lanterns are NOT supposed to be checkpoints OR respawn points at all. They do only serve an achievement (if you found and lit them all).

When you try to repeat a level by chosing a chapter you will see this as well. All lanterns already lit during the game will stay lit also you still weren't there.

Also you'll find secret rooms whith lanterns in it - why should one hide checkpoints or respawn points at all?

If you really are telling me that the game behaves differently the moment obsidianse was describing I take everything back and will just wonder why it did work for you but not for me - and why they hide checkpoint/respawn points and why these stay lit although I've started again ... but I highly doubt it.

Maybe I've been lucky to not die on such spots and always died close to lantern. Sure, make sense that placing lanterns in hiddens places should not work as respawn point but we never know unless devs confirms it ;)

If I decide to restart the game there is one spot that I can test if lanters work as respawn point or not.