Lost Ember Review: Indie Corner
I never thought I’d find so much peace in running around a fantasy world as a spirit-shifting wolf, but with Lost Ember that’s precisely where I find myself.
First Impressions
Lost Ember is the debut – and currently singular – platform release from German indie studio Mooneye. The five-strong team launched a kickstarter to get the game off the ground and raised a whopping €326,103 from over 7,000 eager backers. And it’s not hard to see why. Lost Ember certainly boasts an ambitious concept.
You play as a nameless wolf in a post-human world, who has the ability to take control of other wild animals. Led by your talking-glowing-spirit of a companion, you adventure through the rivers as a darting fish, fly the skies as a rainbow parrot, and trample through jungles as an elephant. As you explore, you unearth the story of your past human life as a rebellion leader denied entry to the ‘city of light’ – an afterlife that all creatures aspire to reach.
The concept itself is a lovely one. The mechanics of switching between animals are smooth and simple, and there were lots of moments of delight over taking to wing for the first time, or charging through the sands as a buffalo.
Sights and Sounds
But it’s the artwork of this game that deserves a major shout-out. It’s a stunning bit of work – beautiful palettes that shift from verdant green grasslands into crystal whites and blues in the snow-capped mountains. There’s a beautiful contrast of lush foliage that dances as you run through it and block-colour skies, creating a truly dreamy landscape to discover.
Lost Ember sounds lovely too. Piano and strings dominate a delicate soundtrack that plays intermittently alongside deep ambient sounds, helping the player really lose themselves in the environment. Sounds are muted in the deep snow and muffled underwater, and those little touches help bring the world and its animals to life.
Inconvenient Collectibles
Arguably, there are areas that could use some refinement. Collectibles include finding six types of mushroom, and a long list of old relics from the human era. Neither of these things appear to have any purpose, besides providing a set of achievements to unlock. Unfortunately, this meant my motivation to go hunting for random purple shrooms did wane. The world is relatively linear too, although the player can travel between chapters at will. There are also little finishing touches that could have been polished – like the music cutting to abrupt silence whenever a menu is loaded – that could have just hitched up the game from good to great.
Where’s the Challenge?
Lost Ember also doesn’t provide much of a challenge. The main premise of the game is working out how to get from A to B with the animals at your disposal. There seems to be precious little in terms of problem-solving outside of that. You can’t die, there are no predators (perhaps a missed opportunity) and no real environmental puzzles to solve. If you’re looking for a game to really test your mettle, Lost Ember probably isn’t it.
To Sum up
What Lost Ember lacks in challenge, it makes up for in heart. There are some utterly stunning moments where I found myself simply smiling at the beauty of the world. Standing in a swarm of glittering fireflies while my wolf howled up at the stars. It’s a charming coffee-and-duvet kind of game, with enough gentle story to keep you engaged.
All things considered, I think those 7,000 backers made the right choice.
Star rating: 4/5
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