TL;DR
Explore a beautiful, world-weary Earth as a wolf in Lost Ember, a game about guiding lost souls and piecing together your forgotten past. Switch between animal forms, like soaring birds, to traverse stunning landscapes in this meditative adventure. While it offers a deeply atmospheric and narrative-rich experience, don't expect much challenge. Performance on the Nintendo Switch can be a bit rocky, especially in handheld mode, though a patch is available. It's a serene journey for those seeking relaxation and story over intense gameplay. Curious about whether its calming vibe outweighs its technical quirks? Dive into the full review to find out!
In Lost Ember, when a soul remains bound to Earth, it becomes what is known as a Lost Ember. The player, embodied by a wolf, is given the opportunity to guide these souls to their final resting place. Throughout this journey, the protagonist uncovers fragments of their past life and the reasons behind their fate.
Lost Ember distinguishes itself from many other games through its focus on exploration and narrative. It quickly becomes apparent that the experience is designed to be more meditative and relaxing, as exemplified by the opening scenes.
Players have the option to disable the in-game narration and rely solely on the visual storytelling. However, retaining the narrative voice provides an additional layer, guiding players through the landscapes and deepening the impact of the story.
The player controls the wolf across a vast and visually appealing landscape. While the graphics exhibit some aliasing, this becomes less noticeable as the narrative progresses. The ability to inhabit other animals, such as birds, allows for traversal of the environment in unique ways. Soaring freely above the landscape as a bird offers a particularly serene experience.
However, Lost Ember lacks a core element prevalent in many games: significant challenge. Progressing through the story rarely presents any difficulty. Falling off a cliff, for example, simply results in a reload at the cliff’s edge, prompting the player to find an alternative route, such as transforming into a bird for aerial traversal. The absence of penalties aligns the game with other meditative adventures, such as Journey.
Lost Ember features expansive levels. On the Nintendo Switch, particularly in portable mode, loading pauses were noticeable. Docked mode offered improved performance, but frame rate drops were still present.
In conclusion, Lost Ember provides a relaxing experience, enhanced by its evocative music and sound design. While the lack of challenge and technical limitations on the Switch prevent a strong recommendation, the game is approved with reservations.
Note: A Day 1 patch has been released for the Switch version of Lost Ember, addressing technical issues. This review will be updated if the patch resolves the aforementioned problems.
