Lost Ember
| Lost Ember | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Mooneye Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Mooneye Studios |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 4[1] |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| Release | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
|
| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Lost Ember is an adventure game developed by Mooneye Studios and released in 2019. Players explore the ruins of a lost civilization by possessing various animals.
Gameplay
[edit]Lost Ember is a third-person adventure game.[2] Players control an amnesiac wolf. A spirit asks the player for help in reaching the afterlife and explains that people disqualified from entering the afterlife are reincarnated as animals. The player and the spirit set off to find out why the player is barred from the afterlife and to assist the spirit. The game does not have traditional puzzles, though players may encounter impassable terrain. To continue, players can possess other animals they encounter. Possessing a bird allows players to fly over terrain inaccessible to the wolf, and fish can swim across lakes. By exploring nearby ruins, the player and spirit learn more about their past lives and the civilization they came from. Unlocking these memories allows them to progress through the game and enter the afterlife.[3]
Development
[edit]Mooneye Studios successfully crowdfunded Lost Ember in 2016. It was released in late 2019 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[4] It was ported to Nintendo Switch in September 2020.[5]
Reception
[edit]Luke Kemp of PC Gamer rated the game 90/100 and called it "a wonderful, unique, and unforgettable experience with a love for nature".[3] Richard Hoover reviewed the game for Adventure Gamers and rated it 3/5 stars. He wrote, "Lost Ember's animal body possession provides some fun moments but the lack of anything substantive to do with it makes for a beautiful but surprisingly empty experience."[2] Reviewing the PlayStation 4 version, Jon Bailes of Polygon criticized the game's performance. Although he said Lost Ember becomes more enjoyable later on, Bailes compared it negatively to Journey and said that Lost Ember "takes way too long to get flowing properly".[6] Brett Posner-Ferdman, who reviewed the Nintendo Switch version for Nintendo Life, also criticized the game's performance. He rated it 4/10 stars and wrote that the game "fails to deliver on nearly every front".[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Making it in Unreal: what makes innovative indie Lost Ember glow?". PCGamesN. 2020-11-20.
- ^ a b Hoover, Richard (2019-12-09). "Review for Lost Ember". Adventure Gamers. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ a b Kemp, Luke (2019-11-25). "Lost Ember review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ Carter, Chase (2019-11-24). "Claw, wing, and swim through Lost Ember's forgotten world". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ a b Posner-Ferdman, Brett (2020-10-05). "Lost Ember Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ Bailes, Jon (2019-11-27). "Lost Ember conjures up an epic animal adventure, but can't quite deliver on that promise". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
External links
[edit]- 2019 video games
- Windows games
- PlayStation 4 games
- Xbox One games
- Nintendo Switch games
- Single-player video games
- Indie games
- Adventure games
- Unreal Engine 4 games
- Video games about animals
- Video games about spirit possession
- Video games developed in Germany
- Video games set in fictional countries
- Mooneye Studios games