Game Reviews by Quietly

Lost Ember [Short]

Played on: PC
Platform: Steam
Year Played: 2023

Hours Played: 4.0 Hrs

I grabbed Lost Ember after it was recommended by a friend and devoured the game in a mere 3 hours. A lower time slot than sites like HowLongToBeat clock the game in as. If that doesn't tell you what I think of the game, then let's elaborate a bit more.

Lost Ember is a third person narrative game that follows two companions as they discover the history of a fallen world. The game is linear. Meaning that exploration outside of the main storyline is very limited which is a bit of a shame for those looking to really explore the wilderness. However, despite this the world still seems full as you bounce from one memory to another. It embraces many viewpoints through the eyes of a wolf with the ability to inhabit other animals and a Yanren spirit who hopes to find his way to the City of Light. With these two, we discover the story of Kalani and follow her through her memories of the Yanren Society before its fall. With beautiful graphics and a soundtrack that fits the tone, it was overall a very positive experience for me.

As someone with limited time, I found this game to be just the right fit for my days off. I personally didn't invest time into finding all of the different relics and inhabiting all of the animals. Simply enjoying the story was enough for me to feel that the game was a positive experience. If you are someone who likes to spend hours completing a game to 100% or exploring every nook and cranny; this game may come off as short with not enough to do. Those that want something with more challenge in the form of puzzles, combat, or anything else will also find this game lacking. Since these are things that the game does not have.Overall, I would recommend this to someone who needs something simple that doesn't take up a lot of your time IF you do not mind a bittersweet story that will likely make you tear up by the end.