Lost Ember Reviews
Great graphics, a compelling experience, and overall heart, paint the general picture of this adventure game. While some aspects of the story go unexplored and the animal-shifting aspect largely goes under-utilized, these are not enough to distract from a positive experience. Gamers need to know going in that Lost Ember is a very casual-friendly experience, but one that is still well done. The only thing holding it back is a lack of truly diving into the mechanics presented, or truly investigating the story themes brought forth.
Lost Ember offers an emotional tale of discovery set in a visually stunning world. The possession mechanic is interesting and allows for some unique setpiece experiences while the huge amount of collectables offer some longevity beyond the four-hour story experience.
If you're prepared for some eyeroll moments as you reset the game because your wombat got stuck in a boulder, you'll be rewarded with the spectacle of battering through walls as a buffalo, or soaring through rainbows as a hawk. At such moments of wonder, that initial escapist promise of soul-wandering through the animal kingdom feels tantalisingly close. But, in the end, the game's limitations break the necessary immersion, and bring you back down to earth with a thud.
Overall, Lost Ember isn’t a terrible game; it does, however, strive to be profound and ultimately is not quite so. The narrative is ambitious but never strays from the beaten path. Navigation is problematic and leaves players lost when it shouldn’t. Performance is also far from optimized for Switch. While the body swapping and visual design are solid, the former is let down by linear traversal and the latter isn’t enough to make up for the other flaws. Hopefully a patch will come along to tackle some of these problems, but in the meantime consider Lost Ember if you’re willing to put up with a number of different issues.
Lost Ember is almost a good game. Its animal exploration mechanics are well-realized. Unfortunately, it's bogged down by technical issues, lackluster storytelling, and frustrating event flagging.
Lost Ember is a beautiful wild adventure, a journey through the memory of a lost civilization, a travel touched by too many technical errors.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Though it follows a very recognisable 'indie adventure' formula, Lost Ember has exactly the right amount of heart and creativity to make it compelling
I enjoyed every moment of Lost Ember, and when I stopped playing, I just wanted to get back in the game and wander around more and find more of the memories.
Lost Ember is a visually stunning game with a breathtaking world to explore. These features, as well as its beautiful soundtrack and engrossing narrative, make it a must-play indie - but its constant performance issues really hold it back. It is worth fighting through them, but be aware that your immersion will consistently be broken.
Lost Ember provides players with an open world to explore through the viewpoint of various animals. And although it can be effective, its high price and downgraded graphics mean the Nintendo Switch may not be the best way to play it.
Still, Lost Ember is a cute game that has a fair amount of variety. As long as you go in looking to play as cute animals and explore you'll have fun. Those looking for a deeper or more complicated experience will likely be disappointed, though even looking at the backgrounds can be relaxing. Toss in some performance issues and Lost Ember is fun and in some cases interesting but likely not something that will appeal to most people.
The game's mechanics betrays its core premise of exploration and the weak environments are allergic to wonder. Lost Ember's story isn't the only thing that feels like it's happening in the past tense.
Lost Ember clocks in at about six hours per play, depending on your particular style. That's a pretty decent amount of time for you to experience the story and get to know all the types of wildlife available. Add on a couple more runs to find all of the hidden items and I'd say it is well worth the $29.99 US price tag. If you're a fan of games like Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch, make sure to check out Lost Ember ASAP.
Lost Ember offers a compelling journey through a beautiful landscape, seen from the eyes of various creatures, while searching for lost memories.
Lost Ember attempts to be an artistic experience, yet struggles to be an enjoyable game. The story is uninteresting and predictable, the gameplay is boring and sometimes frustrating, and the huge performance issues on Switch makes this game close to unplayable at times. While there is clearly potential here, Lost Ember fails to deliver on nearly every front. There are plenty of other artsy games on Switch to pick up over this one.
Lost Ember is a game that wants you to take your time and take in the beauty around you, and it absolutely nails these goals. The entire design of the game is used perfectly to awe-inspire the player, and give them the chance to explore at their own pace.
The hard-hitting emotional narrative, beautiful score and pleasant visuals were just enough to drag me through a game that was at times, not fun to play. Technical issues ranging from freezing to death loops soured what could have been a very fun and touching exploration game. I did enjoy my time with it but the issues I had did take a few points off the overall score. Perhaps wait for an update before purchasing.
Lost Ember departs from typical video game fighting and puzzle-solving to tell a heartfelt story through the eyes of its animal protagonist. Thanks to its stunning art direction and obvious love for its subject matter, it offers a genuine emotional payoff despite having some elements that still feel undercooked.
Lost Ember is defined by its exuberant art style, musical score, and narrative. It tells a simple yet coherent story and gives you just enough at each memory to make you want to press onwards and learn what happens next.
Unless you're curious about the narrative, we'd beware of the dog in this case.