PC Review Code Provided by Embers Studio
Creating a new combat game with a unique element is hard in today’s heavily developed world, but it seems Embers Studio might have done just that. We got some early ideas of what to expect with Strayed Lights from our interview and initial first impression of the game, but playing through the title in its entirety showed how deep and difficult this game can get. Despite having a somewhat simplistic concept, they did a great job making it both challenging and rewarding. Let’s dive into the details.
Story
The story is told through cinematics and visuals with no dialogue, so there is a bit of interpretation with this one. However, from what I can tell, you are a form of pure energy that has been split with a dark power - perhaps something to do with a traumatic event or even a pull from within one’s self. After an initial fight, the dark entity split your power core and threw it into different parts of an otherwise peaceful world. Now, you must collect your energy by taking out hostile formations and rescuing those corrupted by the energy that fell upon them.
This is just how I interpreted the events that took place, but I could easily be wrong about the overall plot or meaning. This is a story that I look forward to seeing an investigative YouTuber break down more thoroughly in the future.
Gameplay
From the start of the game to the end, the combat is mostly the same yet never gets old. You can change between Orange and Blue energy, but so can your enemies. Enemies will glow as one of the two colors as they are about to attack and they can change colors during their attack combinations. In order to defeat enemies, you need to parry their attacks - meaning your timing has to be on point - as the color of the attack. Of course, you can parry as the opposite color, but you won’t harm the enemy this way and just prevent damage being taken.
A meter fills up with every successful parry in the same color as the enemy. Once the meter is full, you can release a burst of energy that finishes off the enemy. All enemies have the same meter and defeat style, however, they also have different attack styles, sequences, and can change colors are seemingly random intervals. If you pay attention to their combinations, you will be able to learn the color-changing and combat styles of each enemy.
Something enemies can do that you can’t is utilize a purple energy color. This color can not be blocked and only be dodged. You have a cooldown on dodging, so this has to be just as well-timed as any parry has to be.
As you defeat the big boss of a level, you will earn a power-up point. As you defeat regular energies, you will get what looks to be crystal charges. You level up your character with these, each having their own growth options. Crystal charges can be used on the lower end of the tree, with options like more energy, more health, and some combat options. Power-up points are used on one of three different abilities. The choice of which one you power up is up to you, but keep in mind that to actually use the ability you will have to switch between them, making it more difficult to utilize multiple abilities in a fast sequence.
My favorite power up choice was the stun ability and my favorite crystal charge option was the power hit after parrying a full attack sequence. These options made combat so different as I could hit a perfect sequence parry, get a powerful hit, stun them when I landed, and throw a full attack combo on them in one strong move. With three energy charges, this combo was a healthy way to take down bosses!
Audio and Visual
While the audio was more of an accent to the game, leaving the player in an almost silent terrain at times, the visuals of the game are magnificent! I love how brightly colored every enemy, and myself were throughout the game and that the environments I ended up in always had their own kind of beauty to them. Even in the darker levels, there was a nice crystal texture or colorful area that just livened up the atmosphere. I was always appreciative of the scenery throughout the game.
Replayability
They do have a few collectibles in the game, such as Eggs and Energy. These could drive a player to want to play the game more than once, given they didn’t find them all on their initial playthrough. Other than that, I’m not sure there is much reason to play the game more than once as the adventure will be the same and most of the fun of this game is learning the attack styles of enemies and getting better than them at it.
What It Could Have Done Better
I thought the levels themselves were almost too big. It wasn’t so much that they had them empty, and there were some sections that felt empty, but my issue was more in the fact that there wasn’t really any reason for the size of the levels. Circular pathways, dead ends, and sometimes not even a reward for taking a long pathway that ended up being in the wrong direction.
Verdict
Strayed Lights is designed as a wonderous adventure filled with hardcore color-coded combat! I really liked the aspect of this game and playing through it was definitely entertaining. I hope to see more titles like this follow suit, or perhaps a series in this game’s design at least. If you have been looking for a game to bring a new style of combat and action to the gaming world, then this might be what you are looking for!
Strayed Lights is available now on PC via Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
