The stunning visual style of Strayed Lights, an indie fantasy game by Embers, captivates the senses right away. From a cave emerges a newborn spark, the first protagonist from Embers development studio. As the spark rapidly evolves into an adult form, it fights a shadowy version of itself and unknowingly releases an evil force.
A detailed plot is not revealed, as the game’s narrative is primarily about experiencing the adventure. Non-playable characters offer friendly gestures but no words. Despite this, Strayed Lights has an interesting combat system heavily influenced by Sekiro.
The game’s fighting mechanics primarily involve parrying, with a twist. A successful parry adds energy to the hero’s energy gauge, which can be used to destroy enemies. Since enemies’ attacks are weak, parrying rewards health and defense, making it the smart strategy. An enemy’s attack type can also be dodged, but this mostly adds flavor to enemy combos.
Initially, offensive striking is pushed back, but once you get used to it, it’s quite empowering. While regular monsters litter the sparsely populated open world, the real challenge lies in multi-stage encounters with colossal creatures. It takes quick thinking and logic to deal with the big guys. An encounter with a giant ape allows for a little greed.
It can be frustrating to fight more than one enemy while changing colors, especially during group encounters. Normal encounters, however, can be repetitive, since most are just stopgaps between bosses.
This is Embers’ debut game. It features an interesting combat system with some flaws, wonderful music by Journey composer Austin Wintory, and exciting boss battles.
Pros:
- Excellent music and sound design
- Memorable boss battles
- Satisfying parry mechanics
Cons:
- Attacks may lack a sense of impact
- Normal fights can quickly become dull
Overall, I would rate it a 7 out of 10.