A couple of weeks ago developer Embers released the atmospheric adventure Strayed Lights. Players who decided to venture into the game found themselves drawn into a colorful wordless journey, complete with a beautiful world, original battle system and a pleasant musical accompaniment.
The plot of Strayed Lights might be not easy to grasp immediately as it is full of metaphors and attempts to tell a story and convey emotions without actively telling players what is going on. Instead of dialogues, players will have to rely on visual and musical storytelling as this journey unfolds.
So don’t be surprised if you find that you do not understand what exactly is going on at any given moment, you will not be alone in that. On the other hand, this vague approach of the plot gives a huge freedom for imagination and interpretation, based on your own personal experience. Which, in turn, makes the entire playthrough extremely intriguing.
Are you ready to be the speck of light in a dark but colorful world? This is our Strayed Lights PC review.
In Strayed Lights, players take on the role of a being of light that goes on a journey to fight against the influence of shadows, gradually gaining strength and opening new opportunities. As you travel and attempt to restore your own light, you will have to face creatures that have been deformed by their emotions. Will you be able to help them? Or are they too far gone to reason with? That is something for you to find out as you explore this beautiful world.
I had a chance to try out the demo version of the game for myself. Over an hour or so of the content available then, my overall impression was pretty positive and excited over what the game promised. But the demo only offered a small piece of the game, would the full version hold the same sense of wonder and intrigue? And the answer is a resounding yes. Except the few additional hours it takes to go through the story also give more opportunities to test various gameplay systems and sides of the game, such as its soulslike combat.
The combat system quickly shows itself in all its glory and, although it is outwardly quite simple, it still offers an interesting spin on gameplay. The creatures you enсounter and attempt to help are split into a few categories based on their… color. Not the shape or size (and there are many!), or a weapon they wield or even weaknesses they have, but the element and its corresponding color: Orange, Blue and Purple. Creatures can shift their color on the fly, forcing you to adapt as well.
You need to parry enemy attacks with a corresponding color. For example, if an enemy attacks you with Blue claws, you need to parry with Blue yourself and so on. Purple attacks can not be parried in the same way, it will always get past your defense so your evasion skills have to be on-point as well.
As your power grows and your light reignites, you will get access to a number of abilities that can help get you through any predicament: stun an enemy, parry regardless of color, or attack and interrupt enemy’s action. There is a small skill tree that allows you to invest in the gameplay type you want by leveling up your protagonist in the respective way.
In addition to the normal enemies that are frequently quite easy to get through, the game also features spectacular bosses. Every boss battle is something incredible, unique and amazing in a myriad of ways, from action-packed gameplay to the emotionally charged but still wordless narrative that they provide.
As the game sets out to evoke an emotional response, every such boss and the battle against them is a true gem and a real quintessence of developer craftsmanship. From the shape and colors to the emotions put behind this tale of light and shadow. As you help the creatures of this world, you will also face your fallen kin – other beings of light that have been corrupted by emotions and have taken on grotesque monster-like forms as a result.
Every such boss is tormented by a certain vice, which you as a speck of bright light will be attempting to cure. Boss battles are split into phases that are sometimes significantly different between themselves. Such challenges, complete with beautiful music, shine brightly in the already phenomenal journey that is Strayed Lights, with the final battle being intense in a variety of ways from the beginning till the end.
In between battles, you will traverse the fractured lands of Strayed Lights, and have an opportunity to enjoy a number of locations: forests and canyons, caves and castles, all tinged with that slightly melancholic fog and offering dreamlike haziness.
Although the locations might seem simple at first glance, as you explore and look around you will notice that they are filled with many small touches and neat details such as flowers gently swaying in the wind or majestic waterfalls or even distant looming buildings that look like they are about to crumble into dust from their age.
That kind of balance between simple forms and attention to details also goes to the overall lighting and color of the game itself, the hero’s story and even enemies. Strayed Lights is built on those contrasts and it reaches well beyond the visual aesthetics. The same can be said about the music: calm and quiet tunes during the exploration morph into livelier, more action-like tracks for the game’s fluid combat sequences. The OST echoes the beauty of the game, skillfully conveying the feelings and thoughts of living beings you encounter on your journey.
For those who end up in love with the game’s aesthetics, Strayed Lights features a photo mode complete with a number of tools and settings that can help you set a new desktop wallpaper for the foreseeable future.
Strayed Lights is a prime example that budget doesn’t make the game. The love of their craft and the feelings invested into the project by the developers is what sets the game aside from many other titles. Awesome stylization, unique soundtrack and a majestic mixture of colors immediately highlight its true beauty.
The game shines with its memorable soundtrack that will evoke all kinds of emotions from you while the visual side offers a beautiful contrast of dark color palettes and bright light splotches. The combat is fluid and rewarding while the plot explores a deep narrative without offering a single word.
Strayed Lights does not offer hundreds of hours of content, the game can be finished in 3-4 hours without rushing through battles and exploration. The character progression system is quite basic as well and seems to have been added more for the illusion that you actually become stronger.
When it comes to negatives, I had quite a few problems with the technical state of the game, having experienced some crashes and frequent freezes during the most charged moments. However, these moments didn’t manage to ruin my impression and I’d still eagerly recommend the game despite them.
Note: the Steam key for the game has been provided for free for the purpose of writing this review.
