Strayed Lights is the debut title from developer Embers. Released this April, Strayed Lights caught my eye instantly due to its’ art direction. It reminds me a lot of Ori and the Blind Forest another one of my favorite Indie titles. I was quite excited to try the game out and I’m very happy to say I was not disappointed in the slightest. Strayed Lights is easily some of the most fun I’ve had with a game this year.

The basic story of Strayed Lights is rather vague but there is enough to keep you interested. I always enjoy games that take advantage of visual storytelling and this is no exception, as there is no dialogue at all. You play as a light-based spirit who upon awakening becomes corrupted by darkness. In order to cleanse this darkness you adventure throughout the world defeating various enemies. Other light spirits infected by the shadow make up the major boss encounters.

Your ultimate goal seems to be transcending to a spiritual plane of some kind. However, there are certainly other angles of interpretation, which is part of what makes the story memorable. The best storytelling came within each boss encounter. Not only are the battles incredibly dynamic and fun but they each tell a mini story in themselves. Each boss is loaded with personality conveyed through detailed animations. I loved every minute they occupied the screen.

The major gameplay of Strayed Lights is also fun and unique. It’s an action game that places a heavy focus on defense. Parries are your strongest attacks here and by blocking combos you will store light and deplete the health of enemies before finishing them off. As the name of the game would suggest, light also factors heavily into the combat mechanics. Enemies will flash either blue, orange, or purple before each attack. With a quick button press, you can shift the color of your character to match before parrying.

Doing so restores some health and depletes more of their light. In contrast, blocking attacks in the wrong color will only block damage while purple attacks are unable to be countered forcing you to dash and evade. You do have basic attacks you can hit enemies with as well but they do little damage. Mainly they are simply there simply to give you something to do while you wait for enemies to hit you again. There’s also a simple progression system that allows you to unlock three major skills. Stun attacks interrupt combos and there is a lunge attack that steals energy from your opponent. The most useful ability is the third ability, which allows you to perfect block attacks regardless of color for a short time frame.

I found this combat system incredibly satisfying overall. The color system is well implemented and there is some great sound design that makes every hit feel impactful. This game is also subtly a rhythm game. Enemy combos are often accentuated by musical cues and blocking entire strings perfectly takes mastery of proper timing and technique. Speaking of music, this game has an exceptional soundtrack. Austin Wintory composes a variety of outstanding tracks here that bring the vision of each area into sharp focus. There is a lot of variety amongst the soundtrack with wonderful diverse instrumentals showcasing a broad range of tones. From slow jazz to heart-racing rock there’s a little bit of everything here.

The true majesty of the soundtrack is made all the sweeter when paired with the breathtaking visuals of this game. Each area has a distinct identity that complements the major boss encounter of the region. I enjoyed traversing every section of the landscape and taking my time gazing at some of the scenic views. My favorite area would have to be the jungle level which has you traverse along branches and explore mystical groves visited by forest spirits.

Though I enjoyed the combat, I could easily see some players feeling it to be a tad repetitive. Areas are also linear, with each following a relatively similar structure. You fight some enemies and eventually face a boss in a series of smaller encounters which culminate into a cinematic finish that will throw some easy quick time events.

Upon completion, you then return to the hub world where you can do a little exploration to uncover more little details surrounding the game’s story. It’s a very tried and true formula that has grown slightly outdated now that gaming technology has advanced. However, as someone who loves playing retro games, it’s sometimes nice to see a simpler game that delivers a quick and easily digestible experience.

On the other hand, I do wish Strayed Lights was just a bit longer. I finished the game in around four and a half hours but probably could have done it in four if I didn’t waste time simply exploring the major hub and searching for secrets. I think one to three more levels would have been fantastic, especially given the price point of around 25 dollars. The addition of a few more hours of gameplay could have allowed for a more expansive skill tree and level design. I felt that a few light-based puzzles would have helped diversify the gameplay and fix repetitiveness.

Lastly, although the game has a fantastic graphical style and aesthetic I did have some mild performance issues. Mostly just frame rate dips but the game also crashed on me twice. These issues might mostly be due to my machine being relatively low power in terms of specs. Nevertheless, I feel it is important to note in case you receive similar issues. Overall, though I would highly recommend playing Strayed Lights. If you love atmospheric action titles that transport you back to the simpler days of gaming while still delivering on some unique gameplay this is the title for you.

A PC Review Copy of Strayed Lights was provided by Embers for this Review.

Editor’s Note: A Patch was created (Releasing May 10th) addressing graphical issues, crashes, and other UI issues.

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Strayed Lights

24.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Visual artstyle
• Boss enounters
• Unique defensive combat

Cons

• Can be repetitive