Introducing something new to me in combat action is rare. In games with this feature, you can use guns to kill enemies or melee action to take them down, and I’m not usually surprised at how this works. Of course, I can love the familiar battles though, but it was exciting to experience something I’ve never had before, which is what Strayed Light has done.
Relying almost solely on a unique block system that requires you to switch between two colors to match an enemy’s attack, I couldn’t understand the Strayed Lights action enough, even if it was repetitive. again. That this battle is enveloped in a splendid alien world, is realized and supported by dynamic and musically diverse soundtrack from Austin Wintory (composer of Journey and Godless) makes my time with the game even better.
Stray lights started with the introduction of types. You begin as a ray of light – an ember – on your journey to transcendence. To succeed, you must confront your inner demon – the darkness – using a fighting style that focuses on defense, while further exploring this ethereal sci-fi world to learn about survival. at yours. During my first hour, I felt overwhelmed because developer Embers didn’t hold your hand or even guide you in a direction, but the game’s openness was more linear than it first appeared.
Running around the world is great, but the platform is sometimes less than excellent. Jumping feels strange because your character often hits the ground making a thud and you have to wait a while for them to recover and get up. This design choice makes the larger jumps, of which there are many, feel heavy. But the platform is rarely the star of this show as it is a quicker means of reaching the next battle arena.
When an enemy is nearby, a shading substance smudges the edges of the screen, a stone monster (sometimes two) appears, and the Stray Light begins to shine. By tapping on the left bumper, I can change the color of the fiery light burning inside my character from blue to orange and vice versa. This is very important to fix as soon as the game starts because every enemy changes color like this. And you need to replace it with your color matching bumper that matches theirs. The mechanics start off simple, but a third color you can’t match – purple – is thrown into the mix, requiring you to dodge. At its peak, a fourth color is added and enemies quickly switch between them as they roar at you with three, four, and sometimes five hits. I like to frantically switch my colors to match theirs by parrying, dodging when asked, and taking hits with my limited attack.
Blocking is the only way to regain health during combat, which requires me to play more dangerously as my health drops. There are special abilities and moves you can unlock for your fighting repertoire, but ultimately, it’s important to learn the Strayed Lights’ block mechanics – you won’t get to the finish line if you don’t master it. catch the moment. I like a good tanking game and this one kept me satisfied until the end, but those who like to dodge in melee action games might have a hard time.
Collecting shards from enemies to use skills is fun, as is exploring open areas to collect lore-related items, level up, etc. Fortunately, stray from the area. The way to find these collectibles requires little effort, which is good because it allows you to get back into the fight. The action is simple but satisfying, and while the instances where I had to fight multiple enemies at once pissed me off more than anything else, I still enjoyed almost any combat situation I came across. Right.
However, the game lacks the variety of enemies. Initially, it seemed like each new area could have its own enemies, but mid-game I realized that the Stray Lights only had a handful of monsters to throw at me. Learning each type of attack is a fun mental exercise and I would enjoy more.
No matter what I’m doing, my eyes and ears are intoxicated. I entered each new open area in Strayed Lights, amused by the visual design before me. The sun and moon burn brightly overhead, and the landscape is painted in beautiful colors of green, blue, neon pink, and purple. My embers of a character shine against these backdrops, and my hard drive contains several dozen screenshots because of it. Wintory’s scores match the tunes of each place, dancing among the ethereal wind instruments and ceremonial percussion that seems to be speaking its own foreign language. Even when the gameplay falters, such as in two-enemy combat situations or the game’s less than great background, I still enjoy being in this world because of the score and visual design of the game. Strayed Light.
Strayed Lights is short, sweet, and most of all excellent at what it asks the player to do. Its unique tank-on-demand combat offers something new, and I enjoyed most of its cases, especially in the larger boss fights scattered throughout the journey. Exploring it doesn’t require much effort, which is a good thing because for the most part it doesn’t feel great going through areas. Its flaws, however, were easy to overlook, as what I was watching and hearing throughout the game was delightful. Strayed Lights is a strong debut for Embers in every way and aims to highlight the importance of the gaming platform. At its core, Strayed Lights revolves around a simple, intuitive, and unique combat system, and with this solid foundation, it’s no wonder the game shines so brightly.
