Life is a complex concept. It is a question with many answers but entering these answers are the emotions we feel. Happiness, sadness, rage, kindness, empathy, these emotions hold great power and are what makes us who we are. Discussing such subjects yields an entirely different experience. Every person one sees is somewhat different than every other person in the world. Those feelings are grounded in various norms. Where we come from, how we grow up, and what we see all affect how we feel. Every experience both good and bad makes a significant impact. It is what we do with those feelings, and the power they hold, that determines where we get to. Finding a balance with those feelings is often the greatest challenge we face.
Making a video game about life isn’t easy but Embers Studio has successfully managed to do so. Taking place in a dream world, Strayed Lights is a game not about light and dark but life and our feelings in it. Strayed Lights frames this idea into an action adventure with minimal UI and a straightforward setting. This marvelous adventure is an excellent game and certainly among the very best to come out of 2023.
A great beginning
Thunder cracks the Earth. Lighting splits the sky. Torrents of rainfall unendingly down on an unknown land. A humanoid ember, aflame and small, approaches a mesmerizing light. Frightened, the humanoid touches a mysterious power. The child becomes an adult being, capable of light and power. Suddenly, darkness envelopes this strange being an evil personality forms. With the land broken and enveloped in darkness, a grand adventure begins to not just conquer demons but to find balance in oneself.
Strayed Lights is an action-adventure game that follows the familiarities of such a game in the gene. Players embody a lone being of light and dark. This being is amorphous, able to change its body for offense or defense. As this being, players fight across a strange and twisted land overcome by evil. This being possesses the special ability of restoring light and balance in the creatures they encounter. In Strayed Lights, players don’t necessarily kill or neutralize enemies but defeat them through light and peace.
Sound in body and mind
The tried and true formula of adventure games. Players fight enemies across various realms. When enemies are defeated, glowing shards of light emerge. These shards can then be used to upgrade certain skills. Skill includes a paralyzing electrical attack and a lightning-fast ambush attack. There is a variety of skills to choose from to best tailor players to their combat preferences. Scattered throughout each level are small orbs that increase health. These orbs are hidden and encourage exploration for the player. Players are shown where to go in a large hub area. A golden crystal reveals the next area that players need to go to further the story.
Where Strayed Lights differentiates itself and ascends the genre is by placing meaning and context to the action. Strayed Lights is an action game. Players do fight monsters. However, that action isn’t necessarily violent. Attacking an enemy is an action but isn’t exactly encouraged. The purpose of fighting and action in Strayed Lights is to achieve balance and defeat the evil that dwells. This is a gameplay philosophy that hasn’t been seen since Spec Ops: The Line. Where that war game brought context and meaning to the violence, Strayed Light brings meaning to combat as well, albeit in a far less violent sense.
Be a warrior
In combat, players switch the color of their flame. The enemy can do the same as well. The efficiency of attack and defense depends on the player’s color and the enemy’s color. The nameless protagonist is fluid and amorphous, using parts of the body to block or attack. Players slash and punch enemies, but that is not the most effective means of fighting. The key to combat is parrying. Parrying builds up a special light meter. When that meter fills, the enemy is exhausted and unable to continue fighting. Subsequently, players unleash a blinding light that defeats the enemy.
Enemies can switch their color too. Their attacks are unpredictable but their color indicates a rhythm t the action. Players that are successful in parrying can easily overcome any enemy, but even the monstrous, grotesque enemies are quick and dangerous. Enemies can change color but they can also use purple. Purple is the most dangerous color as these attacks deal high damage and can not be deflected. During the game’s many bossifghts, this color indicates an extremely damaging attack that must be avoided. Players can dodge these attacks but even then, these attacks are difficult to manage. Some arenas hold multiple monsters to fight and turn into a flurry of strategies. Switching targets and colors is quite a challenge but one that is rewarding.
Fight for your light
This gameplay philosophy furthers Strayed Lights meanings and themes. Darkness begets darkness. Violence begets violence. In finding light ad peace can a victory be won. These small and subtle observations in Strayed Lights make the game stand out. This isn’t a simple adventure of light overcoming dark but using light to bring balance and fix what is broken. There aren’t any obvious weapons like swords or guns. Just the amorphous powers of the protagonist and their determination to end the darkness. It’s a mesmerizing and ingenious take on making gameplay and combat more than just a player interaction but a part of the narrative.
Games in the same genre have a philosophy to their combat. Bayonetta has exotic action, evoking of a style and substance that matches the personality of its protagonist. Vanquish relies on speed and maneuverability within a futuristic world of robots and space stations. God of War focuses on combat where the protagonist struggles with rage and forging a new beginning. Devil May Cry is wicked and edgy as the protagonist flirts with devil magic. Strayed Lights focuses on mending through offensive and defensive means with the purpose of bringing peace and using light to help others. It’s a strong direction and one that works incredibly well.
The heart burns brightest in the dark
Furthering the combat is the lack of a user interface. There are moments that remind the player what to press and some moves become quick-time events. However, there is no visible user interface for most of the 10+ hour journey. This further heightens the immersion and visual clarity of Strayed Light. The minimal UI isn’t to make the gorgeous visuals pop out further but to enliven the emotions and feelings. There are no words or voiceovers in Strayed Lights. The story is done visually through characters actions and behaviors. Body language is essential and effective in conveying what is happening and why.
The emotional impact is further underscored by a rousing score from award-winning composer Austin Wintory. The Journey and Abzu composer ushers in a thick atmosphere of radiant purple lights and wild dark roots. The world is an existence that takes place within its own plane. Austin creates an ambiance that is welcoming and calm but does a fantastic job of roaring in the thrill of danger. In combat, there is a primal, instinctive tone to his music as if nature is in battle with itself. It’s a wild and untamed beat that pounds the player’s heart. This is most especially true during bossfights as the bosses players face have a wild appearance. One monster has a lion-like appearance with similar attacks. Another has several arms and is more like a primate. These battles are larger than life and their outcomes are just as epic as fighting them.
A beautiful world but not much time
Striking purples and blues envelop the visual senses. Vistas of endless ocean stretch as the eye can see. Macabre monsters roam the land and a pink moon lightens the night sky. Trees become twisted at the sight of evil and other eldritch creatures lurk. In moments of calm, there is a sense of awe-inspiring beauty that simply arrests players. As broken as the world is, it’s also a breathtaking land that impresses with its color and ambience as well. Strayed Lights artistic direction also benefits at the fact that the game finds itself in a time where such vibrant color palettes are rare, making this a visually appealing title.
Strayed Lights is a contained adventure. Regrettably, it’s rather on the short side. One playthrough may take six or 7 hours depending on skill. More time could be added for those that wish to complete the achievements. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Strayed Lights can be recommended to many players of many skill levels. I can’t help but feel there is more adventure to be seen with this world and imagination but as this is the studios first project, it’s a solid and complete experience. With that short length, it negates the usual culprit with action games and that is repetition. Perhaps more gameplay and combat variety, as well as a slightly longer length, could have been beneficial to the game but as it stands, Strayed Lights is worth your time.
Verdict
Strayed Lights, is a mesmerizing adventure that tells an important tale through lights, sound, and a big heart. Embers Studio should commend themselves in telling such a tale in this manner and presenting it with language that anyone can understand. Its combat is riveting and engaging, filled with meaning and purpose. It’s a visual stunner that creates a beautifully broken world that players leave an impression. Strayed Lights marks Embers Studio first big game release. If this is their debut, I simply cannot wait to see what they create next. Strayed Lights is an unforgettable adventure and I am glad to have seen it for I won’t soon forget it.
Strayed Lights was reviewed on the Steamdeck thanks to a key supplied to Marooners’ Rock by Homerun PR
