When you think of Hello Games, you’ll automatically think of the vast world of No Man’s Sky. And yet, The Last Campfire is their newest game, which is the complete opposite of No Man’s Sky. It’s developed by an incredibly small team and tells the emotional story of Ember. No big galaxies to discover here, instead you’ll discover a beautiful story about moving on when all hope seemed lost.
Ember
The Last Campfire tells the tale of Ember, a special little pilgrim who helps other travellers that got lost behind. He doesn’t help them directly however. Ember is a special creature, one that’s able to jump into the mind of others in the search of a solution for their inner trouble. It’s a strong metaphor and during your journey, you’ll meet a lot of different characters, all with their own kind of problems. It really shines a light on how harsh and cruel the world can become if you don’t have someone else who supports you. The story is told through narration during the entire adventure. Right from the start, a fragile voice will guide you through the mesermizing world, explaining what’s going on with Ember and often explaining what kind of problems you are trying to solve. I really liked this approach and it made me feel connected to Ember much stronger. Thanks to the narration, you understand the importance and the emotions of the small character a lot better and it simply works pretty well. Even during puzzles, you’ll hear some narration, which can sometimes feel like a distraction but if you take your time to truly listen, even during the puzzles, you’ll end up with a very emotional and interesting story.
A puzzled mind
In order to help others, you’ll need to solve the issues in their minds, you do so by solving puzzles. These puzzles are the beating heart of the game and it’s great to see the developers just had a lot of fun creating them. It all starts pretty basic with some typical lever and boxes action but the more you advance, the more complex and unique the puzzles become. What I liked most about it is the fact that you never know what to expect. It feels a bit like what Super Mario Galaxy did with its traditional levels. Instead of following a certain structure, it just throws idea after idea at you, always pushing you to think outside of the box and adapt to the problem that’s presented to you. In a way, it makes sense the team went for this approach since not two minds are exactly the same, so why should the puzzle mechanics remain exactly the same? It’s a fun journey filled with some of the more unique and thrilling puzzles we’ve seen in a long time.
A gorgeous adventure
The Last Campfire manages to combine a unique story with interesting puzzle mechanics but that’s not its only charm. As you can see on the screenshots, this is a beautifully created game that really manages to stand out of the crowd. It uses its soft colors and even cartoony looks to pull you into its gorgeously created world in seconds. It often reminded me of The Legend of Zelda games as it really has a lot of resemblances visually speaking. Thanks to this great visual style, you’ll want to meet all characters and want to see everything this world has in secret for you. Spending a couple of hours in this cute world will never feel like work, I enjoyed every minute of it and found it rather relaxing to end my day with a session of The Last Campfire.
Conclusion:
The Last Campfire is an adorable game that combines an emotional narrative with some solid and original puzzle mechanics. It’s not the biggest game out there but I enjoyed every second of it. There’s just something magical about it, which makes it a game worth checking out, even if it’s not your preferred genre.
