Strayed Lights review: A short-lived journey with long-lasting wonder

Strayed Lights is an action-adventure game that marks Embers' debut in the world of developing games. Their title takes players on a thrilling journey to a stunningly designed and colorful world. However, this place is not all perfect, as danger lurks around every corner. In this mysterious world, players will encounter shadowy demons that must be defeated in order to progress and grow stronger.

While that's the core gameplay, Strayed Lights offers much more than just that. This review of Strayed Lights will take a closer look at each and every aspect of the title. We will be looking at gameplay mechanics, narrative, graphics, and PC performance while leaving no stone unturned.

As we progress through the review, I will be sharing my thoughts along the way about all these aspects of the game to help you decide whether it is worth your time and money.

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Strayed Lights - My first impressions

Considering it's the studio's first entry into gaming, I must admit that I had some doubts about how the game would ultimately fare. From the moment I began playing, I was lost (literally). The game opens with a child born in a dark, gloomy cave, and I struggled to figure out what I was supposed to do. As I made my way out, a storm erupted, and the adventure began.

I soon found myself in a mystical and otherworldly gamespace, so beautifully designed that it deserves an article of its own. While it's not realistic in any way, the environmental design and the color palette perfectly portray an ancient civilization that was once brimming with life but has now come to its demise.

As I explored this world, I couldn't help but appreciate the effort put into its creation. The stunning environment kept me captivated, and I found myself eagerly looking forward to seeing what lay ahead.

One aspect that immediately caught my attention in Strayed Lights was the absence of speech or text in the game's world. Unlike most games where a scripted narrative guides you, Strayed Lights takes a different approach.

Despite being linear in terms of gameplay, the game doesn't spoon-feed players with its storyline. In fact, it doesn't tell you anything, leaving you to piece together the narrative on your own and imagine the story for yourself.

This unique approach allows players to fully immerse themselves in the game's world and create a more personalized and engaging experience. While this may not be for everyone, I absolutely loved it and found it to be one of the game's defining features.

Gameplay and story: A dynamic combination of fun combat and a player-defined narrative

Gameplay

The combat mechanics of Strayed Lights (Image via Embers)

When it comes to the gameplay of Strayed Lights, it is quite simple. Yet, it stands out due to the implementation of combat mechanics that work exceptionally well for the game.

The formula of fighting demons and survival may seem repetitive, but the combat mechanics make it an engaging experience. Players can attack, parry, jump, and dash out, along with earning special powers that can stun enemies, deal greater damage, and more.

Parrying is heavily relied upon, and successfully doing so earns energy that can be used to eliminate enemies instantly. However, this is not as easy as it sounds. Both the player and enemies alternate between blue and orange, and the player needs to be the same color as the opponent while parrying.

This adds an exciting layer of challenge to the gameplay, keeping players always on their toes. The unique combat mechanics give the game a fresh and fun feel, which is definitely one of its most engaging aspects. While combat in the game was enjoyable, I found the "boss" battles to be relatively easy. Once I learned the patterns, it became quite straightforward to defeat them.

Apart from the fun combat, players will also spend a lot of time platforming to navigate the game's world. Defeating "bosses" earns upgrade points, and collecting energy orbs boosts overall energy affinity. Though players can also collect energy from pink eggs, it's up to them to discover their purpose.

Story

As mentioned earlier, Strayed Lights does not tell you anything regarding its narrative and instead relies on the players to interpret what is happening. From my understanding of the game, the writers did a brilliant job of portraying the life of a helpless child beaming with light. The little one grows up in darkness while learning to be strong by fighting their demons and helping others to overcome their own.

The story may be simple, but it is heartwarming and complements the gameplay pretty well. The absence of dialog and speech leaves the players to define the narrative on their own. It is a refreshing change from the typical hand-holding approach seen in most games, and it adds to the overall charm of Strayed Lights.

While I would like to delve deeper into the fascinating "boss" battles of Strayed Lights, I am aware that revealing too much may spoil the experience for some players. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to mention at least one of these unique encounters.

These bosses, referred to as "siblings" within the game, each present their own challenges and storylines. In one particular instance, you face off against a sibling who resides in an illusionary world, attempting to mesmerize anyone who comes across it.

However, as a mature soul who has faced the harsh realities of life, you possess the strength and wisdom to shatter the sibling's castle of glass and reveal the true reality beneath. This is just one of the many "bosses" that you'll face in the game.

But before I get ahead of myself, I will refrain from divulging any further potential spoilers. Ultimately, the story is up to the player to interpret, and that is what truly matters at the end of the day.

Graphics, audio, and performance: A closer look at the components that facilitate immersion

Graphics

The world of Strayed Lights (Image via Embers)

In addition to the exceptional gameplay and narrative, Strayed Lights boasts a distinctive art style that sets it apart from other games. The world is beautifully designed, taking players through various areas, with each having its own distinct characteristics.

During your playthrough, you'll find yourself in a dark and misty forest, on top of rocky mountains with fiery lava below, deep murky caves filled with crawling beasts, and more. I also appreciate how the game smoothly transitions players into different worlds.

You could be exploring an underground cave, and before you know it, the world seamlessly shifts into a lush forest. The transition is so smooth that you might not even realize it when you have moved on to the next area. This design choice makes you feel like you are exploring a living, breathing world.

The combat scenes in Strayed Lights are also truly breathtaking. The movements and animations are absolutely stunning. It shows that the designers spared no effort in creating a visually captivating experience.

Audio

The game's audio is another standout feature, with a calming and relaxing background score that complements the gameplay perfectly. The music swiftly changes when enemies appear, a common feature in games, but the quality of the music itself is outstanding.

It is something that is hard to describe in words and is meant to be experienced. Overall, the audio design is excellent, providing a soothing experience with moments of intense music that enhances the combat experience.

Performance on PC

I played the game with a setup consisting of RTX 3060 Ti, Ryzen 5 5600X, and 16GB RAM. Despite playing at 1080p, I did experience random FPS drops every now and then. But based on the art style, it didn't seem like the game would be GPU intensive.

However, my CPU temperatures would randomly spike while playing. This was strange because I frequently play Warzone 2, which has not caused similar issues yet.

FPS drops randomly occurred while walking around in the game's world, but during combat, it remained stable. To mitigate these frequent FPS drops, I locked my FPS to 60 instead of the usual 144 FPS experience. Although the issue persisted to an extent, it was a far more stable experience.

Don't get me wrong here; these performance issues weren't close to being game-breaking, unlike that of The Last of Us Part 1's PC port. However, they did take away from the overall experience.

In Conclusion

Strayed Lights offers an immersive gaming experience that is both exciting and fun. The combat mechanics are engaging, and the storyline presents a compelling journey of self-discovery and growth. Although the former could be more challenging, particularly during boss battles, the game remains effective in conveying the struggle of fighting inner demons and of personal growth.

Embers have certainly done an excellent job in delivering an exceptional visual and audio experience. The art style is unique and immerses players in a world that is both mysterious and beautiful. The background music helps create a relaxing atmosphere, where players can truly take their time to experience the world instead of just thinking of the danger that lies ahead.

Strayed Lights is primarily aimed at casual gamers looking for a laid-back and fun experience. It's the perfect game to unwind after a long day, offering players soothing music and stunning visuals to appreciate.

While combat is a major part of the title, it is not really difficult. This makes it an excellent choice for those looking for a relaxed gaming session without the pressure of highly competitive button-smashing gameplay.

On the downside, Strayed Lights suffers from subpar performance on PC and has a comparatively short playthrough time. The developers could have improved the latter by expanding on the narrative element, which showed potential in the few hours of gameplay it provides.

Despite these shortcomings, Strayed Lights remains a solid choice for fans of casual action-adventure games who are seeking an entertaining and meaningful journey.