Strayed Lights

"Strayed Lights is both a cosy, relaxing experience and an extremely well-crafted Souls-lite adventure game – and honestly, it’s a combination we didn’t even know we wanted. With a lavish world, beautiful soundtrack and addictive combat loop, this is a …"

"Strayed Lights definitely ended up surprising me, with an entertaining gameplay loop that finds the perfect sweet spot between "too easy" and "nail-bitingly hard". Surely a Souls-like veteran might find it a little basic, but if you find yourself struggling …"

"Your view of Strayed Lights is going to depend on what kind of player you are. If you love playing defensively, then you&s;ll like what&s;s on offer, as it mostly works with a few hiccups. If you&s;re more of an …"

"Strayed Lights is a simple game that had one novel idea and the will to turn it into a sensorial experience. Despite the fact that the combat feels like it’s been inspired by From Software’s games, Strayed Lights lack that …"

"With Strayed Lights, the developers of Embers make their debut on the video game scene with a production full of personality and interesting ideas. Inspired art direction and intriguing gameplay constitute obvious points of merit, as bold as they are …"

"Strayed Lights is a short and sweet game exploring a unique, defensive combat experience. It can feel shallow and falls short in aspects like the music, but it remains engaging throughout its runtime."

"Strayed Lights is fun for what it is and a beauty to look at. However, hiding in the shadows are issues that left me wanting."

"Strayed Lights surprised me into liking it, though the action/combat genre isn&s;t regularly my jam. The interesting mechanics kept me coming back - sometimes against my better judgement - and the beautiful visuals went a long way towards keeping me …"

"Action game fans will be left bored by the combat, but kids who are getting used to 3D action games will find Strayed Lights worth a play. The emotive ambiance and the low-stakes gameplay make the experience intriguing for younger …"

"With its unique twist on combat and a great sense of style, I went into Strayed Lights with high hopes. However, while its presentation and challenging parry-centric boss battles certainly shine brightly, its largely nonexistent story, a lack of enemy …"

"There&s;s so much to love about "Strayed Lights," but unfortunately the game as a whole feels like it&s;s only 50% complete."

"Strayed Lights looks beautiful and has a deep combat system that is rewarding for those able to click with it. It just didn’t click for me. Much like the NPCs in this game, I felt lonely and desperately needed a …"

"Still, for Embers&s; first game, this is an especially impressive showing. Strayed Lights is a visually pleasing game with epic bosses and intense combat that any fan of action-adventure platforming games should check out, even if it&s;s over before it …"

"Strayed Lights is a special game. Learning attack patterns and taking on fierce foes is an absolute joy. Bosses are intimidating and offer memorable battles with cinematic flair. The world is mesmerizing and its mystery is amplified through the epic …"

"Strayed Lights admirably tries its best to serve two masters, attempting to be a loving interpretive dance of a narrative held together with ruthless, tricky, defensive combat. The yin and yang of the game may not fit together perfectly, unbalanced …"

"While undoubtedly ambitious and quite beautiful, the overall play experience doesn’t quite deliver on its promise"

"Strayed Lights offers up some solid combat encounters, a beautiful world, and an excellent score that makes it worth playing even if some other parts like the story and exploration aren’t as great. The game is very cinematic and nailing …"

"Embers&s; debut game is beautifully presented, with an interesting but flawed combat system. Lovely music (thanks to Journey composer Austin Wintory) and exciting boss battles make it worth your time."

"It’s not out to shake up the indie video game space, but thanks to a uniquely engaging combat system and a consistent stream of wonderous sights and sounds, Strayed Lights is a worthwhile little journey that makes for a great …"

"I wanted to praise Strayed Lights as its marketing seemed phenomenal, but it feels like the marketing team managed to merge images and gameplay scenes, essentially representing a non-existent title. Skipping Embers Games&s; wonderful screenshots for this review, I felt …"

"Though we&s;re still in May, I can already say Strayed Lights is one of the great surprises of 2023. The beautiful and enchanting visuals contrast perfectly to the intense, addicting combat, turning the exploration and action experience memorable. It ends …"

"Strayed Lights is a difficult game to love. It looks and sounds nice, and if you&s;re really into dodging weaving rather than charging into battle I could see how it might be interesting in small doses, but as it stands, …"

"For a game designed by a relatively small indie studio, Strayed Lights is more than competent in terms of gameplay and combat."

"A short but sweet experiential title, Strayed Lights shines bright above its station to deliver an atmospheric tale of self-discovery, rewarding combat and a fantastic graphical and audio treat. This light may not burn long, but it’ll leave quite the …"

"Strayed Lights is a challenge with enemies and with controls. Depending on what type of gamer you might be, this could be a positive or a negative. For me, it was small doses of progression and motivation to see the …"

"Strayed Lights is ultimately frustrating because there’s a brilliant game lurking somewhere here. Upon finishing the game, I understood the story to be about conquering corruptive behavior and going on a spiritual journey inward, but it’s let down by subpar …"

"Strayed Lights is a solid debut title from Embers that delivers atmosphere in droves."

"Strayed Lights is a beautiful game that tells an abstract yet meaningful story. However, its unique battle system grew repetitive, and some performance issues took some of the fun away."

"Strayed Lights is a decent game with some good ideas but can&s;t use them to their full potential. The gameplay and enemy design will become repetitive after a while, but the narrative design of it is bold and something we …"

"There&s;s a great deal of cool traits to Strayed Lights, including thoughtful enemy design, strong premise, and charming visuals. However, pacing suffers greatly, and combat forces its way into the forefront with memorization and inconsistent parry windows. It&s;s short and …"

"Strayed Lights is something rare in the gaming industry; a game that genuinely surprises us. The combat is unique and accessible. The story is told in a subtle, heartfelt way. The music and visuals are stunning. However, a string of …"

"Strayed Lights is short, sweet and especially a highlight in the experience it offers to players. Its unique block/parry combat system brings something new to the table, and I loved almost every instance of it, especially in the big boss …"

"Strayed Lights had a lot of potential, but it will remain unfulfilled due to plenty of issues."

"At its core, Strayed Lights revolves around a simple, intuitive, and unique combat system, and with this strong base in place, it’s no wonder the game shines as bright as it does."