Bonfire Peaks

An atmospheric world with deep, absorbing puzzles, Bonfire Peaks is thoughtful and charming—but without establishing its tricks, it risks leaving less fluent puzzlers behind.

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"Bonfire Peaks" is a puzzle game about closure, featuring expertly designed puzzles in a beautiful voxel-based world. It offers a streamlined, fine-tuned experience with surprising mechanics and challenges, created by the developer of "Pipe Push Paradise" and "Hiding Spot". The game's art is by Mari Khaleghi and Zach Soares, and it was co-designed with Alan Hazelden.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 184 reviews

gameplay15 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

Bonfire Peaks features innovative level design that challenges players to think creatively about mechanics, often leading to satisfying 'aha!' moments.
The game allows for a flexible progression system, enabling players to skip difficult puzzles and return to them later, which prevents frustration.
The visuals and soundtrack create a calming atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience of solving puzzles.

The difficulty curve can be inconsistent, with some early puzzles being unexpectedly hard while later ones may feel too easy.
Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, particularly when it comes to movement and camera angles, which can hinder gameplay.
Some mechanics are not well communicated, leading to confusion and the need to consult guides for certain puzzles.

gameplay
98 mentions
15 % positive mentions
82 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by innovative level design that challenges players to rethink mechanics and their interactions, often leading to surprising and complex puzzles. While the introduction of new mechanics is well-paced and engaging, some players find that certain mechanics are not clearly communicated, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the game effectively utilizes a small set of mechanics to create a rich and rewarding puzzle experience, with a good balance of difficulty and clever design throughout its extensive level count.
- “The level design is very innovative, and just when you think you've learned a mechanic, they throw a wrench that makes you reconsider how to use that mechanic, or how it interplays with other mechanics.”
- “Great 3D sokoban-based puzzle game with a good range of mechanics and layering to create some genuinely challenging puzzles.”
- “Every level is designed around a single idea or mechanic that is presented in a new and interesting way.”
- “Some mechanics are not well communicated, which makes some levels annoying to finish without looking up a guide.”
- “I've gotten better at it, but I have to say that compared to other puzzle games of similar difficulty, Bonfire Peaks doesn't do a great job of getting you up to speed on the mechanics it introduces.”
- “There were several occasions when I looked up an answer, only to see that it involved a new mechanic I would never have guessed.”
graphics
39 mentions
44 % positive mentions
49 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming voxel art style that many players find visually appealing and immersive, contributing to a warm and relaxing atmosphere. While some appreciate the unique aesthetics and detail, others note issues with clarity and performance, leading to mixed feelings about the overall visual experience. Despite these criticisms, the graphics are generally regarded as a strong aspect of the game, enhancing the puzzle-solving experience.
- “The polished graphics and sound make it a compelling and immersively pleasant experience.”
- “The voxel art is some of the best I've seen in a video game, really stunning visuals.”
- “Stunning voxel graphics, great puzzle mechanics and a good level difficulty progression.”
- “Something about the code optimization, graphics, all the particle effects, or something else makes this game run awfully slow sometimes.”
- “The 'artistically' pixelated graphics can make it hard to make out shapes, even with panning.”
- “I had to remove the shadows and reduce the resolution, thus worsening problem #2, and even then the character still sometimes takes two steps when I press the arrow only once and the graphics stagger in a way that is visually uncomfortable.”
music
32 mentions
41 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its calming and soothing qualities, effectively complementing the game's atmosphere and enhancing the overall experience. While some players find the soundtrack enjoyable and well-composed, others note its repetitiveness and suggest that the absence of music in certain moments can make the game feel lifeless. Overall, the combination of the soundtrack and voxel art creates a charming and meditative environment, although opinions vary on its effectiveness in maintaining engagement during challenging puzzles.
- “I loved the light and mellow soundtrack as well as the voxel art style.”
- “The game is brutally hard, but the voxel visuals, ASMR sound design, and beautiful soundtrack make you feel at ease despite the difficulty.”
- “Great soundtrack matching the game atmosphere perfectly.”
- “Sound-wise, there is no music.”
- “Music is hard for a puzzle game, true, but its absence made things more lifeless.”
- “I was hoping for something a bit cozy -- bonfires in autumn, amber hues and the crackle of fire, etc., but the soundtrack and atmosphere felt quite morose.”
atmosphere
9 mentions
44 % positive mentions
22 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its charm and warmth, enhanced by enjoyable music and a unique voxel art style. While many find it wonderfully atmospheric and relaxing, some players expected a cozier vibe, noting that the soundtrack can feel more morose than anticipated. Overall, the atmosphere effectively complements the game's design and aesthetic.
- “Great soundtrack matching the game atmosphere perfectly.”
- “The atmosphere, visuals, and overall vibe is very warm and relaxing.”
- “The whole atmosphere of the game isn't quite what I'd expected.”
- “I was hoping for something a bit cozy -- bonfires in autumn, amber hues and the crackle of fire, etc. but the soundtrack and atmosphere felt quite morose.”
- “The voxel art style and OST also establish a fittingly charming atmosphere.”
story
8 mentions
38 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as decent but lacking in engagement, with a plot that unfolds through puzzles and exploration rather than a traditional narrative. Players piece together the protagonist Martin's life journey and motivations, which hint at themes of disillusionment and a desire for escape, though the overall meaning remains ambiguous and open to interpretation.
- “Now this game has a story, well more like Martin's life journey.”
- “The story is told through the puzzles and overworld; you reveal more about who you are and why you must burn everything as you progress up Bonfire Peaks!”
- “The meaning behind it isn’t entirely clear (yet) – there’s no active story – but I would assume that he is maybe fed up with technology, maybe with life itself (depression), or just wants to get away from everything to spend the rest of his life in nature.”
- “The plot isn't interesting, but the start still confused me to the point where I wanted some answers.”
- “The meaning behind it isn’t entirely clear (yet) – there’s no active story – but I would assume that he is maybe fed up with technology, maybe with life itself (depression) or just wants to get away from everything to spend the rest of his life in nature.”
- “Anyway, maybe you have your own ideas about it, but again, nothing is told, only shown, so you only get bits and pieces of a story.”
grinding
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
While the game features a variety of engaging puzzles, some players note that it can feel grindy, particularly in the early stages. However, the overall experience is described as pleasant and manageable, with most puzzles being logical and not overly tedious, making the game enjoyable despite occasional moments of frustration.
- “There's a ton of interesting puzzle ideas throughout the game, but, especially towards the beginning, the game can also feel a bit grindy.”
- “Overall, I found the difficulty pretty manageable - a handful had me stuck for some time (often due to my own tunnel vision), but only a couple ever felt fiddly or tedious - the solution is almost always simpler than it first appears.”
- “Additionally, besides one or two puzzles, none of them felt particularly 'tedious' or had a false sense of difficulty via repetition or blind trial and error - most levels can be figured out logically after discovering the key mechanic to arriving at the solution.”
emotional
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the game's environment evokes a deep sense of nostalgia and emotional resonance, blending a mellow creepiness with feelings of sadness and safety. This unique combination of bleakness and comfort creates a compelling and meaningful experience that draws players in.
- “This game has an understated mellow creepiness to it, a feeling of true sadness and emotional safety which really hooked me in.”
- “This is a world that feels emotionally meaningful to exist within, and the mixture of bleakness and comfort that it creates is compelling.”
- “The environment made me feel very reminiscent for whatever reason, sort of like how the fall does.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as a key element that enhances the experience, with players appreciating the witty descriptions of exhibits that provide a rewarding sense of progress. In contrast, other games like Bonfire Peaks are criticized for lacking humor and failing to balance frustration with enjoyable content. Overall, humor is seen as a vital aspect that can elevate gameplay and player satisfaction.
- “I prefer its art style and sense of exploration, and the humorous descriptions of the exhibits provide a satisfying reward for progress.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for causing significant slowdowns, particularly related to code efficiency, graphics rendering, and particle effects. Users report that these issues detract from the overall gameplay experience.
- “The code optimization is lacking, causing the game to run awfully slow at times.”
- “The graphics and particle effects are poorly optimized, leading to significant performance issues.”
- “There are moments when the game experiences severe lag due to inadequate optimization.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, while some users report minor bugs in specific interactions, these issues do not significantly hinder gameplay or the achievement of intended solutions.
- “As of release, some of the interactions are a bit buggy around edge cases, but crucially, they never got in the way of the intended solutions.”