Embracelet
- September 23, 2020
- machineboy
A charming adventure in a unique Norwegian setting, Embracelet is a delightful coming of age story full of magic, mystery and friendship.
Embracelet is a single-player Romance Adventure game set in northern Norway, where you play as teenager Jesper who discovers a magical bracelet with telekinetic powers. Solve puzzles, make new friends, and reveal the mystery behind the bracelet's powers while experiencing a wonderful visual and musical journey. With different endings, Embracelet offers a wholesome and critically acclaimed story with a playtime of 3-6 hours .
Reviews
- Engaging and heartwarming story that explores themes of family, loss, and friendship.
- Beautiful low-poly graphics and atmospheric music that enhance the overall experience.
- Well-crafted characters and multiple endings provide replayability and emotional depth.
- Quirky controls and ever-changing camera angles can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Some animations are buggy, and the character can get stuck on the environment.
- The game is relatively short, taking about 4-5 hours to complete, which may leave some players wanting more.
- story44 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of "Embracelet" is widely praised for its beautiful and engaging coming-of-age narrative set in a picturesque Norwegian fishing village, blending themes of magic, friendship, and personal growth. While many players appreciate the emotional depth and immersive atmosphere, some critique the lack of character depth and occasional pacing issues. Overall, it is considered a touching and enjoyable experience for fans of story-driven games.
“The narrative is a really sweet coming-of-age story, with twists and turns keeping it interesting till the end.”
“Embracelet is a game about growing up, finding your own way, making your own choices and finding people that you want to keep in your life, all wrapped in a beautiful story about visiting Slepp, a remote Norwegian island.”
“Lovely graphics, a beautiful piano-led orchestral soundtrack, and a rich story with excellent characters.”
“Both the story and the characters could benefit from a little bit more depth and content.”
“I feel lied to because the reviews looked good. I spent nearly an hour and the story was so bad and boring, and the characters were amazingly uninteresting. I'd rather watch paint dry.”
“The one of the two biggest weaknesses of the narrative, though, is that there is a distinct lack of time cohesion, given that the game's plot seems to jump from day to day without abandon or notice at a point, despite Jesper only going to sleep once on his week-long trip.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming low-poly art style that effectively captures the rural Norwegian setting, creating a pleasant and minimalist visual experience. While some reviewers note the graphics are basic, they appreciate the vibrant and rich depictions that enhance the overall mood of the game. Overall, the visuals are described as cute and stylish, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
“The mood is set from the first scene, the music superbly supports the great graphical style, and the game is just a joy to play.”
“The setting is refreshing, taking place in what is very distinctly rural modern-day Norway, and the art style helps provide a simplistically minimalist but vivid and rich depiction of it.”
“Embracelet's art style is a low-poly delight!”
“The graphics are not that great.”
“Graphically, the game is very minimalistic, but it has a beautiful art style, and even with these low-poly graphics, some scenes look stunning.”
“Game runs perfectly well, but that shouldn't be surprising considering the graphics.”
- music19 mentions
- 74 % positive mentions
- 21 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create a captivating atmosphere, with a beautiful and relaxing soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While many reviewers appreciate the integration of music with the game's emotional narrative and visuals, some note that it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength, contributing to the game's charm and emotional depth.
“The mood is set from the first scene, the music superbly supports the great graphical style, and the game is just a joy to play.”
“The music is generally relaxing and atmospheric, though it swells and shifts to fit each scene as necessary, feeling extremely well integrated.”
“Lovely graphics, a beautiful piano-led orchestral soundtrack, and a rich story with excellent characters.”
“Graphics were simple, music was good, but the controls were clunky.”
- emotional15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming narratives, lively characters, and touching stories that create a memorable journey. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals, atmospheric music, and the overall wholesome experience, making it a recommended choice for those seeking a heartfelt adventure. The game effectively explores themes of growth and heritage, resonating deeply with its audience.
“So all in all, you're in for a nice emotional journey.”
“An incredible heartwarming narrative game with really neat camera work!”
“Remarkable writing and music make for a short but emotional journey.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and casual nature, allowing for a smooth narrative experience without frustrating challenges. While some players find the mechanics bland and interactions clunky, others appreciate the streamlined actions and engaging dialogue, noting that the light puzzles and magic mechanics add a fun element. Overall, the game offers a pleasant exploration experience, though it may lack depth for those seeking more complex gameplay.
“The simplicity of the mechanics prevents any real 'banging your head against the wall' moments that sometimes happen in adventure games, allowing for the sweet/sad/cozy narrative to unravel at a pleasant pace.”
“The exploration and dialogue choices feel interesting, and the main mechanics are streamlined, unobtrusive, and satisfying.”
“I was genuinely surprised by the amount of gameplay and story (~4 hours for me) there was, and none of it felt like filler or drawn-out content.”
“The gameplay is a bit bland, and interactions are pretty clunky.”
“What kills it for me is the gameplay.”
“The bracelet mechanic is really basic and doesn't ever do anything new.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 89 % positive mentions
- -22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive and nostalgic qualities, effectively capturing the essence of northern Norway. The integration of a beautiful and relaxing soundtrack enhances the experience, complementing the engaging story and landscapes. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as a key element that keeps players deeply immersed throughout their journey.
“The music is generally relaxing and atmospheric, though it swells and shifts to fit each scene as necessary, feeling extremely well integrated.”
“Both the story and atmosphere kept me immersed to the very end.”
“A gentle, touching, atmospheric puzzle-adventure with nice writing and music.”
“The atmosphere feels lifeless and uninspired, making it hard to immerse myself in the game.”
“Despite the game's potential, the atmosphere is flat and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
“The lack of environmental detail really detracts from the overall atmosphere, leaving it feeling empty.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game offers multiple endings, enhancing its replayability; however, many players feel that the overall experience does not warrant repeated playthroughs, as the necessity to replay the game to explore these endings can be a drawback.
“The game has a number of different endings, which adds to its replayability.”
“There are multiple paths and choices that encourage players to experience the game again.”
“Each playthrough offers new challenges and surprises, making it worth revisiting.”
“Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to go back. The story doesn't change, and the side quests feel repetitive.”
“After completing the main storyline, I found no reason to replay. The choices I made had minimal impact on the outcome.”
“The game lacks variety in gameplay mechanics, making multiple playthroughs feel tedious and uninteresting.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to the lack of navigational aids, such as objective markers and fast travel, which makes exploring the large island feel cumbersome. The fixed camera and awkward controls further exacerbate the backtracking experience, detracting from the otherwise nuanced character interactions and charming environment.
“Unfortunately, it seems like most of the game is set on one island, which you're asked to explore without any sort of navigational aids - no objective markers, no fast travel, not even an in-game map - and the island map is already large enough to make backtracking tedious; the fixed camera and awkward controls don't help in orienting yourself, either.”
“A trio of one-dimensional, brutish, and cartoonish antagonists stands in grinding contrast to the generally nuanced writing, but most of the character relationships feel natural, and the charming, quirky townsfolk are quite familiar for anybody growing up in the Norwegian countryside.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as dark and unexpected, with moments that blend comedy with serious themes, such as environmental issues. While some scenes elicit genuine laughter, the overall tone suggests that the humor may not always align with the intended emotional response.
“Also, Jesper is a bit of an environmental terrorist, which made me laugh, but I don't think I was supposed to?”
“There are some humorous scenes, sad moments, and even some thrilling action.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report that the game exhibits stability issues, particularly with buggy animations during walking and running sequences.
“Partly buggy animations, especially when walking and running.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be well-optimized, allowing it to run smoothly on a wide range of PC configurations.
“The game should run smoothly on any PC.”
“The optimization is impressive, allowing for seamless gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
“I appreciate how well the game is optimized; it maintains a steady frame rate without sacrificing graphics quality.”