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LOST EMBER

An incredibly relaxing experience, with a great story to tell. Exploring the breathtaking environments as adorable animals is consistantly satisfying. The voice acting does detract from some moments, but Lost Ember's charm and beauty is undeniable
LOST EMBER Game Cover
80%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
stability, optimization
87% User Score Based on 2,711 reviews
Critic Score 73%Based on 23 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
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LOST EMBER Game Cover

About

LOST EMBER is a single player action adventure game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Mooneye Studios and was released on November 22, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Explore the remains of a fallen world from fascinating perspectives! Slip into the role of different animals to uncover the fate of an ancient world. Dive into deep waters, fly at lofty heights, dig underground as a mole, climb steep cliffs with a mountain goat, and many more!

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LOST EMBER screenshot
LOST EMBER screenshot
LOST EMBER screenshot
LOST EMBER screenshot
LOST EMBER screenshot
LOST EMBER screenshot
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87%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,711 reviews
story1.3k positive mentions
stability130 negative mentions
  • Beautiful and vibrant world with stunning graphics and rich, detailed environments.
  • Emotional and engaging story with strong themes of love, loss, redemption, and nature.
  • Innovative gameplay mechanic allowing possession of different animals to explore and solve traversal challenges.
  • Relaxing and immersive gameplay combined with a fitting, often moving soundtrack.
  • Well-executed visual storytelling and atmospheric design that resonates emotionally with players.
  • Good variety of animals with unique abilities adding depth to exploration and gameplay.
  • Generally smooth controls and satisfying movement across diverse terrains.
  • The story delivery is sometimes awkward, with inconsistent voice acting and a commentary mode that some find annoying or immersion-breaking.
  • Linear level design with invisible walls and level boundaries restricting free exploration.
  • Game can be buggy with issues such as getting stuck in geometry, camera glitches, and clipping through walls.
  • Collectibles, especially numerous mushrooms, can feel excessive, tedious, and unrewarding, impacting pacing negatively.
  • Mechanics are underutilized with animal possession often feeling mandatory and scripted rather than offering creative gameplay.
  • The game is short relative to its price, leading many to recommend waiting for sales.
  • Some players report motion sickness due to camera behavior and movement pacing.
  • Controls and camera can feel clunky or awkward, detracting from the experience for some.
  • Some plot elements and character developments are seen as clichéd, jarring, or lacking depth, leaving some players disconnected from the narrative.
  • story
    2,852 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Lost Ember delivers a visually stunning and emotionally touching story focused on themes of love, loss, redemption, and forgiveness, unfolding through exploration and memories in a beautifully crafted world. While many players found the narrative heartfelt and compelling, some noted that the story can feel predictable, simplistic, or awkwardly delivered—particularly due to disjointed pacing and voice acting. Overall, it is praised as a moving, immersive experience best suited for those who appreciate story-driven, atmospheric adventures over traditional gameplay depth.

    • “Lost ember is a breathtaking story-driven adventure that perfectly blends exploration, emotion, and wonder into one unforgettable experience.”
    • “The storytelling is subtle yet powerful — it’s the kind of narrative that stays with you long after the credits roll.”
    • “A wonderful, emotional story about a lady who made bad choices and had to face the consequences.”
    • “And even if it wasn't my second playthrough, it telegraphs the story way too fervently, it drops the story from decent/serviceable to slapdashed together to tie together why the player goes through the second half.”
    • “The story is there but it is overly simplistic, and all told in flashback, meaning that the main character has no agency or drive beyond just exploring and tagging along with their companion; this changes in the later part of the game in a more touching and personal story but it doesn't erase the first half, and despite all this the story doesn’t move on from feeling generic despite the unique setting.”
    • “The sprawling environments, gorgeous as they are, lack cohesive design and rarely felt like they fit with the story or with each other. Some locations are directly tied to story beats (e.g., the ruins of an ancient civilization), but they were usually filled with haphazardly-placed art assets and didn't feel as though they lined up with the narrator's descriptions. Gameplay can be a powerful tool when using video games as a storytelling medium; but rather than enhance the interactive storytelling, the gameplay here felt hastily tacked on and detracted from the intended experience more often than not.”
  • graphics
    856 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning, vibrant art style and beautiful, emotionally evocative visuals that perfectly complement the story and atmosphere. Though not hyper-realistic, the stylized, colorful environments and detailed animal designs create a captivating and soothing experience. Some mention technical issues like occasional bugs, glitches, or performance drops, but overall, the graphics stand out as one of the game's strongest and most memorable aspects.

    • “The graphics are absolutely stunning and it is very easy to get lost in the beauty of little things while just exploring the areas.”
    • “The art style is nothing short of breathtaking—each scene is a work of art that complements the game's emotional tone perfectly.”
    • “"Lost Ember" captivates with its breathtaking graphics in a wonderfully diverse world.”
    • “Plus rekindled runs poorly even with my somewhat high spec rig, so now we have dated graphics and bad frame rate.”
    • “The graphics are on the weak side for a game in 2021.”
    • “The graphics let the game down at times—clipping being an issue and the camera often swinging through the landscape.”
  • music
    761 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in this game is widely praised for its beautiful, soothing, and emotionally evocative soundtrack that greatly enhances the atmosphere and storytelling. Many players found the soundtrack memorable and calming, often continuing to enjoy it even after playing. However, some noted issues with repetitive tracks, abrupt music cuts, and occasional mismatches with game events, though these do not significantly diminish the overall positive impression of the game's music.

    • “The soundtrack and ambient audio further enhance the contemplative atmosphere, offering a blend of gentle music and environmental sounds that settle into the background rather than dominate it.”
    • “The soundtrack is truly wonderful.”
    • “The music was absolutely incredible and put me in the moment, absorbed by the amazing environments and the calm of mother nature and its completely animalistic world (in a very relaxing and tender way).”
    • “The music sometimes just stops, leaving you exploring without any music, which breaks the atmosphere and immersion.”
    • “Countless times, especially at the beginning, the narrator constantly interrupts, and the in-game music is weak, almost like elevator music; it doesn't represent the scenes well and keeps fading in and out for strange reasons.”
    • “I heard the same three soundtracks repeatedly in the Rekindled DLC to the point I could predict exactly when they started, which became frustrating while struggling to navigate.”
  • gameplay
    599 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Lost Ember's gameplay centers around exploration and an innovative animal-possession mechanic that allows transforming into various creatures to traverse the environment, creating a relaxing and visually immersive experience. While the mechanics are unique and enjoyable at times, many reviews criticize the gameplay as simplistic, linear, and underutilized, with few puzzles or challenges and occasional bugs or clunky controls, leading to a feeling of disconnect between gameplay and story. Overall, it offers a soothing, narrative-driven journey better suited for players seeking atmosphere and emotional storytelling rather than deep or complex gameplay.

    • “The game uses the animal transformation mechanic not just as a traversal system, but as a narrative tool—your ability to move through the world like its inhabitants underscores themes of rebirth and rediscovery.”
    • “The soul-jumping mechanic feels innovative and meaningful, the world is beautiful, and the story is incredibly moving.”
    • “The gameplay is a perfect blend of adventure and puzzle-solving, with a narrative that is both captivating and thought-provoking.”
    • “The gameplay is disappointing, to say the least, and definitely seems like an afterthought.”
    • “The main mechanic of transforming into different animals is hardly used to its full potential, relegated to 'transform into this animal right in front of you to pass this obstacle clearly blocking the path' sections, no finding creative solutions, no searching for the right animal, just more practically scripted sequences.”
    • “Gameplay can be a powerful tool when using video games as a storytelling medium; but rather than enhance the interactive storytelling, the gameplay here felt hastily tacked on and detracted from the intended experience more often than not.”
  • emotional
    453 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Lost Ember delivers a deeply emotional experience marked by a heartfelt story of love, loss, redemption, and self-discovery, often moving players to tears with its touching narrative and beautiful soundtrack. While some find its pacing slow and voice acting lacking, the game’s stunning visuals, unique animal-perspective gameplay, and evocative atmosphere successfully create an immersive and poignant journey that resonates strongly with players seeking a contemplative and soulful adventure.

    • “Lost ember isn't just a game; it's an emotional journey.”
    • “The story focuses on guilt, redemption, and the emotional scars left behind by societal collapse.”
    • “While the plot is relatively simple, it grows in emotional depth as more memories are uncovered, and by the final chapters it forms a cohesive picture of the characters’ intertwined lives.”
    • “Boring story, which is a shame since the game is actually just another walking simulator+.”
    • “It's just a walking simulator with a boring story and the illusion of freedom.”
    • “And when there is something remotely good, it gets interrupted by the most boring story with terrible voice acting.”
  • stability
    137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from frequent glitches and bugs, including collision issues, camera problems, and occasional softlocks that require checkpoint restarts, which can disrupt gameplay and immersion. However, many players find these technical flaws tolerable due to the well-placed checkpoints, compelling story, and overall artistic experience, though the lack of polish may frustrate some. Patches could improve stability, but currently the game feels somewhat unfinished and buggy.

    • “I loved this game so much; the art style is amazing and it was not buggy at all.”
    • “Few bugs/glitches.”
    • “Minor bugs/glitches.”
    • “I'm not talking about the harmless glitches like ducks walking on thin air, animals freezing completely when standing still, and wombats literally floating over the terrain; no, I am talking about game breaking ones, like possessing a fish and getting permanently stuck in a wall, getting trapped on multiple ledges with no way up, and multiple terrain clips that stuck me inside of rocks, forcing me to start again from my last checkpoint.”
    • “You should only buy this if you want the story, not the gameplay, and even then the gameplay is incredibly buggy and oftentimes I found myself softlocked due to getting inside terrain and not being able to get out, going somewhere not as the creature I needed to pass the area and being unable to go back to where the creatures are, forcing you to restart from last checkpoint, absolutely destroying immersion.”
    • “It honestly feels more like a buggy demo rather than a 30 dollar finished game and really needed more polish before it was made available to buy.”
  • atmosphere
    137 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Lost Ember is widely praised for its deeply immersive, tranquil, and beautifully crafted atmosphere, enhanced by stunning visuals, a memorable soundtrack, and soothing ambient sounds that perfectly complement its contemplative exploration. While some find occasional technical issues and gameplay elements slightly detracting, the overall serene, emotional, and natural world setting makes it a standout atmospheric adventure recommended for players seeking relaxation and storytelling immersion.

    • “Lost Ember is a deeply atmospheric adventure that invites players into a world long abandoned by humankind, where nature has reclaimed every ruin and memory.”
    • “Beautiful game with an absolutely breathtaking atmosphere combined with fully narrated cinematic scenes and an epic soundtrack.”
    • “The atmosphere the art style the gameplay all of it culminates in a wonderful storytelling experience that is both calming and emotional.”
    • “This game really seems like it's trying to immerse you into its atmosphere, but every creative choice seems designed to pull you out of the game and annoy you.”
    • “For a game that I would have expected to have atmosphere galore, the choice to use an Ubisoft-like 'you have found mushroom 1 of 99' game mechanic also seemed an odd, very immersion-breaking choice.”
    • “The AI is incredibly bonkers, effectively ruining any semblance of atmosphere this game was supposed to have.”
  • optimization
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from notable optimization issues, including stuttering, frame drops, control responsiveness problems, and occasional crashes, particularly on PC and Nintendo Switch versions. While visually impressive, performance inconsistencies and technical glitches such as texture pop-ins and camera control quirks detract from the experience, especially on lower-end systems. Although some users report smooth gameplay after adjustments, overall optimization requires improvement to meet AAA standards.

    • “Finished the Rekindled edition, just loaded this one up to see how it does in terms of bugs, performance, and visual fidelity, and the Rekindled edition's just pointless.”
    • “The game needs more optimization; it is clearly optimized for PS4 and Xbox One, and not so well set up for PC.”
    • “Performance is borderline perfect.”
    • “The game needs more optimization; it is clearly optimized for PS4 and Xbox One, but not well set up for PC.”
    • “Graphically the game is beautiful, the story is very engaging, but the game is not optimized well at all.”
    • “Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch version suffers from performance problems that are detrimental to the overall experience.”
  • replayability
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Replayability for the game is generally limited, with most players finding value mainly in collecting achievements and hidden items, appealing primarily to completionists. The core story offers little incentive for multiple playthroughs, and the short length further reduces replay appeal. However, the abundance of collectibles and environmental exploration provides some relaxing replay value for those interested in completion.

    • “It definitely has replayability for me, who loves these kind of games, even with having 100%-ed it now.”
    • “Large collections of hidden items give you plenty of replay value and reason to explore.”
    • “This game has tons of replayability with all the hidden things to find throughout the landscape.”
    • “To close my review on a similarly bittersweet note, Lost Ember unfortunately ends up falling prey to the same issue that all of its brethren in the genre face: little to no replay value.”
    • “If you're expecting a fleshed out video game with lots to do and lots of replay value... buyer beware.”
    • “But anyway, this is a game I could just not recommend enough. Environmental storytelling on this level is genuinely hard to find nowadays, but the game lacks replay value. It's definitely a unique experience, but maybe not worth it at full price.”
  • grinding
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is frequently described as tedious and frustrating, mainly due to repetitive collectible hunting and limited exploration rewards. While some players appreciate the emotional story and exploration, the abundance of collectibles and restrictive navigation often make the experience feel grindy and like a chore rather than enjoyable.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It's rather frustrating trying to figure out what animal you need to use to get where to do the, as per usual, tedious task of collecting pointless collectibles (will games ever abandon this padding mechanic?).”
    • “The gameplay at its core is tediously formulaic: find the smoke, watch the memory, turn into another animal to maneuver a barrier, rinse, repeat.”
    • “Exploring outside of the path is tedious and not rewarded.”
  • humor
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is often derived from its quirky animal designs, amusing abilities, and unintentionally funny glitches and animations, which many players find entertaining and charming. While some comedic elements and story delivery can feel over-the-top or illogical, these moments add to the overall lighthearted and relaxed tone. However, a few players note that certain bugs and pricing may detract from the experience despite the humor.

    • “Making the wombats roll around made me laugh more than it probably should have haha.”
    • “The animals are super fun to play and some are just hilarious, like a sloth that literally moves 1 meter an hour.”
    • “Every animal not only had their helpful abilities, but they also had their 'stupid' abilities too, which I found to be pretty funny that each one had their own.”
  • character development
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features compelling and continuous character development that deeply engages players, supported by unique and stunning character designs. While some feel additional backstory and development could enhance the experience, most agree the characters' growth is well-executed and emotionally impactful throughout the game.

    • “I was not planning on playing the whole game in one sitting but I was instantly invested in the story and the character development.”
    • “There is intriguing character development and I feel most players will genuinely want the best for each character by the end of the game.”
    • “The character development was phenomenal and the graphics are beautiful.”
    • “It's a very popular technique for writers who, either for lack of time, resources, or competence, or all three, just can't put together a decent story with decent character development.”
    • “More backstory, more character development, etc. However, these gripes could be rectified with some DLC.”
    • “With serious character development scenes followed quite abruptly by spirited, upbeat gameplay moments.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization in the game feels disconnected from its core theme, as the focus on animals in advertising is not reflected in the story, leading to a gameplay experience that seems unrelated and potentially detracting from player engagement.

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73%Critics’ scoreBased on 23 critic reviews
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5h Median play time
32h Average play time
4-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 31 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

LOST EMBER is a action adventure game with fantasy theme.

LOST EMBER is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 32 hours playing LOST EMBER.

LOST EMBER was released on November 22, 2019.

LOST EMBER was developed by Mooneye Studios.

LOST EMBER has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

LOST EMBER is a single player game.

Similar games include Spirit of the North, RiME, The First Tree, AER Memories of Old, Jusant and others.