The Gallery - Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone | Game Brain

About

In The Gallery - Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone, players continue their quest from the first episode, delving into a mysterious and long-abandoned fortress garden to rescue a loved one. Utilizing innovative motion control mechanics, this virtual reality adventure game challenges players to solve puzzles and uncover the truth behind the mythical Emberstone. With an engaging story and stunning visuals, Heart of the Emberstone delivers a captivating VR experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

The Gallery - Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone screenshot

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 678 reviews

story174 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

The game features stunning graphics and immersive environments that enhance the overall experience.
The story is engaging and well-developed, with interesting characters and a compelling narrative.
The gameplay mechanics, including telekinesis and various puzzles, are innovative and add depth to the VR experience.

The game is relatively short, with many players completing it in around 3-4 hours, leading to concerns about value for money.
Frequent loading screens disrupt the flow of gameplay and immersion, making the experience feel less seamless.
Some puzzles can be frustratingly unclear, leading to backtracking and confusion about where to go next.

story
444 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
58%
3%
The story in this game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its depth and immersive qualities, particularly in the second episode, which expands significantly on the narrative introduced in the first. While some players found the storytelling engaging and well-integrated with the VR experience, others criticized it for being convoluted, overly reliant on cutscenes, and lacking clarity in gameplay objectives. Overall, the narrative is seen as a strong point, though its execution can be polarizing, with some players feeling it detracts from the gameplay experience.
- “This game and story blew me away!”
- “The story is front-and-center in Emberstone.”
- “The story is deeply compelling, totally immersive just like the first and well worth the money.”
- “There's some decent work at trying to use environmental/lore objects as hints towards what to do, but the story itself is painfully bad and you have to sit through so many random cutscenes.”
- “The story is still mostly opaque mumbo jumbo and I'm not quite sure I understand what my whole goal was.”
- “The story is boring and you can get easily lost in the story (clearly the devs have no story experience).”
gameplay
200 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
58%
2%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the immersive VR mechanics and intuitive controls, particularly the telekinesis feature, while others criticize the repetitive puzzles and lack of innovation. Players noted issues with backtracking and tedious trial-and-error mechanics, especially towards the end of the game, which detracted from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, many found the visuals and storytelling compelling, suggesting that while the gameplay has potential, it often falls short of expectations.
- “The gameplay this time is more involved and new mechanics such as telekinesis are incredibly fun.”
- “Heart of the Emberstone delivers though, and I loved it from start to finish. It was such a great game, intuitive gameplay, puzzles that were not horribly hard but not stupidly easy either, a dying world that felt real and you can really lose yourself in.”
- “This is what those of us with VR headsets have been waiting for: a truly immersive world with an engaging plot, gameplay that seems tailor-made for virtual reality, and a sense that you are integral to the proceedings of something far grander than yourself.”
- “There's a lot of backtracking and -- especially near the end of the game -- the puzzles fail horribly, based on the VR mechanics they are trying to execute not working well enough, and becoming a practice of tedium and punishing trial-and-error, hoping the systems 'work'.”
- “While there are still some good environmental puzzles, they're few and far between, with the bulk of the gameplay being either walking between the two main puzzle rooms or 'solving' a ton of fairly mediocre dexterity-based puzzles, which are split between the perfection kind, where you have to fit shaped cogs onto their matching pegs within a time limit, like the perfection board game, or the operation kind, where you have to use your hand to guide an obnoxiously delayed sphere through an obstacle course.”
- “But the gameplay just isn't there and is boring as hell.”
graphics
200 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
28%
2%
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising the stunning visuals, immersive environments, and detailed art direction. While some users noted performance issues and framerate drops, the overall consensus is that the graphics are top-notch, contributing significantly to the game's atmosphere and player experience. The combination of beautiful graphics, engaging puzzles, and a compelling story creates a visually impressive and immersive VR experience.
- “The graphics are top notch, the immersion is off the charts and the game is a ton of fun to lose yourself in.”
- “This game has some of the most beautiful visuals I've seen in VR.”
- “The graphics, sound, and story are all stunning.”
- “And there are unjustified framerate drops, when Half-Life: Alyx runs smoothly with all graphics maxed out.”
- “I can run just about any VR game at medium settings at least, but this game runs at something like 30 fps even on the lowest graphics settings, and the game doesn't even look top tier; that was annoying but I pressed on anyway.”
- “Graphically a downgrade from episode 1 with terrible performance and serious amounts of reprojection, regardless of settings, with heavy to max CPU workloads.”
optimization
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
48%
24%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including framerate drops and stuttering, particularly on lower-end hardware. However, others noted that enabling certain settings improved performance, and many praised the game's impressive visuals despite these challenges. Overall, while the game shows potential for optimization, players are advised to wait for patches to address the current performance concerns.
- “The performance is amazing considering how good the game looks.”
- “After enabling 'always on reprojection' in the Steam VR app, the performance improved greatly.”
- “Even with its impressive visuals, this game is really well optimized for VR.”
- “Graphically a downgrade from episode 1 with terrible performance and serious amounts of reprojection, regardless of settings, with heavy to max CPU workloads.”
- “The two major issues that killed my brand new PC are... it was stuttering like crazy and it crashed my computer three times.”
- “Hopefully this will be fixed, as for me the poor performance was very distracting.”
music
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
56%
6%
The music in the game has received praise for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the work of composer Jeremy Soule. However, the repetitive loading screen music has been criticized for breaking immersion, especially given the frequent transitions between areas. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally well-regarded, the intrusive loading music detracts from the experience for some players.
- “Love the music and the graphics, the creatures and the design of the artifacts.”
- “Like on the first episode, the scenes are just beautiful, the music is amazing and really elevates the game.”
- “The music, the atmosphere, the characters... all of them so far have been great.”
- “Another gripe I have is that it felt like I had to wait through a 10+ second long loading screen every other room I entered into, and in a game where you are required to frequently move back and forth between areas in order to solve puzzles, it gets super aggravating, especially having to hear the loading music every time.”
- “- The loading screens were pretty intrusive, and frequent, and the same music plays each time.”
- “Although I appreciate the attempt to provide a good story in VR, my main takeaway as the credits rolled and 80s music began is that it left me scratching my head.”
atmosphere
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
32%
11%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its impressive graphics, engaging music, and immersive environments that evoke a sense of scale and wonder. Players appreciate the attention to detail and the rich narrative that enhances the overall experience, although some note that backtracking can detract from the exploration. Overall, the game successfully creates a polished and captivating atmosphere that resonates with those who enjoy delving into its world.
- “The atmosphere does a good job of making you feel small in comparison to the enormous statues and elements within the game.”
- “This game has a very good narrative; it creates an excellent atmosphere and feels very polished.”
- “While this episode feels a little less 'open' in terms of environment and atmosphere, there are several awe-inspiring scenes that make you feel truly engaged.”
- “While this episode feels a little less 'open' in terms of environment and atmosphere (the majority of the game is spent running back and forth between a very small handful of locations), there are several awe-inspiring scenes that make you feel truly engaged.”
- “A bit more myst than 80's movie this time, but still dripping with personality and atmosphere.”
- “I'd still wait for a sale, unless you just really want to support the devs. As before, the story, atmosphere, music, voice acting, animation, etc. are on point!”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing the puzzles and backtracking as tedious and frustrating, often feeling like they are artificially extending playtime. Players express dissatisfaction with repetitive environments and obtuse puzzle solutions, leading to a sense of monotony that detracts from the overall experience. The game's pacing and design choices contribute to a grinding sensation that ultimately leaves players feeling unfulfilled.
- “The last puzzles feel just tedious, as if they were designed to pad playtime.”
- “Constant backtracking through loading screens, frustratingly obtuse puzzles, and environments that feel boringly similar and empty (despite increased fidelity) all contribute to a grinding sensation that is capped by an ending that leaves things more or less where they were at the end of episode 1.”
- “Alas, it's short for the price like the first installment; the puzzles felt drawn out and a bit tedious, almost like they were trying their best to increase the playtime wherever possible.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
65%
21%
Overall, the game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with many players noting that once the puzzles are solved, there is little incentive to play again. The short playtime of around 3 to 5 hours, combined with poorly implemented controls and unclear objectives, further diminishes its replay value. Players hope future updates will address these issues and introduce more engaging content.
- “I hope the devs will take my criticism to heart and release a patch for episode 2's locomotion and focus more on replayable content in episode 3.”
- “The game is very short and has absolutely 0% replay value.”
- “This is about 5 hours of play that generally won't have a lot of replay value.”
- “It's not fun, controls are not well implemented, objectives are often unclear, and there's zero replayability.”
- “Not especially replayable as, well, once you know the puzzles you know the puzzles.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as cringy and cheesy, with some players finding it melodramatic and nonsensical. While the character motion and voice acting are praised, the comedic elements often lead to mixed reactions, with some players enjoying the absurdity while others find it annoying. Overall, the humor seems to elicit laughter, both from the gameplay experience and the players' interactions with it.
- “Also, your character is named Alex... I know it's just a coincidence, but I find it funny.”
- “My son was laughing at me the way I was moving while playing this game with my grand arm gestures or the way I was holding one of the many tablets that supplement the story as you go.”
- “The story was either nonsense or hilariously melodramatic.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game exhibits stability issues, with users reporting various bugs that hinder gameplay, such as problems interacting with puzzles and using items. However, it generally runs well and offers a range of graphical options for optimization.
- “Runs great with lots of graphical options to scale.”
- “But was buggy; couldn't finish.”
- “Some minor glitches, such as being unable to interact with the hex puzzles or being unable to put a tape into the recorder.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for relying heavily on holographic characters that deliver excessive exposition to convey their feelings, resulting in a lack of depth and interest. As these characters are recordings from the past, their emotional attachment to the project feels forced and unengaging.
- “They are emotionally attached to the project, and it is noticeable.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The character development in the game is significantly enhanced compared to its predecessor, with a longer narrative that allows for deeper exploration of the characters and their stories.
- “I just finished it, and I have to say it's much longer than the first and really expands the story and character development.”

Buy The Gallery - Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone

The Gallery - Episode 2: Heart of the Emberstone
$14.99
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4h Median play time

4h Average play time

4-5h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 16 analyzed playthroughs

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