The Last Campfire

About

The Last Campfire is a single-player Fantasy Action game with an intriguing story of a lost ember on a journey to find meaning and a way home. Explore a beautiful yet puzzling world, discover lost folk, strange creatures, and mysterious ruins, and light the last campfire to bring hope to the world. With fantastic game mechanics, awesome graphics, a wonderful soundtrack, and a delightful atmosphere, the game provides a highly emotional experience, although it can be quite grinding at times.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,492 reviews

story612 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

Beautiful art style and graphics that create a charming atmosphere.
Heartwarming story that explores themes of hope, loss, and helping others.
Engaging puzzles that vary in difficulty, providing a satisfying challenge.

Puzzles may be too easy for experienced players, lacking significant challenge.
The game is relatively short, taking around 4-6 hours to complete.
The narrator's voice can be repetitive and may detract from the experience for some players.

story
1,194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
47%
2%
The story of "The Last Campfire" is widely praised for its emotional depth and poetic simplicity, often described as heartwarming yet melancholic. Players appreciate the charming narration and beautiful visuals that enhance the narrative experience, although some find the storytelling a bit heavy-handed or simplistic at times. Overall, the game effectively combines a gentle exploration of themes like hope, loss, and companionship with engaging puzzles, making it a memorable and touching journey.
- “I was pleasantly surprised at how much I love this game's simple and poetic storytelling.”
- “The last campfire is a beautiful story-driven adventure filled with a lighthearted cutesy art style and a pretty good range of scenery and accompanying soundtracks.”
- “The story itself hit me deeply - a gentle reminder how it's okay to give yourself space to feel sad, afraid, or homesick and how sometimes those you meet along the way may wish to find their own fire in themselves.”
- “The story & writing is the epitome of hand holding, it just flat out tells you what to think and feel, what every character thinks and feels (including yours), there's no room for emotional interpretation/nuance.”
- “The biggest flaw is that the game tells the details of its story in fragments, yet you need background knowledge to understand these fragments.”
- “The characterization and the story are the two biggest reasons why I do not recommend this game.”
graphics
491 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
28%
1%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their beautiful, cute, and colorful art style, which creates a soothing and immersive atmosphere. Many reviewers noted the charming character designs and vibrant environments, enhancing the overall experience of the game. While some mentioned minor graphical issues, the consensus is that the visuals significantly contribute to the game's appeal, making it a delightful choice for fans of cozy puzzle games.
- “Beautiful graphics, smooth gameplay, challenging but solvable puzzles, and an excellent game to foster compassion for others suffering from all manner of psychological issues from self-consciousness to grief.”
- “The graphics are adorable, the story is engaging and heartfelt, and the sound design was peaceful and enjoyable.”
- “The visuals are stunning, the puzzles intriguing, but not too hard and the story is nice.”
- “The art style is kind of underwhelming, unfortunately.”
- “The graphics were ok for an indie game but some models were straight from PS1.”
- “I usually like cute visuals and puzzle games but The Last Campfire did nothing for me.”
emotional
351 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "The Last Campfire" is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and ability to evoke strong feelings, often leading players to tears by the end. Reviewers highlight the game's touching narrative, beautiful visuals, and soothing soundtrack, which together create a relaxing yet profound experience that resonates with themes of hope, loss, and emotional healing. While some note the story's straightforwardness, many appreciate its depth and the emotional connections formed with the characters throughout the journey.
- “What a beautiful, amazing, touching game!”
- “An emotional and wholesome story about hope.”
- “The last campfire is a sweet and heartwarming game with such a sweet little message of never losing hope, even at our lowest.”
music
306 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
32%
1%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to create a calming, immersive atmosphere that complements the visuals and storytelling. Many players appreciate the soothing soundtrack and the quality of the voice acting, which enhances the overall experience. While some found the music to be less memorable, the majority agree that it effectively supports the game's emotional and thematic depth, making it a delightful aspect of the gameplay.
- “The game has a lovely soundtrack, a chill vibe, and a heartwarming story.”
- “Additionally, the music in this game is really phenomenal; the same can be said about the general sound design, but the music, especially the puzzle music, really took me by surprise.”
- “The music is beautiful, the game itself is gorgeous.”
- “The ambient sounds and music are also really chill.”
- “The soundtrack was pretty forgettable if I am being honest.”
- “The music is there but, same as the graphics, it's nothing special.”
gameplay
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
59%
4%
The gameplay in "The Last Campfire" is characterized by its simple yet engaging puzzle mechanics, which are generally easy to solve but offer enough variety to keep players interested. While some players found the navigation and backtracking tedious, many appreciated the charming visuals, soothing soundtrack, and the emotional depth of the story that complements the gameplay. Overall, it provides a relaxing experience suitable for casual gamers, though those seeking more challenging puzzles may find it lacking.
- “The gameplay is relaxing but emotional.”
- “The last campfire offers simple puzzles for a casual and soothing gameplay that will make you fall in love with the universe and the character Ember.”
- “The puzzles are satisfying, challenging, and the mechanics vary enough that it does not feel repetitive.”
- “A mere 1 hour of puzzle solving drawn out into 6 hours of tiresome gameplay, mainly by navigation and backtracking in a large and empty world without a minimap.”
- “I did find that the gameplay got a bit repetitive; after a while, it didn't seem to unlock any new aspects, it was just different puzzles.”
- “Gameplay-wise, the game feels like a chore to play after a while.”
atmosphere
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
27%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beauty, serenity, and immersive qualities, enhanced by charming voice acting and a captivating soundtrack. Players appreciate the combination of stunning visuals, a meaningful story, and a relaxing ambiance that creates a cozy and sometimes melancholic experience. While the puzzles are generally seen as approachable, they complement the overall atmosphere without detracting from the game's emotional depth and thematic resonance.
- “The atmosphere is amazing, the voice acting is so fitting for the otherworldly vibe, and the puzzles are challenging but never truly frustrating.”
- “This game had a beautiful atmosphere, unique and fun puzzles, and a simple, yet powerful, story with important messages that will resonate especially strongly with those who have or have ever struggled with anxiety and/or depression.”
- “Absolutely beautiful, atmospheric puzzle game with amazing visuals, beautiful audio, and a meaningful story about always holding on to hope, not falling into despair, and the importance of helping others ignite their flame.”
- “The disembodied, emotionless narrator is relentless in her incessant yapping, ruining any potential atmosphere, but without her, there is barely anything there to begin with.”
- “That quickly started to be annoying and ruined the game atmosphere for me.”
- “You can't run or jump because you're supposed to take your time walking from A to B and jumping would take away from the atmosphere the game forces on you.”
character development
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
30%
13%
Character development in the game is largely lacking, with many reviewers noting that while the character designs are charming, cute, and visually appealing, the NPCs do not experience any significant growth or depth. The narrative is often described as weak or vague, suggesting that the potential for deeper character exploration is not fully realized. Overall, while the character design is praised, it is accompanied by a desire for more substantial storytelling and character development.
- “An emotional story told through engaging puzzles and excellent character design.”
- “This game had such a wonderful and touching story, as well as adorable character design.”
- “A beautifully visual puzzle game that's not too challenging, with cute character designs, and interesting interactions that lead you further through the game and narrative.”
- “There is no character development for any of the NPCs.”
- “The character design is cute and sometimes a tiny bit scary.”
- “The childlike narration, subtle music, and cute character design gave the game the feeling of an interactive bedtime story.”
grinding
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
29%
67%
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" reveal a mixed sentiment, with some players finding certain puzzles tedious and requiring excessive effort, while others appreciate the balance of challenge and enjoyment. Many highlight that the game avoids traditional grinding mechanics, instead rewarding exploration and engagement with the narrative. Overall, while a few puzzles may feel repetitive, the majority of players find the experience engaging and not overly grindy.
- “Not grindy at all.”
- “Hopelessly boring and tedious.”
- “Gameplay was slightly straightforward and tedious, but the core I believe is the narrative and it did a wonderful job getting that across!”
- “The difficulty in the puzzles didn't go too high, and wasn't too difficult, some were more tedious than others, but there were none that were hair-pullingly difficult.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a mix of charming and humorous elements, with funny characters and clever puzzles that often elicit laughter. While some players find the humor engaging and enjoyable, others feel that it doesn't fully translate into the gameplay experience, leaving a slightly disjointed feel between the narrative and the puzzles. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to an otherwise dark-themed setting, making for a cute and entertaining adventure.
- “Funny and cute puzzle game, easy to understand, great controls and enjoyable adventure.”
- “All of this is very funny in contrast to the fact that the lore and premise of this game is just Dark Souls but kid-friendly.”
- “It's both charming, cute and funny, but also profound.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited, with many players noting that while the initial experience is enjoyable and memorable, there isn't much incentive to replay it. Some players appreciate the different modes available for replaying, but the short length and lack of options detract from its overall replay value. Despite these concerns, the game is still recommended for its atmosphere and art style.
- “Puzzles were challenging enough that I needed a bit of help sometimes (although I am a jello brain), and there are different modes for replayability, so I'm excited to play it again!”
- “There isn't immediate replay value, but it’s worth playing regardless.”
- “It has replay value.”
- “In short: this game has amazing atmosphere and a fantastic art style, but the game is pretty short and the replay value is a bit lacking.”
- “I personally don't see much replayability for myself, but I'm content with the 7-8 hours I got out of it for the price and joy it brought me.”
- “Little to no replayability value, but the first playthrough will be memorable; fully recommended.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
90%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report minor visual glitches and occasional gameplay interruptions, others experienced significant bugs that affected their enjoyment. Despite these issues, several users noted that the game runs smoothly without major technical problems, indicating that experiences may vary widely among players.
- “The music and graphics are nice, and I ran into no glitches with the gameplay.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes or bugs, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; I can play for hours without any interruptions.”
- “This game was really buggy.”
- “This game has a really nice art direction and relatively solid level design, but in the state that it's in right now it's just too buggy.”
- “As for bugs, I noticed a couple visual glitches and I got stuck in place after interacting with something at one point, but nothing major.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization received mixed reviews; while some players experienced smooth performance and no lag, others reported significant framerate issues despite having capable hardware. Minor bugs were noted, particularly on lower-end systems, but the overall balance of game elements and voice performances was praised.
- “Optimization is good; I didn't experience lag at any point.”
- “Only a few minor bugs were encountered due to lower computer performance, I believe.”
- “The story and subject matter were surprisingly moving, enhanced by a perfectly balanced performance from the narrator.”
- “A major downside to this game is the performance - the framerate is very choppy even though my machine should have no issues whatsoever to handle it.”
- “Only a few minor bugs gained from lower computer performance, I believe.”