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.
Beautiful graphics and art style that create a charming atmosphere.
Engaging and heartfelt story that explores themes of hope, loss, and helping others.
Puzzles are enjoyable and provide a good balance of challenge without being overly difficult.
Some puzzles may feel too easy for experienced players, lacking significant challenge.
The narrator's voice can be repetitive and may detract from the overall experience for some players.
The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content.
story
2,147 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
47%
2%
The story of "The Last Campfire" is widely praised for its emotional depth and charming narrative, often described as a heartfelt journey about hope, loss, and helping others. Players appreciate the soothing narration and the way the story unfolds through engaging puzzles, creating a cozy atmosphere reminiscent of a bedtime story. While some find the plot simple or lacking in complexity, many agree that its themes resonate deeply, making it a memorable experience that encourages reflection on life's challenges.
“The story is profound, the puzzles flow and ebb.”
“Beautiful graphics, amazing story, and lots of creative puzzles.”
“The story is bittersweet and a bit sad.”
“The story is very bland and does a poor job of getting you to care about anything.”
“The story wasn't interesting for me but it's subjective.”
“The story is minimalistic and honestly quite moving.”
graphics
874 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
31%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their beautiful and charming art style, which features vibrant colors and cute character designs that create an inviting atmosphere. Many reviewers noted the visuals as a standout element, enhancing the overall experience with a soothing soundtrack and engaging storytelling. While some mentioned minor graphical glitches, the overall aesthetic was described as captivating and well-executed, making it a delightful visual journey for players.
“Beautiful graphics, amazing story, and lots of creative puzzles.”
“The art style is visually stunning, with enchanting environments and a soothing soundtrack that enhance the game's emotional depth.”
“The graphics are captivating and the characters are lovable, the puzzles are entertaining and difficult enough where you won't get bored, but also won't get frustrated.”
“The art style is kind of underwhelming, unfortunately.”
“The graphics are okay.”
“The whole thing amounts to a few dozen simple puzzles dressed in pleasant-enough graphics, sluggish controls, and a monotonous story.”
emotional
648 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "The Last Campfire" is widely praised for its heartfelt storytelling and themes of hope, compassion, and personal growth. Players report being deeply moved by the narrative, often shedding tears by the end, as the game effectively explores complex emotions such as loss and the importance of helping others. The combination of charming visuals, soothing music, and engaging puzzles enhances the overall emotional experience, making it a memorable and touching journey for many.
“A heartfelt journey wrapped in simple yet engaging puzzles, with a thought-provoking narrative about hope, loss, and finding one's way.”
“An emotionally compelling game that approaches the topic of hope, helping others, understanding when you cannot, with kindness and without judgment on the player.”
“The last campfire is a sweet and heartwarming game with such a sweet little message of never losing hope, even at our lowest.”
music
582 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
33%
1%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and emotional depth, enhancing the overall experience with soothing melodies that complement the visuals and narrative. Many players find the soundtrack to be a perfect fit for the game's themes, creating a calming atmosphere that immerses them in the story. While some reviewers noted that the music could be forgettable at times, the majority agree that it significantly contributes to the game's charm and emotional impact.
“A short but utterly beautiful story with an amazing soundtrack and sound design.”
“The music, narration, the ways the embers express their feelings, the animations, the ambiance, it is all gorgeous.”
“The soothing narration, the gentle music, and the poignant visuals created an experience that felt like a warm embrace, leaving me profoundly moved by its message of perseverance and the beauty of small triumphs.”
“The music and art style/aesthetics are okay but forgettable, which in turn makes navigating the world (in between puzzles) not such a gratifying experience.”
“However, the background music, while pleasant during play, lacks the staying power to linger in memory once the game is closed.”
“The ost is unintrusive; nothing special but filled with ambiance.”
gameplay
367 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
61%
4%
The gameplay in "The Last Campfire" is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics, primarily revolving around exploration and puzzle-solving. While many puzzles are easy and accessible, they introduce a variety of mechanics that keep the experience fresh and enjoyable, making it suitable for casual players and those seeking a relaxing gaming session. Overall, the game offers a cozy atmosphere with beautiful visuals and a heartfelt narrative, though some players noted a desire for more challenging puzzles and deeper gameplay complexity.
“The gameplay is simple yet engaging, with puzzles that can become repetitive towards the end.”
“The gameplay was easy and wasn't buggy, and the game's visuals were also great.”
“The gameplay is straightforward, featuring uncomplicated puzzles that complement a simple storyline.”
“There's nothing deeply unique here, no creative core mechanic to hook you or feel like a truly unique experience, but the puzzles are fun and problem-solving enough that it's a proper good time.”
“I kept expecting the 'puzzles' to get difficult, but they never progressed beyond the level normally reserved for introducing a new mechanic.”
“The gameplay is rather simple.”
atmosphere
216 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
34%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful visuals, calming music, and engaging storytelling, creating a cozy and immersive experience. Players appreciate the blend of melancholy and warmth, with many noting the effective voice acting that enhances the overall vibe. The game successfully combines charming aesthetics with well-crafted puzzles, making it a delightful choice for those seeking a relaxing and atmospheric adventure.
“Beautiful visuals, melancholy but sweet atmosphere, puzzles aren't too difficult but still challenging.”
“The atmosphere is really calming, with soothing music and a cute little story that sticks with you.”
“The art style harmonizes flawlessly with the game's atmosphere, painting a picturesque landscape that feels like a storybook come to life.”
“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.”
“The atmosphere is one of mystery but there's no sense of time and you don't have to rush.”
“That quickly started to be annoying and ruined the game atmosphere for me.”
grinding
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
23%
74%
The reviews for the aspect of "grinding" present a mixed perspective, with many players finding certain puzzles tedious and repetitive, while others appreciate the game's balance of challenge and relaxation. Some users noted that the game avoids excessive grinding, offering rewarding exploration instead, though a few puzzles were criticized for being overly simplistic or slow-paced. Overall, the game is described as enjoyable and cute, with a focus on engaging puzzles rather than grindy mechanics.
“Not grindy at all.”
“Slow, boring, repetitive, tedious garbage filled with useless cutscenes.”
“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!”
character development
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
30%
8%
Character development in the game is primarily conveyed through its charming and adorable character designs, which are consistently praised for their simplicity and visual appeal. While the characters are memorable and contribute to the game's overall aesthetic, many reviews note a lack of depth in character development and storyline, suggesting that the focus is more on the visual and gameplay experience rather than on fleshing out the characters themselves. Overall, the game excels in creating a delightful atmosphere with its graphics and design, but it falls short in providing substantial character growth or narrative depth.
“The simplicity of the character designs really added to this awesome experience, as it didn't remove the focus away from the storyline. This game blends all its aspects very well together.”
“This game had such a wonderful and touching story, as well as adorable character design.”
“An emotional story told through engaging puzzles and excellent character design.”
“There is no character development on any of the NPCs.”
“The simplicity of the character designs really added to this awesome experience, as it didn't remove the focus away from the storyline. I feel some games focus heavily on one aspect and overlook others, whereas this game blended everything well together.”
“The character design is cute and sometimes a tiny bit scary.”
stability
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
Overall, the game's stability received mixed reviews, with some players reporting a generally polished experience with minimal bugs, while others encountered various glitches, including visual artifacts and control issues. Many noted that while there were occasional hiccups, such as getting stuck or experiencing minor graphical glitches, these did not significantly detract from gameplay. A few players experienced more severe bugs that required restarting, but overall, the game was deemed stable enough for enjoyable play.
“The gameplay was easy and wasn't buggy, and the game's visuals were also great.”
“What's surprising about the game is that it wasn't buggy while I played it, except for the occasional reverse ladder climbing animation. I would go as far as to say the game is quite polished as I didn't go out of bounds or get randomly stuck anywhere.”
“The music and graphics are nice, and I ran into no glitches with the gameplay.”
“I have found some glitches with the piggies (vanishing into walls and such).”
“There were a lot of glitches in which I had to restart to the last checkpoint because the game was broken (e.g., my character went under the map when I tried to open a wanderer's box).”
“The game is certainly gorgeous, but I had some stuttering, collision, and visual glitches throughout.”
humor
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as charming and cute, with moments that elicit genuine laughter through quirky characters and clever puzzles. While some players found the humor to be a delightful contrast to the game's darker themes, others felt that the comedic elements could have been better integrated into the gameplay. Overall, the game is noted for its lighthearted moments and funny surprises, making it an enjoyable experience despite some initial pacing issues.
“It's cute and funny.”
“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.”
replayability
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
59%
27%
Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many reviewers noting its short length and limited content for multiple playthroughs. While some players appreciate the initial experience and atmosphere, they express little motivation to revisit the game, citing a lack of significant differences in subsequent runs. A few mention that different modes and puzzle challenges offer some replay value, but this is not enough to elevate the overall replayability score significantly.
“Infinitely replayable (or almost).”
“Puzzles were challenging enough that I needed a bit of help sometimes, and there are different modes for replayability, so I'm excited to play it again!”
“It has replay value.”
“However, it is a short game, and there’s no replay value here.”
“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.”
“Little to no replayability value but the first playthrough will be memorable, fully recommended.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many players experiencing smooth performance, including locked 60fps on various setups like the Steam Deck. However, some users reported stuttering, visual glitches, and choppy framerates, indicating that performance may vary depending on hardware. Despite these issues, the game's design and mechanics received positive feedback, contributing to an enjoyable experience for most players.
“The game is fabulously optimized; I played on Steam Deck docked at 1440p with a locked 60fps.”
“Performance obviously is great and it has ultrawide support.”
“Optimization is good; I didn't experience lag at any point.”
“The game is certainly gorgeous, but I had some stuttering, collision, and visual glitches throughout.”
“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.”
“The game was stuttering a bit when I first started playing.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The monetization of "The Last Campfire" has been criticized as a cash grab, with some users feeling it is a poorly adapted mobile app rather than a genuine PC game. However, it is noted that the game does not include microtransactions or require an always-online connection, which is a positive aspect for players.
“It has no annoying microtransactions or always-online requirements.”
“The monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure players to spend money.”
“I appreciate that the game offers a complete experience without pushing for additional purchases.”
“The Last Campfire is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is from Hello Games, who are certainly gyrating around in their trajectory as a business.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems designed solely to extract money from players rather than enhance the gaming experience.”
“I was disappointed to find that many features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”