Winter Ember

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 41 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Winter Ember Game Cover
What works about Winter Ember is almost entirely overshadowed by the frustrating moment-to-moment experience that never settles into a true, precise stealth game.
Starting at $1.69Buy now
Get on Steam Get on Xbox Games Store

In "Winter Ember", play as Arthur Artorias, seeking vengeance for your family's massacre 8 years ago. This stealth-based game features a militant religion in control, while you infiltrate homes, explore hidden passages, and craft arrows for your bow in a dark, character-driven world. Choose your playstyle carefully, avoiding detection and eliminating enemies silently while dealing with the consequences of your actions.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 41 reviews
story10 positive mentions
gameplay5 negative mentions
  • The game features beautifully crafted environments and a strong atmosphere that enhances the stealth experience.
  • The arrow crafting system adds depth to gameplay, allowing for various strategies in both stealth and combat.
  • Despite some bugs, the game offers enjoyable stealth mechanics and interesting side quests that reward exploration.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including frustrating save mechanics and inconsistent combat mechanics.
  • The story and character development are weak, lacking the depth and engagement found in other stealth games.
  • The cover system and overall controls can feel clunky and unresponsive, detracting from the stealth experience.
  • story33 mentions

    The game's story is generally considered decent, featuring a straightforward revenge plot that is somewhat well-executed through cutscenes and side quests, which are engaging and rewarding. While the main narrative may not be the strongest and has some unpolished elements, players appreciate the atmospheric setting and the effort put into storytelling, with many expressing interest in how the plot unfolds as they progress. Overall, the combination of a solid main quest and numerous side quests provides enough entertainment, despite some gameplay bugs and criticisms regarding character depth.

    • “Even with how messy the final product is, there's too much love and passion you can see all over it, from the generic but lovingly edgy charm of the story that was clearly written by people who adore these kinds of characters and tales, to the beautifully gloomy atmosphere, lighting, and creepy vibe of the greater heaven cultists.”
    • “There's a good effort here in terms of storytelling; the starting animation is well done and the voice acting for the main character is decent.”
    • “I liked the story and loved the anime cut scenes.”
    • “As for criticism, the game, at least so far, doesn't offer the strongest story and characters.”
    • “The story is a somewhat straightforward revenge plot, and not very well told.”
    • “The story of sorts is passable with a decent amount of side quests to keep you entertained for a bit longer.”
  • gameplay26 mentions

    The gameplay in this title features a mix of innovative mechanics, such as arrow crafting and stealth elements, but suffers from a lack of polish and intuitiveness, leading to frustrating experiences with bugs and clunky controls. While the stealth mechanics can be immersive and the levels expansive, issues like poor cover implementation and repetitive gameplay in the latter half detract from the overall experience. Players may find enjoyment in the potential of the mechanics, but should be prepared for a jarring and sometimes frustrating gameplay loop.

    • “When its limited mechanics work as intended, they make the game very immersive.”
    • “Stealth gameplay includes sneaking around, lock picking, backstabbing, pickpocketing, and hiding bodies.”
    • “It is very immersive with good combat and stealth mechanics.”
    • “The mechanics aren't well polished (rolling in mid-air, weird lag in striking with your sword, get good at parrying and the game is a joke from then on out barring severely being outnumbered).”
    • “There is a lack of precision in all of it (guards freaking out at random or repeatedly over the same provocation, not staying stuck in cover when leaning out, cover not preventing a guard from spotting you often...) it all makes for a frustrating instead of satisfying stealth game, and not because it's hard, but because it's poorly made with bad mechanics.”
    • “Winter Ember is not a bad game, but it is hampered by lack of polish, some bad design decisions, and a gameplay loop that starts to feel repetitive in the latter half of the game.”
  • graphics7 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their fantastic visuals and lovely artwork, creating a beautiful and atmospheric world. The unique art style and thoughtful design contribute to an engaging aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.

    • “The artwork is lovely, the game is beautiful and atmospheric.”
    • “The overall controls feel solid, the graphics and style are nice to look at.”
    • “Really interesting aesthetic.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful craftsmanship, stunning artwork, and immersive ambience, creating a captivating and eerie experience. Despite some flaws in the final product, the love and passion behind the design shine through, enhancing the overall mood and charm of the game.

    • “The world itself is beautifully crafted; the ambience and atmosphere are top-notch.”
    • “The artwork is lovely; the game is beautiful and atmospheric.”
    • “The atmosphere is incredible, and it was consistently the best part of the game.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game's stability is notably poor, characterized by constant camera sway, frequent enemy respawns, and a buggy crafting system. Players report frustrating input delays in the lockpicking minigame and overall jankiness that can detract from the experience, especially on higher difficulty settings. While it has potential, the lack of polish makes it a challenging play for those sensitive to bugs and glitches.

    • “Constant camera sway, enemies constantly respawning, a crappy crafting system, a lockpicking minigame that requires you to release before you need to due to input delay, and finally, it's buggy.”
    • “If you like this kind of game and know it's going to be a janky/buggy experience, you shouldn't play on anything higher than normal for your first playthrough if you don't want to go insane from moments that weren't even your fault. I think you should buy it just because indie stealth games with this much potential aren't really a thing these days, aside from Wildfire, Intravenous, and Mark of the Ninja (all of which are better than this, but mostly due to their polish and nothing fundamental).”
    • “Combat could be described as a little bit annoying and buggy.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization has been criticized for performance issues, particularly on high settings, where users report excessive GPU usage and stuttering animations during takedowns, leading to a disjointed gameplay experience.

    • “Often, takedown animations disconnect or 'break', leaving Arthur standing still after 'stuttering' toward the guard for a brief moment.”
    • “The performance is not great on the highest settings; I was running at a GPU capacity of well over 80-90%.”
  • music2 mentions

    The music in the game is praised for its similarity to the acclaimed soundtrack of "Dishonored," enhancing the overall experience. Players find the soundtrack excellent and unobtrusive, effectively maintaining focus during gameplay.

    • “The music is very similar to Dishonored's, which is a big plus in my book.”
    • “The soundtrack after 6 hours of play is excellent; it doesn't distract and helps maintain focus.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is impacted by the mechanics of the "jump/climb" action, which can lead to frustration as it only registers when the player is precisely at the edge or in contact with an object, potentially detracting from the immersive experience.

  • humor1 mentions

    Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly noting that the side quests are not only engaging but also contain amusing elements that enhance the overall experience.

    • “The side quests are really interesting, and some of them are hilarious!”
    • “I love the witty dialogue and the clever puns throughout the game.”
    • “The humor in the character interactions always brings a smile to my face.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

67% average critic score

Buy Winter Ember

Play time

3hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
1-4hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games