What would happen if you took Sekiro, painted it in Ori colors and added epicness?? And it will turn out – Strayed Lights, which was released on April 25.
Why it is good, why you should play it and what problems the game has we will discuss in this review.
Plot and atmosphere
I’ll say right away this is not another souls like. There is nothing from souls here except dodges and parries. There is no estus, no bonfires, enemies do not resurrect after death, etc. d. It’s more of an adventure game or adventure game, whichever you prefer.
The plot here is some kind of arthouse. The world and its inhabitants, who resemble spirits, are affected by some kind of corruption, and we play as a character who has just been born and already has an evil double. And it’s unclear here. Either this double is spreading corruption, or there was corruption before, but at the very beginning this evil double is the first training boss. All the other bosses seem to personify vices or something like that. For example, one of them is a timid, big-eared weirdo, another is an aggressive four-armed lady, and the third is trying to hide everything behind an illusion. Also in the process, our character grows and changes, appearing at the end in his final form. And perhaps all these bosses are an allusion to the stages of growing up and life.
In general, a typical plot to pump up your SPGS.
But the atmosphere of it all is incredibly pleasant. You really feel like you are in some amazing place that belongs to these strange creatures. Dark caves, quiet forests, volcanoes, ruins – everything looks simply magnificent and immerses you in the world of a fairy tale.
Gameplay
The gameplay is definitely good. The game teaches you everything you need in the first minutes. Main mechanics: parrying and changing colors. The character, like enemies, can be blue or orange, and this color can be changed at any second, which is what opponents use and you should use. You can parry while in any color, but if your colors match the enemy’s, then depending on the degree of accuracy of the parry, the main character’s health is restored. At the same time, as you receive damage in battle, the maximum level of health decreases, which prevents you from receiving damage with impunity and being healed.
In addition to parrying, you can dodge and this is the only option not to take damage if the enemy suddenly turns purple. You do not have the ability to turn purple, as it is the color of corruption and evil in this world.
But not only protection is https://wanejobetscasino.co.uk/ specific here. The attack also has its own characteristics. There is always an energy bar at the bottom that needs to be filled with parries and attacks. As soon as you reach the maximum, you can end the battle with victory.
Also, to help you, you are given additional abilities, the use of which requires special energy points. These points are restored one for each enemy defeated. There are only three abilities themselves. Strong blow, the ability to parry any color and stun. I only used the first one, since the second ones don’t make much sense.
In addition, you can develop your character using another currency, which drops in the amount of one unit from one enemy. For this currency you can increase maximum health, the number of cells for using abilities, get new attacks, etc. d.
But that’s not all. There are collectible fireflies (or whatever they are), which can be collected to increase the efficiency of energy storage. T.e. it’s basically a damage buff.
In addition, there are eggs, but as I found out, they only allow you to open concept art. Correct me in the comments if this is wrong.
Bosses
Strayed Lights has bosses and regular enemies. There are not many ordinary opponents and they are often repeated, in different combinations. The opponents are simple and it is clear which of them performs what role. Is it possible to talk about a bastard with a gun on his hand?. This is the most powerful creature in the game from which I died more often than from bosses. And in the end he began to appear paired with other enemies, which was very difficult. But after Malenia I’m no longer afraid of anything.
Next, let’s talk about bosses. They’re cool. Various impressive motion sets, beautiful shots, convenient dynamic camera. In addition, the bosses themselves are very cool. Someone jumps around the arena, someone is aggressive and breaks the ground, reducing the arena for battle, someone adds illusory attacks to their attacks, and one completely hides in the fog and jumps out at the enemy. But in general the bosses are not difficult and I managed to defeat them without much effort. Although I came across reviews where people could not complete the game due to difficulty.
Graphics and sound
And of course about the visuals – the main advantage of the game. This is one of those cases when the project proves that the budget does not decide. Proper styling, work with light and talent will replace any budget. Even after 10 and 20 years, the graphics here will look incredibly cool.
But this Strayed Lights is good not only for its visuals. The sound sounds very nice. Yes, I won’t add soundtracks to my playlist, but the composer did a great job, which, together with the visuals, gave the locations soul, and silent characters can be understood even without words.
Game problems
Unfortunately there are also problems. I have already mentioned the relative ease, but the saddest thing here is the duration. I completed the game in 1 stream, which took a little over three hours. That is, the game is literally for one evening. I feel like I finished Katana Zero, but even it seems longer. Moreover, when passing through, you feel the potential and want to play it for at least 10 hours, but alas. On the other hand, the mechanics don’t get boring, the world is rich, there are no useless wanderings.
The next problem is pumping. It is very weak, it is unclear why it was necessary to introduce two whole currencies, because in fact it was possible to give out abilities as you progress. Yes, and there is no talk of any build here. Looks like it’s twisted for show.
Well, the last thing is the technical condition. FPS drops at different points, glitches in front of the boss arena, and fog even leads to severe freezes. However, once everything froze and I had to restart the stream to restart the computer. And it happened right before the final boss.
Otherwise, there were no technical problems; all enemies had clear and understandable hitboxes, just like the main character. All actions were clearly read from the gamepad (took place on an Xbox Series S gamepad) and no input lag was observed either.
Conclusion
Strayed Lights attracts attention with its unique atmosphere and beautiful graphics. The developers have created incredibly beautiful locations. Plus, the boss fights are breathtaking.
But Strayed Lights also has its drawbacks. Character leveling is not very deep, which may disappoint those who like more serious RPGs. In addition, the game is very short, which can cause a feeling of understatement.
Overall, Strayed Lights is worth a look. Its unique atmosphere and beautiful visuals allow players to plunge into a fascinating world full of dangers and mysteries. Despite some shortcomings, Strayed Lights is still an interesting project that is worth trying.