Ember First Playthrough Impression

[dfm0tty]

As I reach level 21 in Ember and find myself in the concluding points of the story I sat back to think about why I liked this game, what this game could do better, and a few suggestions to help push things along perhaps.

This isn't meant to be a "full on review" so I'll keep "why I like the game" short. It's an easy to learn RPG with great core mechanics like followers, upgrading gear and skills. The combat system flows neatly in most cases with some exceptions based on area and clicking behavior.

I also don't want to make this sound too negative as either so I'll keep the next few points about the games lackluster parts short.

- Combat could use some PC-gamer tweaks with perhaps more hotkeys (or the ability to set hotkeys)
- Screen tearing occured while walking around a lot although never directly disrupting gameplay so this one is minor
- Crafting could use some love. I crafted myself the best gear and potions, don't get me wrong, but not until level 15+. By then I was 10+ hours into the game. Not saying that I couldn't have done it earlier in the game, but the progression at the beginning almost forces you into this position.
- Character skills feel weak, and as I level up more I noticed that my average damage actually goes down unless I continue to horde points into one skill. The "Bringer" reminds me of "The Last Airbender" since he can use any attack style, however, his utility is weakened by the fact that he is forced to commit to a style. I was hoping that this element would be different and really allow the Bringer to shine.
- Uniques. This game's uniques are few and far between whether it comes to items, characters, places, bosses, etc. Its actually a little disheartening because the most fun parts of an RPG in my opinion are when you gain those special niches that seperate character(s), item(s), and npc(s) from their counterparts throughout the game.

Adding these types of factors up is what helps prevent combat/storyline/gameplay from reaching a stale meta and thats all I want for this game since I really do enjoy playing it.

That said, I'll definitely be doing more playthroughs of this game again and if they make significant changes. Ember definitely is a hidden gem and I'm just glad I was lucky enough to find it.

[Sufferin' Pup]

Great feedback! I love posts like this. :)

[PunkSteve]

Did u kill Johan after exiting the Deep Barrows?