Into the Emberlands Review

The magical world of Into the Emberlands is bountiful with natural resources and cute creatures, an oasis in the making if not for the mysterious Miasma plaguing every step you take outside your village. Thankfully, you’re a Lightbearer, equipped with a special lantern that lets you safely explore the cursed land, and it’s up to you to find survivors and gather necessities to transform your home into a thriving sanctuary.

You’ll begin the game protected by the Ember Tower that stands at the centre of your small village, which initially consists of only a couple of houses and plenty of buildings in need of repair. Reporting back to the Tower after you’ve completed quests is a main component of the gameplay loop, as it’ll allow you to level up your village, giving you more tasks to complete. Additionally, the more you help your fellow Knacks (the cutest name for these adorable inhabitants of Into the Emberlands’ world), the more they’ll assist you on your journey with tool upgrades, coins, and more.

Every quest will send you outside the Tower’s protection and into biomes plagued by Miasma, a dark substance that consumes everything in its path. However, with your Ember Lantern, you’ll be able to head out safely as long you have enough fuel to light the way. Considering every step costs one Ember, you’ll need to be mindful of how far you’re venturing out, especially early on. There’s also an added challenge with the restricted camera movement, as you can’t pan far ahead to plan your route; as such, memory and patience play a big part in your run.

This back-and-forth exploration from the village to the surrounding biomes is quite fun. I love that Tiny Roar went with a point-and-click gameplay style, as it allows you to be very precise when moving your Knack around the world. The fact that you can see how much Ember you’ll spend by hovering over your destination is an excellent touch, as well. In fact, being able to see that number has saved me and my Knacks time and time again.

Additionally, using your tools is quite smooth, as you can simply select them from your inventory bar, drag them to your desired spot, and click to use. It’s nice that you don’t need to move your character near a node to use a tool, as well. For example, I could be standing 10 steps away from a tree, but I can still drag my Axe over it and turn it to Wood. This comes in handy with conserving steps and planning paths. My only complaint would be that the tools take up spots in your inventory, which becomes crowded and difficult to manage.

The quests, I’ll admit, get a bit repetitive for me, as they all request that you retrieve natural resources (such as Wood and Rocks), rescue lost villagers, or collect magical items (such as Crystallized Embers). So, if you’re not a fan of fetch quests, I’d say this game wouldn’t be your cup of tea. That said, the combat-less gameplay and the fact that there isn’t any time pressure on getting the items, create a chill vibe that I really enjoy.

Into the Emberlands’ greatest strength is that Tiny Roar taps into your sense of curiosity in a fun way, littering tonnes of little discoveries to make in its environments, such as Trolls, mysterious keys, instant transportation spots, artistic Knacks, scientists, and much more. Many things you find across the four biomes also help you upgrade your character or replenish supplies and/or Ember to help you get back to town.

Shaping your Lightbearer’s toolkit adds a nice variation to the game, making up for some of the quest repetition. Whether you’re choosing upgrades in town or out in the world, you can improve your Ember Lantern’s capacity, increase how many coins you can carry, or expand your inventory space. Your selections will all depend on what your current goals are; for instance, if you’re struggling to reach the next biome, you might want to up the amount of Ember you can carry.

While the game is fairly relaxing, there is a real possibility of failing, as you can “Get Lost” in the Emberlands if you run out of lantern fuel. This resets your character in terms of inventory and any upgrades you choose to your equipment. It doesn’t reset your town, however, so you’ll respawn with a fresh Lightbearer, but you’ll still have the same quests that you died with. Although you start again with an empty inventory, you only lose a portion of your upgrades, so it’s not too punishing. I found it so easy to slip into a chill loop of exploration that I didn’t mind the reset.

Art-wise, Into the Emberlands is adorable! The colour palette is vibrant, and the animations are bouncy and whimsical. It feels like a world plucked out of a children’s storybook in the best possible way. If you speak with your fellow Knacks, you’ll find that in addition to being cute, they’re also funny. One chastised me for rebuilding the local school because they didn’t want to go to class, and there’s even a former Lightbearer who decided to fake a knee injury to get assigned to guard duty.

If you’re looking for a chill resource-gathering game, this is one I’d recommend. It’s a very charming world that offers a lot of enjoyment through exploration, and while the gameplay is quite simple, it has its share of complexities. You’ll often find yourself planning ahead in terms of how far you can go and what upgrades you should get next. Play your run well, and you’ll make your way into the farthest biomes, but if you get too adventurous too fast, your Lightbearer might join the other lost Knacks, petrified by the mysterious Miasma. The sense of accomplishment you get seeing the darkness pushed back with your every step and expanding your village of adorable Knacks makes Into the Emberlands a true delight.