A thorn apocalypse looms as you, a last Emberhost, fight through simple but fair combat, explore without a map, locate loot, and defeat ambush bosses in a straightforward action-adventure.
The story revolves around an ancient evil, a thorny plant worshipped by the masses that is on the verge of covering the entire world in thorns, and the chosen one destined to stop it. You are one of several individuals born with the power to burn the plant, known as Emberhosts. However, you have become one of the last remaining hopes, as the others have failed, been slaughtered, proven too weak to continue, or ended up imprisoned in a dungeon like you.
Your escape is straightforward, as it is designed to introduce the mechanics. Surprisingly, you begin with all the skills needed to overcome both traversal challenges and enemies. Aside from jumping, every action consumes stamina. Your basic abilities include a weapon attack that can be chained into combos and a forward dash that allows you to pass through enemies and hazards.
There is also a secondary attack tied to additional weapons. You start with a shield bash, which can block incoming damage if you hold the button after executing it, though doing so steadily drains stamina. Later, you acquire a bow, which is useful for luring enemies or dealing solid damage from a distance.
Fortunately, stamina regenerates quickly, so it rarely disrupts the flow of gameplay. In addition, you have access to a tool powered by a separate energy bar that fills as you deal damage. You begin with a projectile, but later unlock various traps such as turrets and bear traps that can inflict extra damage.
Combat lacks grace or finesse, often boiling down to button mashing followed by retreating or dashing through enemies when they signal an attack. Still, it remains fair. For example, when enemies perform multi-hit combos, dashing through their first strike will not cause them to suddenly turn and hit you with the follow-up. Instead, they continue attacking in their original direction.
There is also an amusing knockback effect during combat. After attacking, your character is slightly lifted into the air, and by rapidly pressing the attack button, you can continue attacking before even landing. Enemies can be knocked back as well and may take damage from environmental hazards.
These hazards are particularly dangerous, especially since invincibility frames are minimal. It is easy to lose all your health before escaping. As is common in similar games, you have a limited healing item that is replenished at save points or upon death.
Death itself follows a familiar formula. When you die, you lose all souls collected from defeated enemies and must return to the place of your death to recover them. Save points take the form of large lanterns that you activate by striking them. This system is refreshingly simple, as it requires no menus. A single hit instantly saves your progress and restores your health and healing items. Enemies, on the other hand, respawn only when switching screens, and not with resting.
The final two abilities, both stamina-based, are somewhat unusual because games of this type typically unlock them later. The first is an advanced dash triggered by pressing the jump button a second time. This displays an arrow that can be aimed in any direction, allowing you to dash a short distance when released. The second ability is climbing, which lets you scale vertical surfaces or cling to walls without sliding down.
There is no world map or mini-map, so navigation relies entirely on exploration and memory. Although the backgrounds change, the level design mostly consists of dark platforms and walls, which can feel visually unremarkable. While some secrets, such as smaller lanterns that increase your healing capacity, are easy to miss, most loot is highlighted with a bright glow. Hidden walls, however, are frustrating, as they crumble when struck but show no visual distinction, forcing you to either guess or test every surface.
Boss fights require particular attention. They are not announced and often feel like sudden ambushes when you enter an apparently standard room. While bosses do not gain new abilities as their health decreases, making their patterns predictable, the small arenas make it easy to take damage. Except for an achievement and souls, they don’t give you anything else.
Character progression comes through equipment, stat upgrades, and relics. You can spend souls to improve vitality for health, destruction for damage, and fury for increasing your power capacity. Interestingly, these upgrades are not accessed directly from save points but through three characters sitting around it. You must discover them first to unlock them, but the damage-focused character is likely to appear early, allowing you to significantly boost your damage after defeating a few bosses. Upgrade costs increase with each purchase, so prioritizing damage early is the most efficient strategy.
New equipment and relics can be obtained from glowing points in the environment or purchased from merchants. Equipment consists of different weapons, each offering unique combos, damage output, and knockback. Most are well-balanced, so you will likely settle on a preferred choice. Relics function as perks, granting bonuses such as increased energy gain or gradual health regeneration. Although you have a limited number of slots, each relic occupies only one, making it easy to equip the most useful combinations.
In summary, while the game borrows certain elements from soulslike titles, it ultimately plays as a straightforward action-adventure. Systems like the damage stat and auto-healing relics reinforce this direction. Although later bosses may present a challenge, they can usually be overcome after a few attempts or by switching equipment. Achievements are also fair, although finding everything might be a problem without a map.
