The Last Campfire

"Not all puzzles are problems to be solved." What a gorgeous little game! I was not expecting it to hit me in the feels the way that it did. The bedtime-story narration was absolutely amazing, the voice actress fully made the game. Loved the artwork and the storyline. The puzzles were so much fun and not too overly complicated to take away from the story. I thought the riddles relating to everything that is life, the great beyond and all the in-between were the cherry on top. Don't let the cute characters and light color palette fool you, this game is very philosophical with existential and thought provoking conversations. Highly recommend. 10/10 everyone should play it.

It's such a cute game, with a very moving story and awesome graphics! I've been studying and playing the game in-between my pomodoro breaks, and it's really perfect. I really loved it!

A sweet and beautiful puzzle adventure with great messages. There's a good amount of content, with most time being spent on puzzles that were easy but creative and with interesting mechanics to play around. Most of them were pretty short and manageable but also fulfilling and rewarding. Not a lot of characters to meet, but each one had a personal and touching story to tell. Every little message had a lesson to it, as did the main plot. They nailed the art direction. It's cozy, has a lot of personality, and keeps its visual cohesion until the end while still caring for details. Animations are also clean, mostly fluid, and look great. The soundtrack and voice acting were perfectly chosen, as they complement the overall experience perfectly. Camera work felt perfect to me, changing the angle whenever it was needed and doing it seamlessly. Controls were a bit messy. I played on the keyboard only, as the mouse felt unnecessary and confusing. There's no way to change keys, which would be good too, and I found out that there was a key to run (?)/sprint a little only after finishing the game, as there was no indication anywhere, not even on the controls menu, of how to do so. My experience was also clean of bugs.

Easy 5/5 ⭐! The best cozy "short" game I've played yet! The graphics and audio are a masterpiece, the story will give you chills, the puzzles are easy but creative, and all in all it went above and beyond in all aspects and will likely leave me in a game hangover. The creators truly outdid themselves!

I had this game in my library for a while and finally took time to give it a spin and it made my heart melt and blew me away! What a profoundly tender, warm and delightfully clever puzzling game! I haven't played a puzzle game like this before where it has the detail, charm and character of an adventure game AND includes varying and challenging (but not impossible!) puzzles. It was a thrill to look for every secret and side quest in this game. Puzzles were not repetative, had you interacting with the world organically AND truely are doable without any hints, extra supports etc. And a HUGE shout out to the narration and sound design in this game. Every critter, character and soul was so beautifully narrated and weaved such a beautiful underlying narrative that, again, I did not expect from this type of puzzling game. What blew me away most was the art design of both characters and the environments. This game has such a unique and gentle atmosphere that it really made this beautifully immersive and cohesive world building experience. I loved every detail and was amazed by how polished everything was. And the biggest accolade I want to give to this game is the ways in which is talks about death/spirits/moving on with such grace, gentleness and depth. Truely moving until the very end. This game is an immediate favourite. 10/10. Please visit this campfire and stay awhile! <3

Brought this game randomly on a sale, very surprised its such a good game! Really fun puzzles and a nice story.

Chill, short game with awesome story, also graphic is amazing.

The Last Campfire is a short, cozy, puzzle-driven game that I used as a low-stress way to unwind. The puzzles are generally simple and approachable, which fits the overall pace of the game really well, though a couple of them did trip me up here and there. What stood out more than anything was the feeling of it. It has this quiet, reflective tone that makes it easy to just sit back and play without any pressure. Even when a couple puzzles slowed me down, it still stayed pretty calm and low-pressure. It’s also very cute and family-friendly in its presentation, and really feels like something suitable for all ages, but it still works really well as a solo, relaxed experience. Everything about it feels designed to be gentle and calming rather than demanding. Overall, it’s the kind of game you play when you just want something simple, warm, and easy to settle into for a while.

Easily one of the best indie games I've played. It's a short game, but the story has a lot of heart and a deeper meaning that really stuck with me. The puzzles get harder as you go, but they're never so difficult that they become frustrating. Every puzzle feels fair, and figuring them out is actually satisfying instead of annoying. Overall, it's a beautiful game with a touching story, a relaxing atmosphere, and fun puzzles. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys story-driven games with light but rewarding puzzle-solving.

[h2]Nota Geral | Overall Rating[/h2] ⭐⭐⭐ [b]The Last Campfire é um jogo que aposta na doçura e na introspecção, e na maior parte do tempo isso funciona. A Hello Games (sim, os mesmos de No Man's Sky) saiu completamente da sua zona de conforto para entregar uma aventura de puzzles curta e contemplativa, sobre uma pequena criatura perdida chamada Ember tentando ajudar espíritos presos a encontrar paz. É um jogo gentil, bem-intencionado e competente, mas que também é fácil demais e curto demais para deixar uma marca duradoura além do carinho que desperta na hora.[/b] [i]The Last Campfire is a game that bets on sweetness and introspection, and most of the time it works. Hello Games (yes, the same studio behind No Man's Sky) stepped completely outside its comfort zone to deliver a short, contemplative puzzle adventure about a small lost creature named Ember trying to help trapped spirits find peace. It's a gentle, well-intentioned, and competent game, but one that's also too easy and too short to leave a lasting mark beyond the warmth it brings in the moment.[/i] [h2]Jogabilidade | Gameplay[/h2] ⭐⭐⭐ [b]Os puzzles seguem uma fórmula bem estabelecida de jogos indie de exploração: puxar alavancas, empurrar blocos, acender fogueiras e resolver pequenos enigmas ambientais para destravar o caminho. O problema é que a dificuldade nunca sobe de forma consistente. Alguns puzzles exigem um raciocínio genuíno, mas a maioria se resolve por tentativa e erro em poucos minutos, sem que o jogo te force a pensar de verdade. Não existe um sistema de combate ou pressão externa, o que combina com a proposta contemplativa, mas também significa que a jogabilidade nunca cria tensão real, apenas um ritmo calmo de descoberta.[/b] [i]The puzzles follow a well-established formula from indie exploration games: pulling levers, pushing blocks, lighting campfires, and solving small environmental puzzles to unlock the path forward. The problem is that the difficulty never rises consistently. Some puzzles demand genuine reasoning, but most are solved through trial and error in a matter of minutes, without the game ever forcing you to truly think. There's no combat system or external pressure, which fits the contemplative proposal, but it also means the gameplay never creates real tension, just a calm rhythm of discovery.[/i] [h2]Duração | Duration[/h2] ⭐⭐⭐ [b]O jogo dura entre 4 e 6 horas para quem quer resolver todos os puzzles opcionais e ajudar todos os espíritos presos nas cavernas. É uma duração honesta para o que o jogo se propõe a ser, mas também é curta o suficiente para que a experiência termine bem antes de você se cansar da fórmula, o que é positivo, mas também deixa uma sensação de "só isso?" quando os créditos sobem. Não há razão real para replay depois de terminado.[/b] [i]The game lasts between 4 and 6 hours for those who want to solve every optional puzzle and help every spirit trapped in the caves. It's an honest length for what the game sets out to be, but it's also short enough that the experience ends well before you get tired of the formula, which is a good thing, but it also leaves a "that's it?" feeling once the credits roll. There's no real reason to replay it once finished.[/i] [h2]Enredo | Story[/h2] ⭐⭐ [b]O enredo é simples demais e não arrisca muito. A jornada de Ember ajudando espíritos presos a se libertarem de suas mágoas segue uma estrutura repetitiva: você chega, ouve um pequeno lamento sobre arrependimento ou medo, resolve um puzzle, e o espírito parte em paz. É uma mensagem bonita sobre deixar o passado ir, mas ela se repete tantas vezes da mesma forma que perde impacto emocional pela metade do jogo. Falta uma reviravolta ou um momento de maior peso narrativo que justifique o investimento emocional que o jogo tanto pede.[/b] [i]The plot is too simple and doesn't take many risks. Ember's journey helping trapped spirits free themselves from their sorrows follows a repetitive structure: you arrive, hear a small lament about regret or fear, solve a puzzle, and the spirit departs in peace. It's a beautiful message about letting go of the past, but it repeats in the same way so many times that it loses emotional impact by the halfway point. It's missing a twist or a moment of greater narrative weight that would justify the emotional investment the game keeps asking for.[/i] [h2]Visual[/h2] ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [b]Visualmente, o jogo é um dos seus pontos mais fortes. O estilo de baixo poli com cores suaves e formas arredondadas cria uma estética acolhedora que combina perfeitamente com o tom do jogo. As cavernas subterrâneas têm boa variedade visual, alternando entre áreas de cristal, vegetação bioluminescente e ruínas afundadas, e a Ember em si é um design de personagem simples, mas extremamente carismático. É um jogo que sabe exatamente que tipo de conforto visual quer transmitir, e acerta nisso.[/b] [i]Visually, the game is one of its strongest points. The low-poly style with soft colors and rounded shapes creates a welcoming aesthetic that fits the game's tone perfectly. The underground caves have good visual variety, alternating between crystal areas, bioluminescent vegetation, and sunken ruins, and Ember itself is a simple but extremely charismatic character design. It's a game that knows exactly what kind of visual comfort it wants to convey, and it nails it.[/i] [h2]Áudio | Audio[/h2] ⭐⭐⭐ [b]A trilha sonora cumpre bem o papel de reforçar o clima calmo e introspectivo, com piano e cordas suaves que acompanham a exploração sem nunca se impor demais. Não existem temas particularmente memoráveis, mas também não é essa a intenção. Os efeitos sonoros são discretos e funcionais, e a ausência quase total de dublagem (os diálogos são em texto) mantém a atmosfera tranquila, embora tire um pouco da conexão emocional que cenas com narração poderiam ter entregado.[/b] [i]The soundtrack does a good job of reinforcing the calm, introspective mood, with soft piano and strings that accompany the exploration without ever imposing themselves too much. There are no particularly memorable themes, but that's not really the intention either. The sound effects are subtle and functional, and the almost total absence of voice acting (dialogue is text-based) keeps the atmosphere peaceful, though it does take away some of the emotional connection that narrated scenes could have delivered.[/i]