Emberville Preview
I have had my eye on Emberville since it was first announced. I’m a sucker for macabre settings and fast, reactionary combat. I began the prologue with an open mind and was quickly pulled into its mysterious tale of penance. The punishing prison of the Vitromotus; an unending world where death is not the end. Emberville places you inside this prison and challenges you to escape. Its halls are filled with deadly traps and brutal criminals, banished for their misdeeds.
Emberville sets its tone right from the start. As soon as you step outside, a mysterious figure commands that you must stay dead, obliterating you into tiny pieces. And then you come back. The Vitromotus is a magical world created to keep the worst prisoners locked up. Its power feeds on hate and negative emotion, sustaining its energy from those trapped inside. Each time you die, you are resurrected in an unending cycle of pain and terror, slowly losing yourself with each resurrection. This alone is an outstanding premise for a game, but Emberville is so much more than just the Vitromotus.
A Beautiful Blend of Rogue-Lite Combat and Cozy Crafting
Upon escaping, you find yourself in the abandoned town of Emberville. It’s up to you to gather resources and restore the town to its former glory. I was ready to start rebuilding with all the materials recovered inside the Vitromotus. Tragedy struck. I was so engrossed in Emberville that I forgot I was only playing the prologue. The experience ended there. I have played many hand-picked sections for previews before, but this was the first one that made me sad it was over. There are so many truly enjoyable factors that have gone into Emberville which, so far, have exceeded my expectations.
Emberville offers an impressive plethora of customization options to build your character exactly how you want. Emberville has a wide variety of weapon types, each with unique unlockable upgrades earned from using them. It also has well over a dozen classes to select from, each with its own perks. These classes can even be swapped on the fly, allowing you to adapt to different situations. Emberville does a great job of slowly introducing the game’s various menus (inventory, classes, weapons, level, etc) and helpfully displays each menu in the bottom right corner.
I got a chance to try the cooking mechanic of Emberville. It’s as simple as selecting the ingredient and hitting start. Despite the robust collection of menus and crafting, each is designed to be easy and accessible to use. Each crafting mechanic also has its own levelling and skill trees to unlock, so your character develops based on how you play.
Fast-Paced, Engaging Combat With Bountiful Character Builds
Combat in Emberville shines. Different weapons complement different playstyles. You’ll need to combine your weapon of choice with well-timed dodges against enemy attack patterns to survive. The enemies’ combat skills keep you engaged and in the moment, fighting for victory. I do wish swapping between weapons was faster, and the cooldown on the dodge roll could be more forgiving. That said, these are very minor issues that most likely are addressed further into the game.
The presentation of Emberville itself is hauntingly immersive. Keeping the classic pixel feel of beloved titles like Moonlighter, Children of Morta, or Stardew Valley, Emberville makes the atmosphere its own. Light sources give off dancing illumination. Fog effects set the tone of cold, abandoned streets. The world of Emberville feels rich while maintaining its eerie presence. Even the various environments within the Vitromotus are rich with subtle details that give the world depth and character.
Gameplay That Pulls You In And Doesn’t Let Go
This leads me to the biggest addition to Emberville: the voice cast. I do not recall the last time I have seen such a massively star-studded voice cast, let alone for the very first indie game of a new studio. The prologue only has a few scenes of voiced dialogue, yet every line’s delivered with the purest of heart and soul. Seeing the cast list of these actors is a huge draw. I can’t wait to encounter them in this world and listen to them bring even more gravitas to the game.
Seeing the final message creep across my screen was a genuine moment of surprise, followed by a twinge of sadness. I am not ready for my time in Emberville to be done. It has been quite some time since I found myself so wholly invested in a game. With the prologue finished I sat in contemplation, not unlike after finishing a good book. Even days after completing the prologue, I find my thoughts drifting back to Emberville’s gameplay. I know I only scratched the surface. If what Cygnas Cross has shown is anything to go by, the full release of Emberville is going to be an exhilerating and captivating experience.
Emberville will release in Early Access on PC and Steam Deck on October 27th. It will launch to launch on console as of it’s 1.0 release. For more information, check out the game’s official website.
**PC code provided by the publisher**
