Into the Emberlands: Find the Light When Darkness Is Everywhere

Normally video games help me relax. They allow me to dive into other worlds. I've been struggling with the whole relaxing part since the middle of January; it feels like what's going on in the real world cannot be mitigated with a fun gaming session. The real world infiltrates everything, even a mind looking for a distraction.

But then Into the Emberlands showed an introduction where beings that did nothing wrong found their home wiped out and friends missing. Colorful Lightbearers and village residents held each other, shaking in the face of immense trauma. That image hit close to home.

I was reminded why I like diving into other stories, both fluffy and dark. They allow us to feel the catharsis that real life and the human mind can deny. Games also provide smaller problems you can solve, putting the power in your hands. Into the Emberlands provides very solvable problems and reminds us that darkness does not last forever.

In a happy valley called the Emberlands, Lightbringers used magical lanterns to maintain hope in their villages. A strange force called Miasma invaded, however, stripping the land of its light, Lightbearers, and joy. Lightbearers got lost in the Miasma and couldn't find their way home. Their lanterns went out, leaving them to succumb to the dread and terror. Villages also succumbed to the darkness, needing to wait for an opportunity to rebuild and recruit new blood.

You are the newest Lightbearer. With your lantern, you can find the lost ones outside the village and bring them home. Various tools can also help you collect wood and rocks for repairing buildings like toolsheds and houses, or you can trade for those resources after repairing various vending machines. The larger you make your village, the more Lightbearers you can save and re-home.

There is a catch: thanks to the Miasma, the energy from your lantern keeps you alive, and the farther you go, the more energy is expended. If the energy runs out completely, the Miasma consumes you and anyone you're rescuing. Returning to the village revives your lantern, and there are various power-ups that can help it continue for longer, but you must manage your resources. The Miasma is ever-present, and so is the dread as you navigate an unknown map to find survivors.

Despite its fluffiness, Into the Emberlands also delivers a story acknowledging how cruel the world can be to people who don't deserve it.

As someone who has only played the developer's Deponia trilogy and seen bits of Harvey & Edna, seeing a fluffy game from Daedalic is a surprise. I know about Night of the Rabbit during their founding days but haven't played it yet. Despite its fluffiness, Into the Emberlands also delivers a story acknowledging how cruel the world can be to people who don't deserve it.

I found the game's straightforward challenges refreshing. You need to rebuild a town and rescue Lightbearers. To rebuild, you need wood and rocks. And to rescue, you need to navigate. There are no confusing, random puzzles thrown in to extend the game's playtime.

The resource programming is very fair; axes can only be used once to cut wood and the same goes for pickaxes when breaking apart rocks. You can find both, however, in toolsheds and areas scattered throughout the woods. Meanwhile, you get indicators when you use too much energy; the lantern clicks every time you use an energy point. I have rescued a few Lightbearers and met trolls willing to bargain. Making your way is slow-going, though; rocks in the way do lead to longer paths but trees can be cut to reveal the way.

Lovely art direction shows the danger of the Miasma, a smothering purple, against the colorful NPCs. With minimal flashing to avoid photosensitivity issues, the design is easy on the eyes. I am so glad to see a 3D design that doesn't aim for hyperrealism.

I can't wait to play more of Into the Emberlands. To rescue more Lightbearers, I think I have to unlock metro stations, whatever they are, or upgrade my lantern. But I feel brave enough to face the darkness, in this shared world at least.