Common Sense Media Review
By Chris Morris
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Utterly charming, brilliantly made puzzle game.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
The Last Campfire
What's It About?
In THE LAST CAMPFIRE, players assume the role of Ember, a lost being that finds themself trapped in a puzzle-filled land, filled with lost souls. They (Ember is genderless, and always referred to as 'they' in the game) make it their mission to help those souls, which involves solving puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty (some are simple, while others can take a half hour or more to deduce). As they save others, they progress further into the game, meeting a variety of strange creatures and discovering lost journals from a mystery explorer.
Is It Any Good?
While it's technically a puzzle game, a bigger emphasis is the large amount of charm found in the gameplay. The Last Campfire focuses as much (or more ) on the story as the game and it's better for it. Ember is an empathetic, engaging protagonist who you quickly find yourself rooting for and the game's challenges never seem unfair. There's a near perfect blend of easy and challenging situations to overcome to keep you moving forward -- such as lighting vines to clear paths, or uncovering switches to move platforms -- and there's never any time pressure or penalty for the player. Plus, the story's focus on helping others, especially people that were having trouble or couldn't succeed at a task, is just a positive value for players to experience.
On top of all of that, the game's beautiful to look at. You'll explore a variety of worlds and meet visually captivating creatures as you progress through the game. Perhaps best of all, the game shows the value of keeping hope alive in the darkest of times -- and how positive an impact that can have on the lives of you and people around you. It's a feel good game that's never cheesy - and it doesn't overstay its welcome, lasting just long enough to leave you satisfied, but wishing it went on just a bit longer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about compassion and the benefits for both the giver and recipient. Why is it important to be compassionate towards people in need? What does someone receiving help provide to those that give assistance?
How do you approach solving problems? Have you been able to use the way you would solve problems in games in real life? What can you learn from trying different solutions to the same problem?
Game Details
- Platforms : Apple Arcade , Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Hello Games
- Release date : August 29, 2020
- Genre : Puzzle
- ESRB rating :
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : January 13, 2022
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