5 reviews
Embr
Embr is a frantic fire-fighting (un)Simulator set in a hyper-capitalist, deregulated alt-present where public firefighting funding has run dry, and venture capitalism and e-hailing rule the roost. The Embr Respondr is the last stand in a world ablaze.
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Embr Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Embr is fun when it focuses on fighting fires and rescuing people, but there are too many gimmicks and unnecessary additional ingredients thrown into this pot. There's enjoyment to be had, but it could have been a lot more compelling had it just gone the obvious route.
The core gameplay is fertile ground for some great emergent moments in solo or multiplayer, and the game is chock full of content. Each mission has bonus challenges such as meal delivery or demolition, and there are escape missions, boss battles, difficulty options, loadouts, upgradable items, and cosmetics. Even if you only play strictly single-player, Embr has so much to offer were it not hampered by the visual noise, performance and control issues, and truly frustrating physics. In a lot of ways, playing Embr felt like playing a very promising early access game that would be worth waiting f...
Embr is a good game, on PC. The console port for Xbox, even on a Series X, isn’t up to snuff. I would keep an eye on this though in case it ever gets a performance-enhancing patch, as the core gameplay loop can be seriously fun. It’s a shame that it is launching in this state on Xbox, but if you have even a mediocre PC and a few friends then you’ll have a good time.
So, is it worth getting Embr if you only have a Switch? As someone who has had experience testing games in pre-alpha states, I probably have a stronger tolerance to bugs than a casual player, but for the average player, a lot of these problems would be hard to stomach for long. that said, I could imagine this chaos being subsided to a degree in a friendly multiplayer setting where such issues can add to a hectic environment. And while there’s no other game on the Switch quite like Embr, the game is also on other, better-suited platforms. Overall, it’s probably worth waiting until a sale occurs...
Embr is a ton of fun even alone, but the experience is intensified with friends. First-person firefighting is a clever twist for a party game, and Embr is a perfect mix of comical humor, crazy physics, and realistic fire behavior. Each mode and stage require a combination of strategy to tackle the blaze, and the skill to manage it. At the same time, Embr is easy to pick up and learn.