Rating
Winter Ember
Winter Ember is an immersive stealth action game that casts you into the role of Arthur Artorias, the faceless man. Step into the shadows and uncover a mysterious plot that saw your family torn from the history books. On the first night of winter, you unsheath your blade and seek vengeance.
Details
- Released
- April 17, 2022
- Developer
- Sky Machine Studios
- Publisher
- Blowfish Studios, Gamirror Games
- Platforms
- PC · PS4 · Xbox One · PS5 · Xbox Series X|S
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Winter Ember Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Unfortunately, the aspects of Winter Ember surrounding its core gameplay loop are so lackluster. The game’s stealth mechanics and tight design have the potential to be a solid new entry in the genre, but the game’s less polished parts ultimately hold it back.
Winter Ember is an isometric stealth action game developed by Sky Machine Studios and published by Blowfish Studios. Playing as the disfigured and troubled protagonist Arthur Astorias, you’ll sneak through dark alleyways and mysterious mansions in a stunning 19th century setting.
When it comes to settings for games and other entertainment, I’m a big fan of the late 19th century. I love that soot-covered, cusp-of-the-modern look. Science and the occult battled it out, and evil lurked in the shadows. Does Winter Ember catch the Victorian vibe or fumble the opportunity?
The Thief franchise is one that doesn’t get enough credit. It was a pioneer in both the stealth and immersive sim genres, and provided some amazing gameplay experiences that few games can rival even to this day. There was an attempt to bring Thief back with it’s 2014 reboot, but it failed on multiple levels. When I noticed Winter Ember I was excited. A new Thief-like game in an isometric view sounded like a sure win.
Despite a decent story and atmosphere, Winter Ember is a flawed experience that suffers from poor combat and even poorer voice acting and writing. Super fans of stealth games may find some joy here, but for most there are better stealth games out there.
Winter Ember begins feeling off and gets worse from there. The opening doesn't give you enough information to get you interested in the story and then the game itself spoils the fun that can be found in the stealth and stealing. It had potential and perhaps if you're a stealth purist then you can look past the poor combat and put up with the others, but it's undoubtedly a missed opportunity.