Strayed Lights

 PlayStation 5
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. PLAY! Zine
    May 4, 2023
    70
    Strayed Lights is a wonderful game similar to an arthouse film in its presentation. It is an interesting addition to the rhythm genre with its color-matching parry system, which makes the game unique. You can complete the whole game without attacking even once!
  2. Push Square
    Apr 25, 2023
    70
    Embers' debut game is beautifully presented, with an interesting but flawed combat system. Lovely music (thanks to Journey composer Austin Wintory) and exciting boss battles make it worth your time.
  3. PlayStation Universe
    Apr 25, 2023
    65
    There's a great deal of cool traits to Strayed Lights, including thoughtful enemy design, strong premise, and charming visuals. However, pacing suffers greatly, and combat forces its way into the forefront with memorization and inconsistent parry windows. It's short and can be sweet, but there's an overarching bitterness that's hard to ignore.
  5. GamingBolt
    Apr 28, 2023
    60
    Strayed Lights is a mediocre product that fails to do anything to keep you interested in what it has to say.
  6. GameSpew
    Apr 26, 2023
    60
    If you’re a fan of games that don’t hold your hand, you might get on well with Strayed Lights. Well, as long as you’re also on board with combat that’s focused around matching enemy colours and parrying attacks. This is a unique title with a striking visual style, but like Marmite, it’s an acquired taste. For all the reasons some will appreciate it, others are only likely to find boredom and frustration.
  7. PlayStation Country
    May 9, 2023
    50
    I might be an outlier on this but Strayed Lights didn't raise the needle for me. As stylish as the visuals can be, the gameplay feels far more ordinary. I did occasionally enjoy the spectacle of boss fights but the rank-and-file enemies offered little in the way of challenge. It's clear where the game's influences lie but I don't think Strayed Lights comes close to those lofty ambitions. Even with the narrative, I don't think the journey holds that much weight. This just hasn't clicked with me.

User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. Jt0429
    May 23, 2023
    6
    Good-
    The combat system based around parries is a unique idea; the atmosphere looks fantastic with good use of colors and post-processing    Good-
    The combat system based around parries is a unique idea; the atmosphere looks fantastic with good use of colors and post-processing effects to depict an ethereal world brimming with mystery.

    Bad-
    Undercooked gameplay mechanics lead to repetition; the narrative is excessively vague and fails to give players any reason to get invested in it; linear levels with no interesting objectives or side paths.    … Full Review »
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