The Last Campfire

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 54
  3. Negative: 4 out of 54

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  1. EnigmaXtreme
    Oct 11, 2020
    7
    It’s surprising to know that Hello Games is still live and kicking following the whole No Man’s Sky fiasco, me personally I really had no issue with the game when it first came out but then again I never bought into the hype. While it is true that the game has seen major upgrades and revamps since then, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the initial failure collapse the small studio.It’s surprising to know that Hello Games is still live and kicking following the whole No Man’s Sky fiasco, me personally I really had no issue with the game when it first came out but then again I never bought into the hype. While it is true that the game has seen major upgrades and revamps since then, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the initial failure collapse the small studio. But Hello Games have perceived and just released their latest title, a much more simple and heartfelt story in the Last Campfire.

    I say story as the game is entirely narrated like it was some sort of bedtime story. You play as Ember who can be charitably described as a tiny walking sock puppet finding themselves washed up in an area that has been described as a place between two others, if you are confused by that statement then you haven’t been playing the same amount of games focused on death as I have lately.

    Like, seriously why are soooo many games focusing on death lately.

    The narration used in the game help convey conversations as well as offer some mysterious insight to the world around you, where even a simple blocked path feels like a serious part of the story. The main goal is to essentially save Similiar sock puppets like yourself who have become “forlorned” in this mysterious place, these are done by entering little puzzles to receive the flame almost like mini versions of Breath of the World’s shrines.

    The puzzles themselves are fairly simple and otherwise harmless which is really what I can say to this game in general, there is no combat whatsoever with the closest thing to death being a hungry pig devouring a giant Venus fly trap plant. The main problem is that the game ends up feeling incredibly respective after a few hours, you arrive at a camp area where you meet a spirit informing me of my fellow travelling sock puppets who are now forlorned, you travel the area, finding the aforementioned sock puppets, finish puzzles that usually amount to “push it-pull it” puzzles and travel to the next area to do it again.

    Ok, it might be a bit unfair to label the game as repetitive. Each area does have its own unique style with some interesting characters to meet along the way and a few curve balls, but most of the time if you are not helping forlorns you are taken Item A to Person B or using your new powers that help you move bigger objects like blocks. However there also seem to be serious performance issues as I found the game would freeze for a second of two while loading up new areas, or just wandering around the world. There were also a few times I found myself getting stuck in areas with no ability to move, forcing me to close out of the game

    The Last Campfire is a simple yet heartfelt story that really anyone can pick up and play, by biggest gripe with it all is that it is far too short and would have really liked to have spent more time in the world with the game barely clocking in at 8 hours. The game is presented in an almost cartoony art style similar to games like Fe and the cel-shaded Legend of Zelda titles, with collectibles scattered around to find. It really is excellent seeing Hello Games learning some lessons from the debacle No Man’s Sky turned out to be, instead of hyping and promising the moon (18 quintillion moons if we are being honest) we instead get a quiet storytime while gazing at the stars.    … Expand
  2. Kristusss
    Aug 31, 2020
    6
    I’m in love with the design, story and mechanics but the visual glitches can’t be denied. Constant frame drops and a lack of polish ruins the experience for an otherwise gorgeous game. If this was supposed to be the redemption of Hello games the bar is set very low. Too bad.
  3. jordanbuck
    Sep 17, 2020
    5
    If you're trying to decide whether this game is worth $14.99: it is. I joined Metacritic just to write this review. This game kept me up last night, it was so fun I didn't want to put it down. The puzzles are creative and the simple game mechanics become more complex as the game moves along. It's a relaxing game, everything about it is designed to make the player feel at ease. It'sIf you're trying to decide whether this game is worth $14.99: it is. I joined Metacritic just to write this review. This game kept me up last night, it was so fun I didn't want to put it down. The puzzles are creative and the simple game mechanics become more complex as the game moves along. It's a relaxing game, everything about it is designed to make the player feel at ease. It's refreshing. I will definitely be playing the game again sometime… Expand
  4. lebk2440
    Feb 9, 2022
    7
    An absolutely beautiful and cute game. This 3D puzzle game had me scratch my head more than once trying to figure out its many puzzles. I was pleasantly surprised with the difficulty. I usually find puzzle games to be somewhat on the easy side with only 1 or 2 more difficult ones. But in The Last Campfire, there was quite a handful of puzzles that I was like: « how the hell am I supposedAn absolutely beautiful and cute game. This 3D puzzle game had me scratch my head more than once trying to figure out its many puzzles. I was pleasantly surprised with the difficulty. I usually find puzzle games to be somewhat on the easy side with only 1 or 2 more difficult ones. But in The Last Campfire, there was quite a handful of puzzles that I was like: « how the hell am I supposed to do that ? » Next thing you know I figured it out and every time it was very satisfying. I thought that most puzzles were above average in their design. It was quite nice to have the narrator talk a bit to indicate that I had made progress in the puzzle, a welcomed hint during those hard ones.

    There were definitely some puzzles that were quite easy but I think it was deliberate to fit in with the context of the story.

    The goal of the game is to reach the last campfire. However you have a journey ahead of you which involves a few different areas. In each area you have a campfire and you must find and help enough Forlorns to progress to the next area. Forlorns are others of your own kind that are frozen in stone due to their lost of hope or personal issues. Each time you reach one, you are presented with a puzzle and upon completion, the Forlorn is saved. To reach every Forlorn in an area you have to navigate this intricate map full of puzzles and a few interesting NPCs.

    I’ve had quite a few issues with the frame rate and loading times. Too often, the game freezes for a few seconds to load. This is quite annoying because it could happen anywhere not just when you change to a different part of the map, it could be right in the middle of a 1 room puzzle. Often, the frame rate randomly dropped significantly. The game was still quite playable though. The game crashed on me once when leaving the last area to reach the end.

    Narration was perfect, that voice fit perfectly with this game. Sound design was extremely good, the stones moving, water, everything was high quality in that department.

    Music was excellent and memorable in some cases.

    5-6 hours to complete.
    7/10    … Expand
  5. Kacek1996
    May 22, 2021
    7
    The Last campfire is the game which we were told we would get (they didn't lie!). It's a comfortable, casual, peaceful and cute puzzle game. It does expect of us to use our braincells, but at the same time it's a game which you can finish in two sessions like I did. The last campfire is really the comfiest game I played in a while, I haven't wanted to finish my session it was that nice.The Last campfire is the game which we were told we would get (they didn't lie!). It's a comfortable, casual, peaceful and cute puzzle game. It does expect of us to use our braincells, but at the same time it's a game which you can finish in two sessions like I did. The last campfire is really the comfiest game I played in a while, I haven't wanted to finish my session it was that nice. Beating it with 100% rather than just finishing didn't make it impossibly hard, so that was nice.. Oh, yes I praised the graphics, but the sound in this little gem is really nice. As I said it's a gem, and that's a thing which brings me back to the indie and puzzle genre.… Expand
  6. Fragproof
    Feb 21, 2021
    7
    The art direction, atmosphere, story, and narration carry this game (I really loved the single narrator for all text - I felt like someone was reading me a story). The puzzles are just fine but not noteworthy. Performance and resolution on the Switch isn't great. I experienced some glitches and one crash.

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best Switch Game of 2020
46
#46 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. IGN
    Jan 29, 2021
    90
    The Last Campfire is a beautifully told tale with a fantastic blend of smart puzzles and eye-catching art direction.
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  2. Games.cz
    Sep 25, 2020
    80
    The Last Campfire is proof of the creators of No Man’s Sky’s ability to conjure up an exciting game of a wholly different genre and scope. This is not a risk, this is a game that leans heavily on those that came before it, but the end result is a comfortable, emotional adventure made to fill one fine afternoon.
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  3. Nintendo Life
    Sep 11, 2020
    80
    The Last Campfire is an unusually freeform puzzle adventure that stuffs its six-hour playtime with conundrums of every kind. While a few puzzle designs deserve more time in the spotlight – or could support whole games by themselves – the game's commitment to new ideas makes for a refreshing change of pace. This is proof that Hello Games don’t have to build a universe from scratch to entertain. More of this, please.
    Read full review
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