Embracelet Review | Mesmerizing Storytelling on Nintendo Switch.
A stunning tale set on a northern Nowegian islands is well represented in Embracelet, and there is no doubt that this game has a lot going for it when you see trailers and screens. But is Embracelet, worth checking out, well stay tuned for our review of embracelet, played through on the Nintendo Switch.
Let me know your thoughts about the game in the comments below, and stick around to see the final score at the end! Embracelet is a game of exploration both in mechanics and storyline and follows the journey of Jesper, a 17 year of nowegain from the mainland.
Jesper has a lot of traits that you might find in a protagonist of a story based game, somewhat of a loner and struggling at school, but with a special relationship to his grandfather. Jesper’s grandfather gives him a mysterious bracelet with magical powers, and his dying wish is for Jesper to return it to the island of Slepp, where he had grown up as a youngster.
It’s upon the island of Slepp that the story and immersion of Embracelet takes over. Jesper works through different puzzles, building friendships with the lovely Koraline and Hermod, as well as finding out his grand father’s history upon the island. Slepp itself is beautifully crafted.
An expansive island that feels large in scope, yet doesn’t have too much backtracking or travel time due to clever world design. There can be no doubt that the design and ambience of Slepp is first class, and I’m sure im not the only player who felt strangely at home and relaxed whilst interacting with the people of the island.
You will be climbing mountains, breaking into churches, fighting with drunk sailors and saving whales in this epic adventure that seems to throw interesting events your way. And through this whole experience you’re given the chance to build your friendship with Koraline and Hermod and make choices, in friendship and flirting, that will change the ending that you experience.
The story shows you this juxtaposition of a dying community upon an island with oil companies trying to exploit it, alongside Jesper finding out more of his true identify, and becoming more than just a shell of himself with the added confidence friendships.
Jesper’s main solution to most problems is his bracelet, and by focussing his attention and energy, he is able to move the physical world around him, and fix up the old tv antenna for neighbours. The power doesn’t always turn out the better, poor flowers, and the more you progress into the game, the less the bracelet mechanic becomes all that import, and the more that the story takes over your focus.
I must say that after a while, using the same mechanic over and over again to solve problems did get a bit tiresome, and whilst some of the puzzles are quite fun to complete, others can quickly become tiresome, of which you’re just hoping to get through the find out what happens next.
Visually Embracelet is an interesting game. I had a few issues with the character design at the start of the game but that grew on me once Jesper had made his way to Slepp. As mentioned earlier, the island of Slepp is so wonderfully designed and the interactions between characters quickly made up for the minimalistic approach to character modelling.
I did also really enjoy the way the characters have unique and interesting personalities, and whilst there’s most definitely stereotypes at play, I really did enjoy the variety of characters and pace of the story telling. If I could review this game solely on story telling it would go close to a perfect score.
The classic tale feels to this story alongside beautiful relationship building and different levels of tension is so well done. I have to say, during the middle parts of the game, we are taken on a flashback to past events, and without spoiling too much of the story, the emotional impact of this sequence is spot on.
It really is enough to give you goosebumps. Embracelet gets you so invested in the characters and it does become a game that is hard to put down. There are a few things that I will mention that I didn’t quite enjoy as much. The start doesn’t quite live up to the rest of the story both in intrigue and design.
If you were to play the opening scenes of the game, leading up to the funeral, you might be mistaken for thinking that Embracelet was going to be a dull point and click adventure style game, which is most certainly is not, once you make it to Slepp. On the Nintendo Switch, you control Jesper’s perspective and choices through a circle on the right analogue stick, and this can take a little bit of time to get used to, although does get easier after a while.
I did find the camera angle at times to be a bit of a pain, and especially with transitions within rooms or houses, where it was hard to see the different things that you needed to interact with. If you have picked up on the tone of the review so far, you will know that none of these are game breaking, and sticking through that opening 15 minutes or so will greatly reward you in the end.
Embrace offers a rich storyline with characters that really draw you in. Wonderfully crafted world design is supported by music that just feels so right, and a main character that likeable and shows great self growth. A game that could be described as quite simple, yet with so much depth and an array of choices that can influence how the game turns out for you.
