Embers of Mirrim from Creative Byte Studios is a puzzle platformer where you take control of Mir and Rim, members of opposite races who must come together as Mirrim to save their world from an invasion. Want to learn more? Then check our Embers of Mirrim review!

 

Controls are simple since you move Mirrim with the left analog stick and can jump with the X button and sprint with either the Square or the Circle buttons. As for the embers, you can activate the light ember with the L2 button and then use the left analog stick to love around – the black ember is activated with the R2 button and you move it with the right analog stick. While jumping, you can press down on the analog stick along with the Square button to pounce. And that’s all there is to it.

After a short cutscene showing a meeting of both races, players are left to control Mir so that you can get the hang of things. You’ll go into a short 2,5D platforming section where you’ll run, sprint and jump to higher ledges and over deadly vines with thorns. After completing Rim’s section, you’ll get to control Mir on its way to the spire. Mir is almost the same as Rim, except that it can glide down by holding the X button – it also can’t pounce. For gliding, you’ll need to take into consideration momentum since you can’t instantly change directions while slowly floating down.

Once this short tutorial section is over, you will gain access to the dark ember ability. Holding down the R2 button for the dark ember will make it possible to move around with the right analog stick during a short window of opportunity so that you can, say, go over a steep incline you couldn’t jump over, or maybe to activate a dark switch or two. There are also energy nets that indefinitely extend the time you can stay in ember form – that is as long as you stay inside of the net. Once you regain control of Mir, you’ll absorb the energy needed to unlock the light ember which works in the same way as the dark one, except it is activated with the L2 button and moved around with the left analog stick.

And then, it will be time for Mir and Rim to be united into Mirrim, a new creature that combines the abilities of both, while also giving you access to the light and dark embers. The game will kindly introduce you to the splitting mechanic by which you can control both embers at once, and it will then make you use this new skill for a few minutes as you split Mirrim and make it come back together on a higher platform. There is a limit to how far the embers can move away from each other, so you can’t go out to explore if each half is too far or if there are no nets to increase the length of your ember state.

As you explore the game’s levels, you’ll run into light and dark energy that signals a glyph you can complete. By using the light and dark embers, you’ll collect each energy orb for the corresponding ember to complete the outline of a figure. Think of it as a “connect the dots” type of thing, and you’ll quickly get the hang of it. Soon after this, you’ll reach an armor orb, a valuable item that grants you protection from a single hit. Considering that one hit is all it takes to destroy Mirrim, the armor orb will certainly help you on your quest (but don’t worry too much since the game has a very generous checkpoint system).

At first, when splitting and having to control both embers at once you’ll feel as if the game is asking you to rub your belly and tap your head while you try to solve a math equation, but you’ll definitely get the hang of things by the end of the second level. Sprinting to jump then glide down to a rift that refills your ember energy by a bit to then cross a net so that you can make it to a higher platform will feel like the most natural of actions after some practice. There are other things that will help you on your quest, but I won’t spoil them so that you can experience them on your own.

The game includes a full trophy list with a Platinum trophy and features a balanced list of milestones that need to be reached to unlock it. There are trophies for splitting, using a rift, entering a net, gliding, smashing crystals, completing glyphs, and saving your friends. There’s also some trophies that are unmissable since they’re awarded for story progression and for completing the game, so overall it’s definitely a good list.

I greatly enjoyed my time with the game for my Embers of Mirrim review. It’s a solid platformer with a slight learning curve due to how you need to control both embers at the same time, but once you get the hang of things, it’s a very fun experience. There’s plenty to do, a Platinum trophy and lots of fun for less than $20. What’s not to like?

Disclaimer
This Embers or Mirrim review is based on a PS4 copy provided by Creative Bytes Studios.