What’s up with all these awesome indie games coming out of nowhere? Available for PC and console, Embers of Mirrim may just be one of the best platformers I’ve played this decade and before last week I had never even heard of it. While I hate to describe a game by using other games, I will quickly throw it out there that this is a unique blending of Ori, Brothers, Entwined, and Ikaruga. If you have played any or all of these games, then you’ll have a point of reference as I try to clumsily describe this masterpiece with my inadequate words.
When Embers of Mirrim begins we find ourselves in this giant cavern as packs of dark and light cat-like creatures called Mirrim assemble before a god-like being who looks a lot like Grumpy Cat with deer antlers. After a mystical ceremony complete with visions the creatures split in opposite directions. As you take control of the dark Mirrim you start running to the left – a jarring experience for platformer veterans who are used to always going to the right- and you can revel in the graceful animations and silky framerate as you run, jump, and ground-pound your way through a level full of cliffs and raging white water that is clearly designed to get you comfortable with the controls. Soon, you will take control of the white Mirrim, and this time you are running to the right, enjoying the same mobility as well as an extended jump with a glide mechanic that will prove useful almost immediately.
After these solo levels the Mirrim will fuse together into a single creature, not only enjoying the abilities of both but also able to split apart into Embers, disembodied spheres of green and purple energy that can float for short periods of time before reassembling. This is where the fun and the real game kicks off. You can only stay in ember form for a few seconds, but there are glowing orbs that will reset that timer and also color-coded energy meshes where you can remain in ember form indefinitely. All of these elements as well as a neutral orange mesh where you can only exist in Mirrim form all combine to create an ever-increasing set of environmental and navigational platform puzzles that will put your multi-tasking skills to the ultimate test.
For those who played Brothers and are familiar with controlling two independent “characters” simultaneously with twin analog sticks, you already have a head start on the mental discipline required to play this game. Embers of Mirrim does a fantastic job of easing you into the increasing challenge of the binary puzzle designs. At first you must simply pass through colored wall meshes or traverse large gaps by using sequences of green and purple orbs to keep your ember form active until you reach the opposite side. But all too soon you’ll find yourself going through mazes where you must keep your embers within a certain proximity while simultaneously navigate different maze corridor patterns for each color. If you get too far apart or your ember time runs out, you reassemble at the start of the puzzle and try again.
The level of creativity is borderline genius. Early on you are running across a giant waterfall and these huge hollow tree trunks start spilling over the falls forcing you to go into ember mode and slip through these color-coded patterns of orbs and meshes; basically standing in place but moving side to side as the tree falls around you. And it only gets more brilliant from there. There are even secret areas with constellation-like patterns that must be revealed by moving your sticks in equal and opposite patterns. Given the nature of the game design and the near constant demand of dual controls, a gamepad is required.
The game keeps gradually adding in more demanding use of your binary skills, forcing you to sprint, jump, then quickly shift to ember form, pass through an energy field then glide to a leaf then quickly leap from it before it curls up only to pass through colored orbs in ember form and quickly return to Mirrim form before you touch the orange mesh protecting the final ledge. Fail any portion of that and you do it all again. There is a potential for frustration, but the game seems to ramp the difficulty with your natural adaptation of the necessary skills to complete any given puzzle with one, two, or three attempts.
The brilliant game design is made even better thanks to some gorgeous visuals that keep getting better and more original with each new level. The camera moves in close one second then pulls out to where your Mirrim is a mere speck the next, providing an epic sense of scale. Textures are richly detailed, and the colors are exquisite, and the framerate never faltered, even at 4K resolution on my 1080ti card. Complementing the visuals is an outstanding score that provides an energetic and adventurous theme throughout the entire game and some nice environmental sound effects.
Embers of Mirrim is easily one of the most inspired platformers I’ve played on PC or console since Brothers back in 2013. While that was primarily an adventure game it is refreshing to see just how well this twin-stick mechanic can be integrated into an energetic platformer complete with mind-bending puzzles, thrilling boss fights, and white-knuckle escape sequences. If you are ready to split your brain and try to control two characters at once, then you definitely don’t want to miss Embers of Mirrim. It’s a platformer like no other.
