At the time of the year where people start to feel the grind of work or school, and eagerly await the peaceful relaxation of winter break, many grow burnt out or even depressed due to a loss of motivation to keep trudging towards a point of respite. 

It is important to take a break before the big hiatus of winter break, and to not overwork yourself with the intention of making these future rests more peaceful. Taking miniscule efforts to preserve our mental well being is an important step in taking care of our minds and our bodies. If time is not taken for self-respite, symptoms of depression might just creep up on you. 

I myself have also felt the impending stress of school as of late, and have been struggling to keep motivated while retaining my own hobbies. To give myself time for a break, I like to indulge in video games. I enjoy trying out all kinds of different online games, and like to try and experience as many as I can. 

While I was procrastinating one afternoon, trying to juggle many different assignments at once, I came across a game that piqued my interest. Browsing the information page, I found that it contained just about everything I tend to look for in video games. This game showed impeccable art and music direction as well as a great storyline, while also retaining key videogame characteristics such as gameplay and functionality. I present to you, dear reader, my hidden gem in a mountain of video games: The Last Campfire.

When I opened the game for the first time, I was immediately met with alluring graphics that expertly convey the feeling of being lost. The music aids this feeling, with its atmospheric direction and execution. After progressing through the game for a little while, I found myself completely immersed in the beautiful setting and storyline, and wanting to play more.

The story follows Ember, a character on a journey to instill hope into those who have lost their way on their trek through life. The player controls this character, solving puzzles of all different kinds throughout all different kinds of places. 

This puzzle based game explores deep themes in a beautiful, fictitious way, such as depression and its many accompanying symptoms. However, throughout the story, the game maintains a very real message: we, as human beings, can preserve hope and purpose, and instill it into others that have lost it. Though this theme is often subtle, it is no doubt the main focus of the game, as the player must go around and help others find their “lost light,” or rather, their hope. 

Playing through this story, I was so immersed in the game that I had completely forgotten that what I was playing was in fact a video game, taking part in a common hobby that is often a source of relaxation and respite through stressful times. That’s when the idea hit me: this game, with its beautiful message and even lovelier gameplay, is pretty much available to everyone. 

The Last Campfire, a game created by Hello Games, available to all on the Apple App Store, Steam, Android, and my personal choice of use, Nintendo Switch. From all of these different platforms, the game’s overall rating never drops below a 9/10, a pretty esteemed rating for a game not so commonly heard of. The game itself is short and easy, and gameplay could be split up into many different afternoons, or even fit into just one evening. 

The game itself is quite intellectually indulgent too! I found myself pleasantly challenged with the frequent slow-paced puzzles, which is not something I can say for many puzzle-based games. Although challenging, they are also still solvable to the average person. None of the game’s functions or gameplay mechanics frustrated me at all, and as I played through the game, I only grew to love it more.

If you are struggling with keeping up with school or work in the days before winter break, and find yourself losing hope, motivation, or purpose in life, The Last Campfire is a beautiful game that will give you that relaxing mini-break to keep yourself in high spirits. This life-changing game will help you find your way in the dark, and walk you back towards your own, burning ember of hope.