Bonfire Peaks: Lost Memories Part 1 by Corey Martin
In my review of Bonfire Peaks, I praised the game’s inventive puzzles but felt the experience was let down by fiddly controls and poor performance on Nintendo Switch. With the release of the game’s first DLC pack (the first of a trilogy) comes an opportunity to revisit it.
The question is, does Lost Memories Part 1 change how I feel about the overall experience?
I’ll Take You To Burn
Lost Memories Part 1 maintains the same premise as the base game. As a nameless man burning his possessions, each level is a puzzle revolving around getting a crate to a bonfire. This is done through careful navigation and placement of items to open a path that allows you to press forward.
One immediate standout about this DLC is the game’s new environment. As opposed to the sleepy campfire vibe of the base game, Lost Memories Part 1 takes place during the daytime. This may not sound like a huge difference on paper, but in practice it really lets you appreciate the game’s gorgeous voxel design. I found myself far more absorbed in the game’s world than I did previously, so we’re already off to a good start.
The puzzling in Lost Memories also somehow feels a little more intuitive than in the base game. I’m not sure if I’m used to the controls now or if the levels are more open, but I found myself bumping into frustratingly-placed objects way less frequently. It’s a welcome change of pace and leads to this DLC feeling like quite the improvement. The new mechanics it introduces also feel much more intuitive to learn.
I’ll Take You To Learn
Unfortunately, it seems many of the same performance issues present in the Switch version are intact. The game still slows to a crawl on the overworld, the music still loops very awkwardly, and the controls still don’t feel as responsive as they should. It’s a shame because the game’s simplicity makes these issues all the more noticeable. This may not be the case for other versions of the game, but I have to review what I have.
Overall I would say that Lost Memories feels like an improvement over the base game of Bonfire Peaks. If the upcoming parts 2 and 3 carry on this way then I could see this game becoming quite the package overall. Maybe just spend some extra effort on the Switch version. Please.
Bonfire Peaks: Lost Memories Part 1 is available via the Nintendo Game Store, Sony PlayStation Store, Epic Games Store, and Steam.
Watch the trailer for Bonfire Peaks: Lost Memories Part 1 below:
