Embracelet Review (Nintendo Switch)

Review code used, with many thanks to Machineboy

Embracelet an adventure, puzzle game is the work of solo developer and composer Mattis Folkestad AkA Machineboy. Set in Northern Norway, Embracelet is a unique coming of age story about love, loss, friendship and family, and a magical bracelet with mysterious powers!

17 Year Old Jesper

You play the role of shy 17-year-old Jesper who is struggling with school work and finding his way in the world. Money is tight for Jesper and his single-parent mother as they also care for Jesper’s grandfather who lives in a nursing home. Granddad asks Jesper to retrieve an old bracelet from the drawers in his room.

Embracelet. LadiesGamers — Talking to Granddad about the bracelet

Upon chatting further with his Grandad, Jesper discovers that the old bracelet isn’t just any old bracelet, it has special powers. Grandad stumbled upon the bracelet when he was a young man on the island of Slepp, where something awful happened that granddad has big regrets about. He asks Jesper to go to the island and discover the mystery behind the bracelet and return it to its rightful owner.

Not Just Any Old Bracelet

So begins a journey for Jesper and the player as they visit the Island of Slepp in Northern Norway. Embracelet is a mixture of a walking simulator, visual novel with puzzles and a hint of point and click. The magical bracelet has telekinesis powers and players use the bracelet to pick up and move objects as they complete a small time-based mini-game.

Simple Puzzles

Most of the puzzles are in the surrounding environment on the island, simplistic puzzles such as moving rocks to make a path or moving platforms to be able to climb up.

There are also a few puzzles the player can solve for fun, like rebuilding a fish drying rack, which I must admit took me slightly longer to solve than it should have. Puzzles are never to difficult to solve, though the player does have to be observant of their surroundings.

The players time on Slepp is spent roaming the island, interacting with the environment and meeting the folk that live there.

The island is in a state of disrepair due to the fishing Industry dying out and a lack of tourists. An oil company that is surveying the Island want to add oil rigs to the sea. Jesper befriends two teenage cousins, Karoline and Hermod, who Jesper can become potential romantically involved with, options depending on the dialogue the player chooses. The branching dialogue between the characters is very well written, it’s intriguing and draws you into their stories.

In the 4 to 6 hours it takes to complete the game, Jesper experiences personal growth. He emerges from his shy troubled teenage shell and turns into a young adult, along with his two friends as they discover the mystery of the bracelet.

Visuals and Controls

The soundtrack creates a perfect atmosphere for the island. The developer has been very clever about the use of music and the silence of the music at times throughout the game. Allowing for the sounds of the island to come through to the player such as the sound of nature, like the seagulls squawking as they fly by.

Embracelet has 3D polygonal visuals and I do find the game pleasing to look at. Though I did have a few instants of Jesper getting stuck on the scenery and had a few frame rate issues, but nothing too annoying.

Embracelet is controlled by the Joy-Cons, you use the left stick to walk and the right stick to use the bracelet’s powers. Once I’d got the hang of the controls they worked quite well and smoothly.

Conclusion

Mattis Folkestad, the developer behind Embracelet, has written a unique adventure story, with a gentle difficulty level. It’s a heartwarming story about setting out on your own and taking your first long journey from home. With themes of love, loss, friendship and family.

Embracelet is a game where its story shines throughout the gameplay and pushes you with Jesper and his friends to discover the island of Slepp.

Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot