The game places you in the role of Ember, a small creature who wakes up in a mysterious forest, and has to figure out how he can get back home. Along the way, he finds the remains of other beings like him, and by solving puzzles he helps their spirits find peace. It’s a game that’s ultimately about the search for meaning and hope when things seem particularly rough — so it couldn’t be more fitting for  the state of the world today.

Hello Games

Even though it was developed by a team of three — Burgess, Chris Symonds, and James Chilcott — The Last Campfire doesn’t feel like a small game. Its environments are colorful and richly detailed, and every screen is distinct in some way. The instrumental score and gentle narration also makes Ember’s journey feels like something out of The Lord of the Rings. In many ways, The Last Campfire couldn’t be more different than No Man’s Sky — it sets you down linear paths, and there’s little room for exploration. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it makes the game feel like an interactive storybook.

Sean Murray, the founder of Hello Games, tells us that the company also approached The Last Campfire’s controls with touchscreens in mind first. “With Joe Danger, we’d come from doing a console game, and we rebuilt it pretty much completely to make it feel at home on the phone,” he said. “This time around… I think we’re at a point where the controls feel really intuitive and at home on a touchscreen.”

The Last Campfire, the new game from No Man’s Sky developer Hello Games, comes out on August 27th. It will be available on Apple Arcade, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows — where it’ll be exclusive to the Epic Games Store. 

Beyond a Nintendo indies showcase, we haven’t seen much of the title following its announcement in 2018. But in a post over on the PlayStation blog, Hello Games co-founder Sean Murray provides a couple of hints on what we can expect. “It’s a game about loss, hope and empathy,” he said. “You play as Ember, a lost soul in a charming but dark world. On your path you find others like you, some of whom have lost their way and turned forlorn.” 

Hello Games describes it as “a brand new adventure … The Last Campfire is the story of a lost ember trapped in a puzzling place, searching for meaning and a way home.” In the trailer, the pillow-shaped protagonist, Ember, has to light a campfire and brave an intriguing land that presents puzzles, peril and giant frogs. In one touching scene, he arrives at some kind of altar and encounters a deceased friend. The trailer is set to Lamb’s haunting As Satellites Go By.

The trailer didn’t show much gameplay, but rather emphasized the artwork and style of the world. As mentioned, it’ll arrive in the summer of 2020 on Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One.

I Am Dead

The excellently named I Am Dead comes courtesy of the creators of Hohokum and Annapurna Interactive, the publisher of beloved indie gems like Florence, Sayonara Wild Hearts and Kentucky Route Zero. Despite its bright and colorful art style, I Am Dead sees you exploring the afterlife. According to Annapurna, the game is “coming soon” to the Nintendo Switch and PC.

Freakapocalypse

Freakapocalypse is the brainchild of Kris Wilson, the creator of online webcomic Cyanide and Happiness. It started life as a Kickstarter project back in 2017. It will launch first on Nintendo Switch this summer. We didn’t see too much gameplay, but it looks like it will be a side-scrolling adventure in the vein of classics like Monkey Island.

The Good Life

The Good Life, the new game from Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die creator Swery, is coming to the Switch later this year. Like his past games, The Good Life delivers on Swery’s trademark weirdness and charm. He has described it as “debt-repayment RPG” set in a rustic British countryside town where everyone turns into cats and dogs at night. Oh, and your primary form of transportation is a sheep.

The Last Campfire

The Last Campfire is the latest game from Hello Games, the studio behind No Man’s Sky. While it was first announced in 2018, we’ve heard relatively little about the project since then. But now we know you’ll be able to play it this summer. Compared to the expansive world No Man’s Sky offered, The Last Campfire looks like it will be a more handcrafted and personal experience.

Exit the Gungeon

Last but not least: if the eShop is working again, you can download Exit the Gungeon today to tide you over while the games above make their way to the console.