Developer and publisher Machineboy AS has managed to make Embracelet into an experience that is equal parts walking simulator, environmental puzzle game, and interactive story. Players will travel all the way to an island in Northern Norway on a quest to understand a magical bracelet that has been gifted to them, but Embracelet is far more than that, and is a beautiful experience all the way through.

It is hard to imagine that Embracelet was made by only one person, because visually, the game is gorgeous. The world and its characters are fully-rendered in 3D with a kind of retro aesthetic that gives Embracelet a lot of personality. Once players make it to the island of Stepp, the coloration and visual effects of the environment are both reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but characters are much more realistic in their movements and actions.

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Embracelet is an interesting mix of a puzzle game and a walking simulator when it comes to actual gameplay. Most of the player's time is spent walking around to explore the world and talk to other inhabitants as they learn new information about each character in the game. Talking to each character that players encounter is not always necessary, but it can fill out more info about the world that they inhabit, which only helps to improve Embracelet's already terrific storyline.

Embracelet Art Installation

Players use their magical bracelet to solve puzzles Embracelet as well. This bracelet allows players to use telekinesis to pick up or push far away objects as long as they can complete a small timing-based minigame. Most of the puzzles in Embracelet are story-centric, like needing to move rocks around to fix a broken bridge or pushing platforms to climb to a new area of the island. There are other puzzles throughout the world that can be solved for fun, like rebuilding a fish drying rack, which is much more interesting than it sounds. These puzzles are never overly difficult, but they do force players to look at the environment around them and evaluate the best path forward. The only real issue here is that puzzles can become predictable as time goes on, and there aren't near enough of them in the latter half of the game.

While the puzzles and gameplay of Embracelet can be interesting, the main draw to the game is its story, which is engrossing. Players will take control of a seventeen-year old kid named Jesper who is struggling with school and depression. Jesper has few friends, no direction in life, and he and his single mother have to take care of his aging grandfather. During a visit to the nursing home one day, Jesper's grandfather gives him the magical bracelet and shows him how it works. He then explains that he found this bracelet on the small island where he grew up before asking Jesper to travel there to determine where it came from.

Embracelet Boat

Once Jesper reaches the island of Stepp, his quest becomes much more difficult as he finds out that the island is in a state of disarray, due to a lack of tourists and an economic collapse. On top of this, an oil company is surveying the island as it wishes to cover the area with oil rigs. Throughout all of these newfound challenges Jesper befriends two cousins, who can also become potential love interests depending on if players decide Jesper is interested in men, women, or neither. As the game progresses the trio of young teenagers become closer and Jesper begins to come out of his shell. It is a great coming of age tale that anyone who remembers their teenage years will be able to relate to on some level.

The gameplay elements of Embracelet may not always be particularly strong or unique, but the world that Jesper inhabits is one that begs for players to keep exploring. Each character has their own quirks and interests, and they each add something important to a game that becomes more relatable as a result. Players can't help but root for Jesper at every turn as he learns how to become more independent and gains confidence, and for its narrative alone, Embracelet is a must play.

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Embracelet releases on Nintendo Switch and PC September 24th, 2020. A Steam code was provided for the purposes of this review.