First impressions may indicate: The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands be a bit simple; both visually and in terms of the early game mechanics. But those impressions would be wrong, because while it’s not a game you play for weeks, it’s one full of depth, interest, intrigue and secrets for the time it lasts.
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands is not a new game; brought together by those of PlayPlayFun, FredBear Games and Xigma Games, it has been making the rounds on PC and mobile for a few years now. Those roots always bleed through too, and while that may be a concern at first, as you hope and pray things translate well, rest assured it has enough in it to be a success, wherever it will land. And that has not only to do with the ideas behind it, but also with the well-thought-out control scheme with which you can quickly get into a flow.
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands is a simple game to explain. You play the role of a drifter, who sails in in the dead of night, landing in a new world devoid of civilization – at least that’s what you think. With only a small cabin for shelter, you wake up the next morning with one thing on your mind: survive.
From there, The Bonfire takes place, where the actions you take dictate how things evolve. You start by collecting wood from the nearby forest, bring it to your shelter and use it for crafting. Slowly and surely your reserves will build up so you can make the titular bonfire. From there, others see the light, stumbling upon your tiny home and offering their services in exchange for food and shelter. At least the majority of them do – you may very well run into those who have more nefarious minds.
Collect, collect, use, survive. That’s The Bonfire in a nutshell, rinsing and repeating actions until you can afford to create new elements. An iron mine, a coal equivalent opening a steel mill, farming opportunities, a tanner, and caring for sheep all open up as the days and nights go on.
It’s up to you to assign specific jobs to those who wander into town, making the most of their relevant skills while doing so – some may be braver than others, while being honest in what you do always goes a long way will go. But you will also have to help yourself, grafting when the time comes. While there are limitations to this – after all, you are the overseer of this great country – even the little you can contribute will go a long way.
As the sun rises and prepares to set, The Bonfire is all about harvesting, putting people to work in the best possible way. But as night falls and those people get their much-needed rest – you must keep them fed, watered and happy at all times – the horrors of the night approach.
Guards are needed to fend off attacks from animals and monstrous creatures; equipping them with the best gear you have on hand is a necessity. If you don’t prepare for these events, you’ll be on your way as The Bonfire returns to the previous morning in hopes that the opportunity for your decision making is more on the cusp; or at least for you to understand what it takes to move forward. Play on that Hardcore perma-death option, of course, and it’s here where The Bonfire will end so you can rock again on day one. That rinse and repeat cycle is definitely real.
It’s the day and night evolution and staying ahead of the game that is the key to success in The Bonfire, but as you start to grow into a well-equipped little village, even more opportunities await. We won’t go into detail about what a bum will face in The Bonfire, nor how best to survive, but make sure Scouts, Warriors, and Alchemists will play an important part in what happens when those who spend their time toil in the mine or in the depths of the forest. Without them, that endgame may never be reached.
Super deep into how it plays mechanically, both in terms of the visuals and controls, The Bonfire is pure simplicity. It all plays out through a series of action tiles, left and right in between, selecting the action you want to perform, equipping gear and assigning tasks to your townspeople before they go about their day-to-day activities. It works really well and while it can get a little more confusing as depth hits, if you want to craft unique items for different settlers before equipping them to specific units, it never takes more than a few seconds to scroll through the options available.
In fact, this is a game that is so easy to play; one of those rare gaming experiences that can be played with one hand, with little input on the controller, while keeping an eye on other things.
We hope the ease of use would entice many to watch The Bonfire grow, but we believe that just as many could be put off by the relatively simple visual tone. We love how it’s all portrayed with the most minimal detail, but it has to be said that while there’s a lot of complexity when you go looking for it, the aesthetic might not appeal to everyone. The same goes for the audio too – we’re hesitant to call it rude, but some of the sound it broadcasts is missing at best.
But The Bonfire isn’t interested in winning prizes and praise for how it looks or sounds – it’s a game entirely focused on creating a country and a world that is – ultimately – defined by your actions. The Bonfire is a game that will ask you ‘what if…?’ as you search for ways to build and survive. If something works, fine, but if it goes wrong, you have to try different tactics and strategic decisions.
In that respect, The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands is a huge success – a game that can pull you in and almost never let go. At least not until you’ve exhausted dozens of days and nights to survive in the most hostile countries.
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands is available at the Xbox store
First impressions may indicate that The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands is a bit basic; both visually and in terms of the early game mechanics. But those impressions would be wrong, because while it’s not a game you play for weeks, it’s one full of depth, interest, intrigue and secrets for the time it lasts. The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands is not a new game; brought together by those of PlayPlayFun, FredBear Games and Xigma Games, it has been making the rounds on PC and mobile for a few years now. Those roots always bleed through…
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands Review
The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands Review
2022-08-16
Neil Watton
Advantages:
- Very intriguing from the start
- Keeps asking the best questions
- a lot of depth
cons:
- The visuals can be a bit scary
- And if they don’t, the audio will
- Not particularly long
Information:
- Thank you for the free copy of the game go to – PlayPlayFun
- Formats – Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
- Version Reviewed – Xbox One on Xbox Series X
- Release Date – Aug 19, 2022
- Introductory price from – £6.49
TXH score
3.5/5
Advantages:
- Very intriguing from the start
- Keeps asking the best questions
- a lot of depth
cons:
- The visuals can be a bit scary
- And if they don’t, the audio will
- Not particularly long
Information:
- Thank you for the free copy of the game go to – PlayPlayFun
- Formats – Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
- Version Reviewed – Xbox One on Xbox Series X
- Release Date – Aug 19, 2022
- Introductory price from – £6.49
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