A Stranded Spark: A Story of Love and Loss
When tomatecebolla.games on Threads reached out to me to be featured in my Steam Next Fest coverage I was excited but also didn't know what to expect. I could tell it was a cozy and stylistic game but honestly not much about what the overall story would entail or how in depth the demo would go. But now that I've played it I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised!
A Stranded Spark follows the story of Guina, a puppet stranded on an island along with a colorful cast of characters. Guina helps them while uncovering their own past in the process. It's a wholesome and sweet story full of interesting characters and all sorts of different puzzles.
Overall I really found this to be such a cozy and sweet game. It's a cute concept and one thing I love is that there is a lot of variation in the puzzles so if you're bad at one, don't worry, there won't be a ton of the same puzzle! Because I did get frustrated with one and only had to be frustrated once!
So let's talk about how I felt playing A Stranded Spark!
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Music: 4/5 The music of this game is so soothing and nice to listen to. It really sets the tone of the game well and provides a nice atmosphere that keeps with the calm nature of the game. One thing I noticed is that when the characters speak, especially the crying man, it can be a bit unbalanced. He was incredibly loud compared to everything else. But I did like that sound effects are used for character speech. It always helps to add to the atmosphere of the game.
Characters: 4/5 Speaking of characters, I really enjoyed the characters of A Stranded Spark. They each have their own distinct personalities and this is made clear both in how they speak and the sound effects used in their speech. It's a fun concept that adds a little extra flair, especially since there are no character portraits. I think this is a perfect stand in!
My favorite character was absolutely the robot!
Story: 4.5/5 The story is sweet and just a little bit sad. A lot of these characters have experienced loss that they are working to cope with. The crying man thinks his mother won't welcome him home since he isn't the strongest out there while the robot has lost his creator. Guina helps each of these characters deal with their losses and struggles and it makes for such a sweet story.
I genuinely want to see this story unfolds and where it's all leading to. I love the idea of helping each of these characters and also coming to terms with Guina's story as well!
Mechanics: 3.5/5 I liked the mechanics and puzzles of this game a lot. The platforming is rather generous which is nice for someone who is particularly bad at platforming. And when it comes to the puzzles, there's a lot of variation. It's lovely to have variation because if you don't like one puzzle, chances are you only need to do it once.
In my own playthrough I encountered one frustrating puzzle that I was absolutely terrible at. I don't count it against the game since there are plenty of people who do happen to like those rearranging puzzles. One thing that could have helped is perhaps a hint system if you're in a puzzle for too long. It could potentially help with frustration!
This man quickly became the bane of my existence!
Coziness: 5/5 Talk about a lovely and cozy game! A Stranded Spark takes you on a heart warming journey of love, loss, and moving forward. It's cozy and full of fun puzzles and platforming. Honestly, it's a good game to relax with!
If you want to watch my playthrough of the demo it's included in my Cozy Steam Next Fest video! Here's the link for it! The gameplay starts at 18:51 or you can watch all three games included!
Thank you again to tomatecebolla.games for reaching out to me on Threads about covering your game! I absolutely enjoyed it and found it so rewarding to play and get to know each of these characters!
And to anyone reading this, have a fantastic rest of your day!
💛 Memento
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