While the Iron's Hot

While the Iron's Hot drops players into the muddy boots of a journeyman blacksmith on the mystical island of Ellian. As an adventure game centered around mastering metalworking and solving puzzles, While the Iron's Hot skilfully crafts an engrossing experience unlike most other games on the market today.

Introducing Ellian and the Art of Smithing

In the introductory moments of While the Iron's Hot, players arrive on the shores of Ellian, a land once filled with skilled artisans that has fallen into ruin. As the last blacksmith left carrying on the ancient traditions of the island, it becomes your goal to rebuild the abandoned village of Stal and regain the lost glory of Ellian's metalworkers.

To accomplish this monumental goal, you must become a master at every step of the traditional smithing process. This forms the burning-hot core of the gameplay, as you smelt magical ore into shimmering ingots, grind metal parts to perfection, and cleverly combine pieces to assemble beautiful works of art. The striking depth of the smithing systems here are mighty impressive, requiring keen creative observation to discover solutions and advance your craft.

Venturing Deep Across a Charming Island

As you amass smithing knowledge and useful gear forged by your own hand, more areas of the bright, mystical Ellian become explorable. The sprawling island features friendly villages filled with fellow artisans to befriend or outwit, dark underground tunnels filled with precious treasures and vexing puzzles, and verdant mountains ripe for harvesting rare resources. While combat and conflict mostly take a backseat, the charming NPC characters and fantastical environments are more than enough incentive to keep pushing forward.

In some ways, While the Iron's Hot channels the same charming shopkeeper vibes as the popular indie game Moonlighter. Gathering magical resources from the world and crafting powerful wares plays a similar satisfying loop, except here you play as the stalwart blacksmith rather than the merchant selling items. However, where Moonlighter featured rogue-like dungeon combat to acquire otherworldly loot, While the Iron's Hot opts for a more tranquil, puzzle-focused approach better suited for showcasing its novel crafting systems and emphasizing non-violent progression.

Review: 9/10

With its enchanting world, innovative crafting mechanics, and clever puzzles, While the Iron's Hot stands out as one of the more distinct and magical indie adventures in recent years. Though lighter on epic narrative, the soulful satisfaction of mastering ancient smithing techniques and restoring glory to your ruined village drives progression excellently. After over 30 hours unlocking secrets, befriending colorful characters, and forging creative items, I’m happy to give While the Iron’s Hot a glowing score of 9 out of 10.

Pros:

• Satisfying smithing loop at the molten core of the gameplay
• Mystical, charming island ripe for exploration
• Creative crafting-based solutions to vexing puzzles
• Quirky NPC characters

Cons:

• Lighter on epic story elements
• Combat and tension are very limited