Ember Traces: the childhood magic I wanted to bring back

The Ember Fox beside a campfire under the northern lights, with a glowing ember trail across the sky — A campfire, the northern lights and a line of living light.

Watch the Ember Traces trailer

When I was growing up in Finland, I used to take a glowing stick from the fire and draw in the night air. The hot ember left a trail of light. A circle, a shape, a drawing that existed for a moment before it disappeared.

Light painting with fire. That is where Ember Traces comes from.

I wanted to bring that feeling into a game: drawing above a campfire, against the northern lights, in a Nordic landscape. Not just following a line on a screen, but watching a living ember move with your finger, leaving traces that dissipate and rise as sparks.

More like a piece of art

I've remade this game several times, using different technologies. The idea stayed with me through those rebuilds. I wanted the light, the sound and the movement to feel right together.

Ember Traces brings together things I love: music, songwriting and storytelling. The original music, the crackling fire and the glowing strokes are all part of the experience. To me, it feels more like a piece of art that you can play with.

There is a game in that world, too. Follow glowing paths, remember them and draw them again. In the first Journey chapter, twelve drawings come together as the Ember Fox. Look up to the star trails and connect the Big Dipper to reveal the Great Bear.

Glowing drawings come together as the Ember Fox above the campfire — Little traces become something bigger. Twelve drawings reveal the Ember Fox.

Stories to share by the fire

Campfire Tales are interactive stories with full narration. You can watch and listen, or read aloud with your child. The glowing traces become part of the story rather than something separate from it.

I love that this can be a quiet moment together: a story, a little drawing and the sound of the fire.

What if learning a letter felt like magic?

What if you could show your child how a letter is drawn with pure magic? Not just point to it on a page, but let them practise drawing it with fire.

Little Embers is a separate space where children can practise tracing letters, numbers and shapes, and collect stickers along the way. The app shows how to draw each letter, so when a shape is unfamiliar or a letter is forgotten, there is a gentle example to follow.

There are no scores or timers in Little Embers. It is a place to try, repeat and enjoy making something glow.

Try a little of the magic

Ember Traces is available on iPhone, iPad and Android. It is free to download and explore a selection of the activities. The optional one-time Full Game unlock is $7.99 on the US App Store; check your store for local pricing. No ads, no subscriptions and no account needed.

This has been a real passion project. If that childhood feeling of drawing with light means something to you too, I hope you'll find a little of it here.

Explore Ember Traces, or download it below.