{"id":121534,"date":"2020-12-03T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/switch-eshop\/wildfire"},"modified":"2020-12-03T20:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T20:00:00","slug":"review-wildfire-a-thoroughly-enjoyable-slow-burn-of-a-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2020\/12\/03\/review-wildfire-a-thoroughly-enjoyable-slow-burn-of-a-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Wildfire &#8211; A Thoroughly Enjoyable Slow-Burn Of A Game"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/23595dacc53a1\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/23595dacc53a1\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 1 of 5\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110917\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110917\/900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" alt=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 1 of 5\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Sidestepping any potential controversy about whether or not they exist or if their persecution is merely an expression of historical misogyny, I think it\u2019s a universal truth that if you\u2019ve got a Witch, you need to be able to burn it. It\u2019s an alarming development, then, that <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/switch-eshop\/wildfire\">Wildfire<\/a><\/strong> begins with the failed immolation of such. Jokes aside, it\u2019s an effective and surprisingly stark <em>in media res<\/em> prologue; a compelling sequence you\u2019ll see in context later. Look, if it\u2019s a good enough narrative device for <strong>The Outer Limits<\/strong>, it\u2019s good enough for any video game.<\/p>\n<p>Stealth games are a bit of a sticky wicket. Finding the middle ground between an experience organic enough to be immersive, but \u201cgamey\u201d enough to be <em>fair<\/em> is a bit of a balancing act. Traditionally, 2D takes on the genre have fared well in terms of raw gameplay but sacrifice edge-of-your-seat tension in favour of transparent, accessible mechanics. Wildfire is no exception. It\u2019s a carefully designed, surprisingly adaptable take on side-scrolling stealth with a killer element manipulation twist \u2013 but not even once is it heart-in-mouth <em>scary<\/em> the way that the stealth genre can be at its most absorbing. It\u2019s up to you if you want something that leans more unpredictable, or a game like Wildfire that feels much closer to the likes of <strong>Abe\u2019s Oddysee<\/strong> (more so than its own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/oddworld_new_n_tasty\">remake<\/a> did, but we digress) in presenting you with all the tools you need to succeed, avoiding any gotchas or obfuscating mechanics.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 2 of 5\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110921\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110921\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 2 of 5\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Movement is precise and highly regimented. It doesn\u2019t feel natural per se, but it\u2019s not supposed to. The granular nature of your character\u2019s motion feels grid-based, which means the same thing will always happen if you push a direction, or hold ZL to run in said direction. The distance you can jump is set by stationary or running leaps, and if you screw up, you only have yourself to blame.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the ideal with games like this \u2013 nothing is more frustrating in the stealth genre than getting spotted with no idea how or where you went wrong. Wildfire avoids this by giving you all the tools you need to succeed from the off, adding more as you make your way through the game. Besides simply making it to the end of each stage you&#8217;ll need to seek out Meteorite Shards for additional passive upgrades, hit switches to open gates that block your progress, and lead villagers to safety by escorting them as well as simply picking up the dozy sods and throwing them around. Many additional variables come into play; hiding in overgrowth, whistling to attract the attention of enemies, pickpocketing, sliding, climbing and \u2013 most prominently \u2013 casually manipulating the elements.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 3 of 5\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110918\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110918\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 3 of 5\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Yes, that title isn&#8217;t just a random word. Your initial attempted roasting seems to grant your Witch the power of man&#8217;s red flower, meaning you can suck in flames from any given source of such, then throw them around to create absolute carnage. Collectable upgrades let you extract ever more use from your pyromania, letting you bounce your fireballs off walls to terrify, trap or simply <em>murder<\/em> your opponents.<\/p>\n<p>Intuitive controls mean you&#8217;ll always know <em>exactly<\/em> where a thrown ball of flame is going to end up, but not necessarily the extent of the destruction you&#8217;ll wreak. It helps that despite being a fairly stiff, regimented game \u2013 and remember, that&#8217;s <em>not<\/em> a criticism, merely <em>descriptive<\/em> \u2013 Wildfire has plenty of scope for, well, winging it. Thinking on your feet. <em>Improvising<\/em>. And sometimes, you&#8217;ll have to, because you&#8217;ll overlook some little detail and the ensuing chain reaction will quite literally send your plans up in flames.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not just fire that you can play around with, mind. You&#8217;ll also gain the ability to manipulate water and earth, like a murderous Captain Planet. Freezing bodies of water and constricting enemies in vines (among many other practicalities) offers a ton of marvellous opportunities to be sneaky and for the level design to get ever more complex. You&#8217;ll want to keep playing just to see what opportunities for Rube Goldberg-style escalating madness you&#8217;ll be able to kick off with a single action.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 4 of 5\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110916\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110916\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 4 of 5\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Progressing through the game and levelling up your abilities can fundamentally change your playstyle in a way that keeps things fresh, also allowing you to return to previously-beaten stages in order to fulfil secondary goals and unlock even more powers. It&#8217;s neat that Wildfire retains its challenge despite constantly giving you more and more skills and approaches to situations, but ultimately it is fairly linear in its structure.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s nothing wrong with linearity, but paired with the extremely methodical and entirely systems-based gameplay, it can occasionally feel more limited in its scope than perhaps is necessary. This kind of stealth game isn&#8217;t for everyone and its artifice is writ very large, but it&#8217;s a richly-designed game that tells a decent story, not a richly-designed story fitted around a decent game. Despite its thoroughly <em>organised<\/em> progression, Wildfire does throw in some nice curveballs to instil a sense of genuine anticipation to the proceedings. You can play the whole thing in local co-op, too, which is always a joy.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 5 of 5\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110920\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 900 506'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/110920\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Wildfire Review - Screenshot 5 of 5\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The aesthetics let the game down a little, being as they&#8217;re so unremarkable, but they get the job done and never obfuscate the challenges, level layouts or goals. Frankly, the music went in one ear and out the other but we suppose that just means it never got in the way of our enjoyment. It certainly looks nice enough throughout, but it seems to be lacking a certain something. Its visuals are reminiscent of a lot of other indie games of recent years and while they&#8217;re far from bad, they didn&#8217;t really stand out to us. The only major issue here is slowdown \u2013 when there&#8217;s a lot going on, like guards panicking to and fro as an unquenchable fire rages \u2013 the game <em>really<\/em> chugs. It&#8217;s a little odd, given that the graphics here don&#8217;t exactly seem to be taxing the Switch, but will most likely be patched.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Taken at its intended pace, Wildfire is a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting game with a multitude of interlocking systems that caters to players who don&#8217;t mind thinking on their feet if their best-laid plans go scorchingly awry. The slow pace and frustration of failure won&#8217;t appeal to all (though checkpoints are generously placed) but for gamers who don&#8217;t mind a bit of a slow burn (<em>tee hee<\/em>), Wildfire is an expansive and inexpensive title that&#8217;s a healthy mix of tropes and ideas familiar enough to feel cosy, and unpredictable elemental action that rewards creative thinking. And the further through the game you play, the more interesting it becomes. An impressive debut.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld\/Undocked) Sidestepping any potential controversy about whether or not they exist or if their persecution is merely an expression of historical misogyny, I think it\u2019s a universal truth that if you\u2019ve got a Witch, you need to be able to burn it. It\u2019s an alarming development, then, that Wildfire begins with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121534\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}