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BackfireWall

Backfirewall_ is a great mix of solid storytelling, clever puzzles, and tech puns. While it offers nothing new to the first-person puzzle genre, it’s a well-crafted experience with a unique premise and an interesting cast of characters.
87%Game Brain Score
story, humor
optimization, replayability
92% User Score Based on 297 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation

About

"BackfireWall" is a single-player comedy action game with an interesting plot, featuring a tragicomedy set within a smartphone. As the update assistant, players must decide whether to save the chatty operating system, OS9, from deletion by countering the update. The game offers ingenious gameplay with clever puzzles, cheat-codes to manipulate the environment, and the chance to meet colorful app characters in various areas of the phone. The game promises a hilarious and wholesome story.

BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
BackfireWall screenshot
+11
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92%
Audience ScoreBased on 297 reviews
story70 positive mentions
replayability3 negative mentions

  • Backfirewall_ features a clever and engaging story that combines humor and emotional depth, reminiscent of games like The Stanley Parable and Portal.
  • The game offers a variety of simple yet enjoyable puzzles, with a unique setting inside a smartphone that adds to the overall charm.
  • The characters are well-developed and memorable, with witty dialogue and a strong voice acting performance that enhances the gaming experience.
  • The game suffers from technical issues such as framerate drops and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, including save file problems and unresponsive puzzles.
  • There is a lack of replayability due to the inability to revisit previous levels for missed collectibles, which can frustrate completionists.
  • Some players found the humor to be hit-or-miss, and the puzzles may not provide enough challenge for those seeking a more difficult experience.
  • story
    134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of the game is widely praised for its humor, engaging characters, and clever writing, often described as a charming and entertaining experience that keeps players hooked. Many reviewers highlight the unique setting within a smartphone and the depth of the narrative, which includes interesting plot twists and emotional moments, although some found it occasionally lacking in focus or depth. Overall, the storytelling is considered a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay and providing a memorable adventure.

    • “I was expecting a short and funny puzzle game, but it feels like so much more. The characters and story are amazing, the music works really well, the puzzles are quirky, funny, and unique. The game didn't feel repeatable even for a moment, and the writing makes it all the better.”
    • “The game shines with clever writing, plenty of easter eggs, and a story that really took me by surprise.”
    • “To conclude, this game is like a Pixar movie in the form of a video game, with well-developed characters and a story that will keep you entertained from start to finish, and again all the little details everywhere make it amazing.”
    • “The story is not very well-written; the dialogues are kind of wacky.”
    • “The comedy is predictable and boring, the dramatic moments don't leave any impact, the character dialogue ranges from boring to bland, and the overall story beats are mostly just confusing and made me want to rush through by the end.”
    • “If you don't care about the collectibles, then the game may seem empty and shallow; the story is slow, and there is just not much to do in the environments.”
  • humor
    77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its creativity, charm, and clever writing, drawing comparisons to titles like "The Stanley Parable" and "Portal." Players appreciate the quirky characters, witty dialogue, and a blend of meta-humor with existential themes, making for an engaging and often hilarious experience. While the humor resonates well with many, some note that it may not appeal to everyone, suggesting a subjective enjoyment of its comedic style.

    • “Amazing game, love the humor of this game and the easter eggs.”
    • “The story is so fun, and characters are all hilarious, and overall I enjoyed it immensely.”
    • “It's a cozy puzzle game with good humor.”
  • gameplay
    61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by a mix of humor and creativity, drawing comparisons to titles like "The Stanley Parable" and "Portal," though it often suffers from unintuitive puzzle mechanics and a lack of engaging challenges. While some players appreciate the fun and variety in gameplay, others find it repetitive and simplistic, with limited opportunities for player expression and mastery. Overall, the experience is described as enjoyable but not revolutionary, with a solid narrative and character development that enhance the gameplay.

    • “The gameplay is really funny and the puzzles are really intuitive; it doesn't stress the head too much about thinking, yet they remain fun to do and have a good balance of difficulty.”
    • “Backfirewall_ is a very captivating, funny, and dramatic puzzle-adventure game with some amazing gameplay mechanics.”
    • “I absolutely loved the game; the gameplay and story were so good that I could easily say it is one of the best games I've played in my life.”
    • “Unfortunately, there isn't much else I can recommend about it, as the puzzle mechanics are generally unintuitive, and puzzles aren't particularly fun or satisfying to solve even when you do grasp what you're supposed to be doing, suffering from clunky controls and a general lack of audiovisual feedback on top of uninteresting puzzle design.”
    • “Absolutely no freedom for a player; there is just nothing to do, nowhere for a player to express their mastery in gameplay mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay itself is simple and the puzzles are not too challenging; they are simply a means to an end to get you to progress through this 7-8 hour experience.”
  • graphics
    33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed feedback, with many praising the unique and stylized art direction that effectively conveys its themes, while others criticize performance issues and the game's large file size despite its relatively simple visuals. Overall, the visuals are described as charming and aesthetically pleasing, contributing positively to the game's narrative and experience, though they may not meet AAA standards. Some players noted technical issues like stuttering and lag, which detracted from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The story is nice, the voice overs are great, the visuals are stylized and good looking.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and there's tons of replay potential though I've only played it through once as of writing this, I plan on replaying soon.”
    • “The graphics are polished, the story keeps you hooked, and the voice acting is genuinely great.”
    • “There was one level (the art gallery) with very bad graphics stutter (AMD Ryzen 5900X, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080), but the rest of the game was fine.”
    • “For me, as a Windows 10 user, the game had extreme lag; I had to set some of my graphics to the lowest possible option.”
    • “Once I made it through the intro/tutorial, I found myself in the middle of boring puzzles and unpleasant cheap graphics that I just wanted to stop.”
  • emotional
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by players who express a range of feelings, from laughter to tears, often unexpectedly. Many reviewers note the game's ability to blend humor with heartfelt moments, creating a captivating narrative that leaves a lasting emotional impact. Overall, it is described as a touching and engaging experience that resonates deeply with players, making it a memorable emotional roller coaster.

    • “Toward the end, it actually hit me emotionally — something I didn’t expect from such a wild and satirical concept.”
    • “This is also a heartfelt game that can send you to tears with some serious drama.”
    • “By the end, I was emotionally invested in these stupid little characters and their problems, and I mean that in the most endearing way.”
  • music
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and suitability, with many reviewers highlighting the engaging soundtrack and excellent voice acting that enhance the overall experience. The blend of quirky, emotional, and humorous elements in the music complements the game's unique puzzles and storytelling, making it a standout feature. Overall, players appreciate the well-crafted audio design, which contributes significantly to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “Clever dialogue and puzzles, an emotional story, wonderful graphics and music.”
    • “The soundtrack is superb, with delightful voice acting.”
    • “In my 2nd playthrough, at the very end of the nightclub scene, the podcast and music's dialogue tree bugged out and wouldn't let me collect the last figurine, which also makes you miss the Data Jesus achievement.”
    • “The music, sounds, and voice acting aspects were all expertly done.”
    • “Backfirewall_ has a little soundtrack in techno style that suits it very well.”
  • optimization
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues such as stuttering and a surprisingly large file size of around 35 GB given its simple visuals. While some users reported smooth performance, others expressed disappointment and a desire for improvements, particularly regarding frame rate options and general optimization.

    • “The game had performance issues after the first zones, which did impact enjoyment somewhat but not to the extent the game could not be finished.”
    • “A Unity project which still has some install size issues (currently occupying around 34 GB), the performance was spotless at the very least.”
    • “Although I would love if the devs would fix some optimization/stuttering issues and add the FPS lock option.”
    • “I'm not in danger of running out of space on my SSD, but I'd love to know how or why a game with such simple visuals and minimal texturing requires 35 GB of storage space. Unless the visuals take a drastic turn into realism or it becomes an FMV game later on, the file size must be horribly optimized.”
    • “The game had performance issues after the first zones, which did impact enjoyment somewhat, but not to the extent that the game could not be finished.”
    • “I'll say that between settings there wasn't a huge difference, but the performance of the game felt a little bit of a letdown since I expected better optimization.”
  • replayability
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the multiple endings and the opportunity to explore different character interactions, others find the linear structure and lack of cutscene skipping limit replay value. Completionists may be frustrated by the difficulty in obtaining missed achievements, but for those seeking a brief yet engaging experience, there are enough elements to encourage multiple playthroughs.

    • “Multiple endings are a treat, since they provide some replayability to an otherwise brief experience of around five hours per standard playthrough.”
    • “So the game is truly captivating and as it's not fully linear, there's a good replayability.”
    • “Also, there is no skip option for cutscenes, so replayability is kind of not there and not fun at all.”
    • “The experience is linear and has no real replay value, so it's a one and done affair.”
    • “The alternate endings add even more depth to the experience and replayability.”
  • grinding
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, often requiring extensive scouting for points of interest and repetitive interactions to achieve completion. The lack of a skip button for achievements further contributes to the feeling of monotony, although the puzzles themselves remain engaging.

    • “You will probably skip most of them, because you have to actively scout for every single point of interest, which is quite tedious.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Replaying the game to get all the achievements can be very tedious since there is no skip button and a lot are related to talking to multiple different objects/characters over the course of the game.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game is considered relatively stable, with users reporting minimal bugs and glitches, aside from a rare instance of falling through the map. However, some players noted that the hint system has glitches and that certain areas can be overly dark, which may affect gameplay experience.

    • “It was cute, it was funny, and it was relatively bug-free.”
    • “I fell through the map once, but other than that, no bugs, no glitches, no problems! The puzzles weren't meant to be show-stoppers, and they weren't.”
    • “The hint system could occasionally use more specific direction; currently, it has too many glitches, and some areas are too dark.”
    • “I fell through the map once; other than that, no bugs, no glitches, no problems!”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with players noting that it effectively captivates and engages them from the very beginning.

    • “From the start, it creates an atmosphere that is sure to get you hooked right away!”
    • “Love the atmosphere too.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features impressive character design and standout moments, but many players feel that the character development is lacking, with a desire for a longer narrative that better explores the characters. Additionally, some users expressed frustration over the reliance on specific references, which detracted from their overall experience.

    • “It has fantastic character design and moments where it stands out, but overall I felt denied and pushed away because I didn't know every single reference and had to restart because I couldn't reload a save.”
    • “It's a really good portal/Stanley Parable-based game with really cool puzzles, but I feel it should have been longer and included more character development.”
    • “The character development is lacking; I wanted to connect more with the characters but felt they were underdeveloped.”
    • “While the gameplay is engaging, the characters feel one-dimensional and their growth throughout the story is minimal.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has led some users to expect a polished experience akin to the Stanley Parable, but they feel that the actual gameplay duration of 1 to 1.5 hours may not justify the investment.

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6h Median play time
6h Average play time
5-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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