Wildfire

Wildfire is a stealth-platformer with chaotic elemental abilities. Do these two mix or is it a recipe for disaster? Our review.

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Wildfire is a fantasy platformer game with local multi-player capabilities for up to 2 players. In this stealth game, players use elemental powers to manipulate the environment, outsmart enemies, and rescue captive villagers. With stunning graphics, a splendid soundtrack, and mischievous gameplay, Wildfire offers a unique and immersive experience for fans of the genre.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 200 reviews

gameplay28 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Wildfire offers a unique blend of stealth and elemental magic, allowing for creative problem-solving and chaotic gameplay.
The game features beautiful pixel art and a charming soundtrack, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
Replayability is high due to multiple objectives and the ability to approach levels in various ways, encouraging experimentation.

The controls can feel clunky and unresponsive at times, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Some levels may feel tedious or poorly designed, particularly when escorting NPCs or during the final boss fight.
There are bugs and performance issues, such as lag and inconsistent AI behavior, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.

gameplay
61 mentions
46 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its versatile elemental mechanics, allowing players to adopt various strategies, from focusing on a single element to combining them for chaotic effects. While many reviewers praised the engaging stealth mechanics and unique level designs that keep the experience fresh, some noted issues with clunky controls and frustrating trial-and-error elements that detract from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable mechanics and creative gameplay decisions, though it struggles with consistency in execution and level design.
- “Really fun game with interesting mechanics and nice fluid movement.”
- “Each major area was different enough to keep the gameplay fresh, with new objectives, enemies, and mechanics introduced in most of them.”
- “Emergent stealth gameplay at its finest - doing Gunpoint and Mark of the Ninja proud.”
- “Story and gameplay clash: you gain your fire powers after being set on fire, yet throughout the rest of the game fire will kill you.”
- “The platforming feels too floaty and playing on controller is unreasonably hard given how important aiming and throwing is to the gameplay.”
- “Wildfire has a huge amount of potential, but it's let down by frustrating trial-and-error gameplay, clunky controls, and poor level design.”
story
48 mentions
25 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally regarded as decent but somewhat linear and predictable, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a driving force. While the narrative features interesting elements and motivations, many players feel that it lacks depth and cohesion, with some lore feeling disconnected from the main plot. The mission structure allows for replayability and skill challenges, which can enhance the experience, but the overall storytelling could benefit from more integration with gameplay mechanics.
- “The game has a well-paced and interesting story, with an immersive, evocative score and beautiful artwork.”
- “I wasn't expecting much but the storyline, pixel art, and music are just top notch.”
- “The story and setting itself was interesting, especially with how it related to the elements the player gains access to.”
- “Most of the poems, especially, are just a random short story loosely related to a power you just unlocked, or tell some parable about a random character that has nothing to do with the game's plot.”
- “Although the story could use some work as the VIP joke in the beginning is the last good moment, and after that, you basically just play levels without much context.”
- “The story is a little too linear for my tastes; not enough depth.”
music
21 mentions
67 % positive mentions
19 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
Overall, the music in the game is widely praised for its calming and uplifting qualities, enhancing the overall experience alongside the charming pixel art. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to complement the gameplay, with some noting specific comparisons to other games like Wargroove. However, a few reviews mention that while the music is decent, it doesn't significantly elevate the gameplay experience.
- “Cute art style, story, and music make for a fun and relaxing game where you can go at your own pace and at the difficulty you desire.”
- “I wasn't expecting much but the storyline, pixel art, and music are just top notch.”
- “The music and sound effects are great and really add to the experience.”
- “Beware the combat music in the 4th area though.”
- “The music is decent, but the visual design is messy and hard to follow. I spent around an hour with this game, but I think I've seen enough.”
- “The music is solidly okay.”
graphics
19 mentions
68 % positive mentions
16 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their charming art style, beautiful animations, and impressive visual effects, particularly with elements like fire. Reviewers highlight the combination of stunning visuals and a well-executed aesthetic that enhances the overall experience, making it both immersive and enjoyable. The pixel art is noted for being both informative and uncluttered, contributing to the game's relaxing and engaging atmosphere.
- “The graphics for the elements are really cool, especially fire.”
- “Graphically, the game is beautiful.”
- “The visuals and soundtrack are great, fire effects are beautiful and it is so pleasing to watch everything burn.”
- “The graphics are outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games.”
- “The character models look flat and lifeless, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The environments feel bland and uninspired, making exploration less enjoyable.”
humor
13 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its creativity and fun, often leading to hilarious moments during gameplay, especially in co-op mode. Players appreciate the blend of lighthearted and dark humor, as well as the amusing interactions that arise from the game's unique character dynamics and stealth mechanics. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the experience, making it enjoyable to play alone or with friends.
- “Very fun, funny, and creative!”
- “Getting caught can sometimes be effectively an instant game over, but your failures are often funny, and it's always a quick iteration cycle to try again thanks to great autosaving.”
- “Absolutely loved the sense of humor of the game and all the visual and aesthetic choices made.”
replayability
10 mentions
50 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers good replayability due to its unlockable abilities, enjoyable level design, and multiple objectives, making it appealing for players looking to master the game. While some users note the game feels a bit short, the inclusion of co-op mode and a variety of gameplay elements contribute to its replay value. However, opinions vary, with some players feeling it may not rank high on their personal replayability lists.
- “Has good replay value because of all the abilities you can unlock.”
- “[intelligent, enjoyable level design, a compelling drip-feed of new powers to play with, joyously chaotic at times, multiple objectives add meaningful replay value].”
- “It's not at the top of my list for replayability, personally, but there's a lot of potential for that if it clicks for you.”
- “The running time is quite short; I'm at around 60% and I think I'm 4 hours in, although replayability is definitely a huge factor.”
- “The game feels a little short, but has plenty of replay value.”
grinding
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many noting that while it is optional, it can detract from the overall experience. Despite some positive elements, the lack of engaging content and poor controls contribute to a sense of monotony, leading to a quick decline in enjoyment for most players.
- “Over 90% of the positive reviews have a total playtime under 2 hours, because this game very quickly becomes extremely tedious.”
- “The good ideas weren't interesting or fun enough in the first 3 hours to make me want to press through a tedious, repetitive, and dull experience.”
- “Very pretty game unfortunately ruined with poor controls and tedious puzzles.”
stability
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marked by several minor bugs and glitches, particularly with enemy AI behavior and certain gameplay mechanics, such as ledges and powers. While these issues can be frustrating, they are generally not game-breaking and do not significantly detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Enemy AI is buggy and inconsistent, sometimes getting stuck pacing 2 feet back and forth, forcing you to restart to fix it.”
- “The only thing that held the game back for me was that it's a bit buggy.”
- “Ledges and certain powers, especially ice, have some pretty buggy interactions.”
atmosphere
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, characterized by a satisfying use of elemental upgrades and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the stealth gameplay experience.
- “Really atmospheric, and each upgrade for the element was really satisfying to use.”
- “A fun stealth game with a neat elemental gimmick and a very atmospheric soundtrack.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players recommend installing the game on an SSD rather than an HDD to avoid stuttering issues, indicating that the game's optimization is significantly better on faster storage solutions.
- “If you have an HDD and an SSD, (and presumably your OS is on the SSD) put this game on the SSD to stop stuttering.”
- “The game is poorly optimized, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
- “Even with a high-end PC, I experience significant lag and performance issues that ruin the gameplay.”
emotional
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a sense of exhilaration and empowerment in the emotional aspect of the game, particularly during the new game plus mode, where they feel like unstoppable forces of nature as they unleash devastating attacks on enemies.