Firegirl Archives – Xbox One Mag

It took five years for developers at Dejima Games to make their first project available. And the expectation around Firegirl was palpable, with in particular a prize won at BitSummit 2019, THE Japanese trade fair dedicated to independent video games. Available since the end of last year on PC, this original game has not yet managed to convince, and it is now in Deluxe version that the Sapporo-based studio will try to rectify the situation. With success ?

Firegirl isn’t just the name of the game, it’s also yours. Hardly in service that you are already the adored heroine of a whole people. It must be said that your father is a legend of firefighters, and his tragic disappearance has left a great void in a city plagued by flames. A city where the fires are more numerous than normal, the fault of flaming monsters whose origin remains mysterious and which recalls a little the anime Fire Force. The bestiary of the game is also entirely made up of these little personified flames, with different attacks depending on their nature and ultimately quite diversified overall. Here, the scene is set and the first mission quickly puts us in the bath, with the need to save the plumber who got stuck in the fire station now in flames. First steps that take the form ofa fairly well explained tutorial and which already show almost all the gameplay possibilities offered by the Dejima Games title.

Equipped with your fireproof clothes, your helmet, your ax and your fire hose, you are asked to save a specific number of characters, generally from one to three without counting the animals which are optional, in each of the levels. offered. On this subject, Firegirl opts for randomly generated levels. We regret that the environments are few, with only four settings in total, to which we add the introduction (the fire station therefore) and the conclusion which asks you to face a boss. Before coming face to face with him, the game asks you to respond to your superior’s requests by going to save people stuck in a building, in a forest, or in a hotel, or by stopping a speeding train. We are quickly confronted with a certain repetitiveness, and we finally find ourselves in front of a game very limited in content despite the presence of a scenario that tries to give a little rhythm from time to time. But unfortunately this is not long enough.

On his side, gameplay is enjoyable and picks up fairly quickly. Our heroine is able to break down doors with an axe, cool her enemies with her fire hose and move around by directing the water pressure downwards, much like in Super Mario Sunshine. These movements require a little skill since the game takes into account the inertia of your character when he is in the air. This forces the player to be precise, to avoid taking a nasty heat stroke. Because despite her predisposition to perform her duties, Firegirl is not insensitive to heat. The player has four hearts as a life bar, with the possibility of buying others at the barracks, thanks to the income generated by his fans.

Because every good deed you do brings you closer to hero status by increasing your fan base. A rather special concept and not really interesting to follow. However, it is also your main source of income since each successful mission fills your pockets up to your number of admirers. Money which then allows you to buy hearts, but also new equipment, improvements for your fire hose or nursing care to reduce hospital costs in the event of defeat. Enough to increase the chances of success of your missions, and therefore to earn even more money. A virtuous circle profitable on the financial level, but not very captivating there again. Note that the “stores” open throughout the adventure by saving specific people during the various missions.

To find more reasons for satisfaction, it is especially necessary to turn to the artistic direction of the game. The developers of Dejima Games have imagined a mixture between 2.5D decorations and pixelated 2D characters. A result reminiscent of Octopath Traveler, and which offers a real cachet to the game. The environments are well made, with many details and several independent elements that can come between our water jet and an enemy, forcing the player to change position to reach their target. The atmosphere clearly refers to old arcade games with a scrolling timer, items that take the form of large, well-identifiable items and a hoarse voice that clarifies their nature.

With an interesting and quick to learn gameplay, and a rather nice artistic direction, Firegirl forgets the rest. The lack of rhythm, accentuated by the impression of quickly going around in circles and a scenario settled in a handful of dialogues, ultimately make it a game that lacks interest and on which it is difficult to come back.