Every now and then an indie title really captures your attention, and in this case, it’s Wildfire. Developed by Sneaky Bastards and presented by Humble Bundle, this 2D stealth, adventure and combat game is rendered in a beautiful pixelated art style and includes lots of interesting mechanics.
The base premise of the game is that you can take control of the elements – such as fire, earth, ice, etc – and you can utilize these abilities to navigate your way through a medieval high-fantasy world of superstitious non-believers and angry villagers. Check out the trailer below, and keep your eyes out for the sweet fire graphics.
In fact, not only are the fire graphics great, the whole world is beautiful. From the foliage to the water, to the interactions your character has with the game world, and the rendering of the various different abilities, Wildfire looks fantastic.
The storyline of the game revolves around your character, who has been branded a witch by the locals (probably with good reason.) Stirring up trouble in the land, the armies of the Arch Duchess are sent after you, and you must lead them on a whirlwind of stealth and elemental action as you save villagers and reclaim lands that are rightfully yours.
Detailed and beautiful, the 2D pixelated art style works wonders in Wildfire
This is a 2D stealth and platforming game, and first reviews from indie-game journalist state that the gameplay relies heavily on figuring out different ways to navigate through the levels. Your actions have consequences in the world, and you can use elemental power to drastically change the face of each level. If you love burning stuff, a medieval aesthetic, and charming character interactions, this is the game for you.
Wildfire also includes a 2-player co-op mode, putting it into the slim bracket of 2D co-op games available out there on the market. You can work together with another witch or wizard to play through the game, pairing up your elemental powers to create more chaos. Overall, the game looks fantastic and is definitely worth a try when the game is released later this year.
Wildfire has been development for some years, and in 2016 it won the Indie Game Showcase award at PAX Australia. After its initial good reception, it went through a successful Kickstarter and Beta period and now has finally received an official release date on Steam. It will be available on May 31st, 2020.
