Wildfire is a stealth platformer where everything burns. Mastering the elements is the key, as the player learns to manipulate fire, ice, earth and vines. Be creative in how you approach each encounter, with more than just the usual backstabbing available. This title looks to be a true test of wit and planning, for if you’re not careful, your own fires will set your ideas ablaze.
Release Date: 26/05/2020
Platform(s): PC
Price: $14.99
Developer: Sneaky Bastards
Publisher: Humble Games
Stealth titles usually rely on the enemies being predictable, letting the player memorise a patrol path, and sneak themselves past gaps in defences. When you add something utterly unpredictable, like fire, that all goes out the window. It’s going to be incredibly interesting to see how organised chaos and the stealth genre combine. I suspect we’re all going to have to practice learning just how flames behave to beat this upcoming local co-op title.
Sneaky Bastards, originally a Stealth Gaming Collective that’s run Stealth specific gamejams and a website in the past, takes a delve into developing their own title, Wildfire. In development since at 2015, Wildfire was originally funded with a Kickstarter, and it looked promising even back then. Recently however, they secured a publisher, Humble Games, the publishing branch of the wonderful Humble Bundle.
Outsmart the superstitious armies of the Arch Duchess as they hunt you through lush forests, deep caverns, and over frozen mountaintops
Sneaky Bastards – Developer
Led by Aussie writer Dan Hindes, the game has had multiple alphas, and an entire playable beta, for those that originally supported Wildfire in the kickstarter. It’s wonderful to see a title started in this way finally come to fruition, and with the experience Hindes already has from his extensive analysis of the Stealth genre, I’m confident the game will be well designed and enjoyable, in the least.
We enjoy games that tell their stories through their worlds, without interrupting gameplay
Wildfire Kickstarter
The game is designed with the philosophy ‘show don’t tell’, which is great. Inspired by the likes of Thief, Deus Ex and Dark Souls, in the way that players craft their own narratives and lore. One of my favourite things about the Souls series is how the story, its characters, and their agendas, are never thrown into your face. It’s a journey of discovery, speculation, and properly sinking into the atmosphere of the world. This is what the developers of Wildfire are also aiming to achieve, through seeking out your own material on backstory and reasons, not clicking through dialogue and sitting through cutscenes.
In the medieval world Wildfire is set in, magic is said to be non-existent. Your character is one of the lucky few who discovers this ability. Similar to witches from the true medieval times, those with them seem to be hunted down, and put to the stake. As you progress you can improve these magical powers, learning to control more elements than the simple brutality of flame. Doubtless making you more hated by those that seek to end you.
The fire mechanics were directly inspired by Far Cry 2’s fire propagation system
Dan Hindes – Head of Sneaky Bastards
Remember the levels of Far Cry 2 where you burnt the fields with that juicy flamethrower? That’s where this all comes from. Sneaky Bastards asked the difficult question of ‘How could we make an entire game out of a fire propagation system?’ When you know and love stealth games the most, I’m sure the next logical step was ‘and combine it with what we love,’ and the result is Wildfire.
Local co-op is an enticing aspect for me, I’m certainly of the opinion more titles need to have this enabled, it’s one of the funnest ways to play a game for many people! The only issue is a lack of online co-op, which in the times we’re currently in may be a problem. But, I’d much prefer the developer create the perfect offline experience instead of a substandard multiplayer one. I’m glad they made the decision to focus on delivering a great experience instead of simply attempting to appeal to a broader audience.
Master the four elements – Fire, Water, Earth, and Plants…
Wildfire has a rewarding progression system, which looks to allow the player to specialise into the gameplay style they want to tackle. Master the four elements – Fire, Water, Earth, and Plants… or Vines. I’m glad they’ve deviated from the Avatar-esque standard four, and though I would have been interested to see how they implemented air abilities, the same four elements does get a bit samey.
This perfectly emphasises the player choice aspect of Wildfire, not only meaning you have to think and plan how the flames you control will spread, but providing even more methods to approach a given situation. Not only can you choose an element, but depending on what you’ve levelled, you can use those elements in different ways. Key aspects here will be if there’s too much choice, confusing the player, or if one element is much stronger than the others, meaning it’s the only one that ends up being used in most situations.
While the visuals are simple, pixel style, it really works. Everything is in proportion, and working with pixels allows the imagination to run wild when implementing effects, like the smouldering ruin of your elemental powers. It’s one of the better looking pixel-art games I’ve seen, and keenly avoids common issues like unrecognisable charters or differently scaled resolutions. The trailer demonstrates a rustic, medieval fitting soundtrack, jaunty and folk in the best way. I’m looking forward to seeing how the mood and tracks work together, being the key that they are in infusing a stealth game with suspense.
Wildfire looks to be a breath of fresh air to the stealth genre, and a fun little title in it’s own right. If you’re interested, check the game out on Steam, and watch this space for more news. Coming to PC 26/05/2020.
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