Blue Fire |OT| A Tiny Inferno

[Dancrane212]

Platform(s): Windows PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One, Stadia
Release Date:

PC, Switch - February 4th, 2021​

Stadia - June 4th, 2021​

Xbox One, - July 9th, 2021​

PlayStation 4 - July 23rd, 2021​

Genre: Action Platformer
Price: $19.99/€19.99 (10% pre-order discount on Switch)
Player(s): 1
Format: Digital (Physical at a later date)
Developer: ROBI Studios
Publisher: Graffiti Games
Size: ~3GB

What is Blue Fire?

Embark on an extraordinary adventure through the perished world of Penumbra to explore unique temples filled with increasingly difficult 3D platforming challenges, diverse enemies, quests, collectibles, and more. Slash daunting adversaries, leap through deadly traps and master the art of movement.

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Character customization/progression?
You will be able to upgrade your sword, find new tunics and equip character-altering amulets to help customize your premade character, Umbra.

How long is the game?
Initial estimates are in the 7-10 hour range, but it will depend on your playstyle, difficulty mode and how much side content you choose to engage with.

Console performance?
The Switch version will target a native resolution in docked and handheld modes (1080p/720p respectively—unknown if there is dynamic res or reconstruction) at 30fps. PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game will target 60fps at an unspecified resolution.

Are there multiple difficulty modes?
There are three: "Newcomer", "Recommended" and an unlockable "Brutal" mode.

How is the game structured?
You are placed into a connected environment (not level based) that you will explore and backtrack in, but there is a linear through line guiding you forward.

Physical release?
Yes, on June 25th for PS4 and Switch:


Ultrawide support?
Yes.

Metacritic
PC | Switch
Opencritic

Noisy Pixel 8/10

At its core, Blue Fire is a title that boasts magnificent exploration and platforming majesty. It demands strict attention and skillful maneuvers from players to get the most out of this experience as possible. While combat can become vexatious alongside the present technical issues, this is still an extraordinary title that any adventure genre aficionado should check out.

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Cultured Vultures 9.5/10

Blue Fire is a fantastic mix of 3D platforming, intense combat, and addictive free-form exploration. A somber story perked up by colorful characters makes this an experience you can't miss.

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IGN 8/10

Blue Fire's compelling approach to 3D platforming makes parkour a blast in both its challenge rooms and moody world.

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Official Site

​

 

[Suswave]

Looking forward to this — hope it's good!

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Definitely looking forward to reviews of this one. I have high hopes, but I'm curious to see whether it'll meet my expectations or not

 

[N1corex]

can't wait to play it.

 

[Platy]

Looks like a mix of Hollow Knight, Hat in Time and Wind Waker

i am 200% in

 

[TheSpaceBetween]

Glad there's an OT for this. Definitely looks like a fun little game. Once I finish what I'm playing I'm gonna pick this up.

 

[Heatster101]

Watched a few videos over the last few weeks, looks good, will wait for reviews\impressions

 

[Falus]

Waiting for reviews

 

[Rakuyo]

Can't say much yet, only played 30 minutes on Switch but framerate and controls are good.

 

[Deleted member 864]

Really looking forward to reviews and impressions, but I'll probably pick this up either way.

Been interested since that first trailer.

 

[Deleted member 10737]

Can't say much yet, only played 30 minutes on Switch but framerate and controls are good.

Click to shrink...

are you reviewing the game? can you share when reviews will be out?

 

[Jonnykong]

8/10 from IGN

Blue Fire Review - IGN

Blue Fire's approach to 3D platforming makes parkour a blast both in its enticing challenge rooms and corrupted world.

www.ign.com

 

[Rakuyo]

are you reviewing the game? can you share when reviews will be out?

Click to shrink...

No, I was only really looking forward to the game and it unlocked in the morning for me :D

 

[Falus]

3 review so far.
now. Is it ps5/serie x enhanced ? Or should I go switch ?

 

[Deleted member 39144]

I've managed to give it about 30 minutes or so and I'm liking what I've played so far. Basically, you wake up in an abandoned floating castle with many locked doors and seemingly inaccessible areas. Movement seems fluid, although I'm struggling a bit with the combat at the minute - there doesn't appear to be a dodge button and I keep forgetting to use my shield.

It seems like a cross between Hollow Knight, Prince of Persia and - bizarrely - Super Mario Sunshine (there's void areas which focus on your platforming skills) so far. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in some more.

 

[Deleted member 39144]

3 review so far.
now. Is it ps5/serie x enhanced ? Or should I go switch ?

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Switch/PC only at the minute. Other platforms are 'later'.

 

[Phil32]

Here is my review I published on my site. I hope it's okay to post! Ended up taking about 11 hours to get to 95% completion, if anyone is interested in an approximate length.

Blue Fire (PC, NSW) Review

SuperPhillip Central is your place for original reviews, thoughtful editorials, top ten and five lists, and more all relating to gaming.

www.superphillipcentral.com

 

[Falus]

bought on switch. Downloading. It's 3.4gb and not around 2 as op says

 

[Starvald]

Any Switch reviews on performance, etc? All reviews I have found seem to be only on PC

 

[Falus]

Played 15m on switch. Runs great (30fps though but seems stable so far) and it looks great. Native or close resolution(crips but aliased )I cant stand low resolution on switch anymore. Handheld
Just angry about the vibration. Far too noisy

 

[Dancrane212]

Initial reviews have been added to the OP.

 

[totofogo]

Just caught the IGN review which put this back on my radar. I hate with reviews say "reviewed on Switch + PC" but don't make a single mention of Switch performance. Thanks for the impressions, Falus

I'm surprised to learn this has such a Zelda-like focus in the beginning! Zelda dungeons + Sunshine challenge levels + Hollow Knight combat and traversal sensibilities sounds good to me. Seems the devs put their focus on the right areas. So glad to see the continued resurgence of indie 3D Platformers between this and Demon Turf.

 

[Dancrane212]

 

[Skittzo]

Bought, I'll post some impressions whenever I get around to playing it.

 

[BlackheartVinyl]

Damnit, I meant to bid on this for my FantasyCritic, I forgot.

 

[JustALurker]

Only played for 30 mins so far on Switch but the performance seems to be solid.

The Void Entrances remind me of Astral Chain's Astral Plane but more visually different/diverse. I'm struggling to judge how far I'll dash/jump as shadow's a little too faint for depth/distance purposes (maybe more practice with the play forming will help).

 

[jett]

This looks really solid for an indie 3D platformer, definitely intrigued.

 

[Blizz]

This looks very interesting and it's at a good price too, wonder what's the main content only length?

 

[JustALurker]

Just as a heads up, the developers are currently doing an AMA on Reddit (Nintendo Switch subreddit) if anyone wants to go and ask some questions.

 

[DoctorDake]

Huh, this is weird. I played the demo and really disliked the control and feel of it. I came in assuming it'd be as smooth as Hollow Knight, but when it came to combat I felt like it wasn't anything like that.

The reviews make me think I was missing something, so I'm willing to give it another shot though.

 

[silver1289s]

The zelda comparisons have made me more hyped. I'm torn between getting this on PC or Switch currently.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Disappointed to hear that there's only two dungeons. Really liked the one in the demo, so I was hoping that would be the structure for the rest of the game. Seems I wasn't alone in that based on the reviews.

Still, not a dealbreaker. Game seems to be solid so I'll definitely be picking it up at some point

 

[totofogo]

This looks very interesting and it's at a good price too, wonder what's the main content only length?

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Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

No plans for 60fps mode on Switch as of yet, so I'm going to grab it this weekend!

 

[Nbz]

Also interested to see how Switch performance holds up. Have seen a bit of footage that looks to be stable 30, but only the opening 30 mins of the game. Any reviews that speak to the whole thing?

 

[SunBroDave]

Gonna need some impressions of this, stat

 

[Nabbit]

Thanks for the awesome OT Dancrane212! The master of indie gems. :)

Here is my review I published on my site. I hope it's okay to post! Ended up taking about 11 hours to get to 95% completion, if anyone is interested in an approximate length.

Blue Fire (PC, NSW) Review

SuperPhillip Central is your place for original reviews, thoughtful editorials, top ten and five lists, and more all relating to gaming.

www.superphillipcentral.com

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Hi Phil, I enjoyed your review a ton as always. I was going to PM you some questions about the game but I thought I should post it here in case others are interested. I should say I was really enjoying Hollow Knight until

Spoiler

the outcome of the Grub sidequest

which was honestly horrifying to me and I stopped playing the game.'

1) Is there any disturbing/dark content in the game or its plot?
2) Is there any violence to animals?
3) Are there any blood-type effects in fighting?
4) Couldn't quite tell from the review, are there puzzles to solve in the dungeon areas (like in Zelda games) or only platforming gauntlets to figure out?
5) What are the sidequests/NPCs like?

Basically just trying to figure out if the game is too dark for me. Thanks for your time!

 

[b3llydrum]

Gonna need some impressions of this, stat

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**TLDR**
It's okay so far. I'm a little over an hour in and it hasn't brought anything new to the table that any Zelda or Hollow Knight game has done better. Feels pretty chill to run around and whack stuff. There are far fewer enemies that I expected, and I don't really have a grasp on parrying yet. Or I do, and there's zero feedback when you pull it off.

**Souls comparisons**
Also, any comparisons to S*uls games is unfounded - the combat is not souls-like. It's fast, non-committal, and not very punishing (so far). And the "retrieve your souls after death" mechanic is lifted straight from Hollow Knight's shades mechanic, which itself was inspired by (but not lifted directly from) Dark Souls.

**Hollow Knight comparisons**
It's 3D Hollow Knight. Minus the metroidvania, plus Super Mario Sunshine levels off the main world.

The first 1.5 hours or so could be broken down as:

85% platforming
5% combat
10% exploration

At the beginning of the game I was running into a handful of locked doors with descriptions of where they lead, which I found interesting. Around the time I earned my shield, I also found an Old Key. I thought, "hey, maybe I can use it on one of the dozen or so locked doors I found! What a great way to give me options at the beginning of the game."

Unfortunately all but one of those doors were actually *blocked*, not locked - only one of them was actually unlockable with the key

 

[Phil32]

Hi Phil, I enjoyed your review a ton as always. I was going to PM you some questions about the game but I thought I should post it here in case others are interested. I should say I was really enjoying Hollow Knight until

Spoiler

the outcome of the Grub sidequest

which was honestly horrifying to me and I stopped playing the game.'

1) Is there any disturbing/dark content in the game or its plot?
2) Is there any violence to animals?
3) Are there any blood-type effects in fighting?
4) Couldn't quite tell from the review, are there puzzles to solve in the dungeon areas (like in Zelda games) or only platforming gauntlets to figure out?
5) What are the sidequests/NPCs like?

Basically just trying to figure out if the game is too dark for me. Thanks for your time!

Click to shrink...

Hi Nabbit. Thanks for the kind words.
I'll do my best to adequately answer each of your questions to the best of my memory and knowledge.

1) There is nothing to the extent of your Hollow Knight example, but one of the side quests has one arguably grisly part.

Spoiler

One requires you to push an NPC off a cliff into the fire below to get his set of stolen keys, and his Spirit arrives as a collectable in the house you "inherit" from doing the deed. One's mileage may vary on how disturbing that is.

2) I don't recall there being any animals to be found in the game, either pet or wildlife, so you should be just fine there, as I know that's a deal-breaker for you.
3) There are blood effects in some of the Voids where there are saws and spikes your character gets caught by/runs into.
4) The puzzles are mostly all platforming-focused--i.e. figuring out how to get from place to place in dungeons. It's more about your spatial awareness and platforming abilities rather than brain teasers. Though there are simple puzzles where you take over statues and move them onto buttons to hold doors open, so that's to not to say you're only going to be using your parkour skills to progress, also occasionally your brain, too.
5) NPCs are similar to Hollow Knight in both tone and whimsicality. Side quests involve feats like finding a bunch of books for a seller, discovering a memento to return to a barkeep, delivering a gift to an NPC so he can give it to his crush (which ends in a nice way), and things of that sort. Thankfully, a lot about finding the correct items to give to NPCs is organic. It'll happen naturally if you do enough exploring, plus a lot of the time I had what item a given NPC desired ahead of time. IIRC, there are next to no moments where an item is only available until you initiate the quest, which is nice.

So, to recap on the tone: there is blood when destroyed by a spike trap or saw (nothing too graphic, but notable enough to mention), and the story doesn't get anywhere near as dark or disturbing as Hollow Knight. I hope this helps, and I also hope I don't lead you astray with any answers of mine!

 

[jett]

There's a meaty demo up on Steam if anyone wants to try it out.

I played until the second void stage in which I quit after being rather frustrated with the game. It unfortunately suffers from "camera babysitting" syndrome, in which you have to micromanage the camera at all times. The game is no help whatsoever with the radically changing platform directions. It wouldn't be as bad if you could set jump to a shoulder button, which you can't. I also found it difficult to gauge the distance of your dash, especially considering it's variable depending on how long you press trigger, and PARTICULARLY when you have to air dash over a series of small, continuous platforms over a chasm. Meaning I also have difficulty in gauging where I was going to land. The combat in the same is also just felt plain annoying, it's slow and unresponsive. In general there's a floatiness to the controls that isn't to my liking. Like when you vault up to platform it might actually vault you over the whole damn platform if you press the jump button for too long. Seems to be this game needs to provide you with more accurate, exacting actions/inputs.

Designing a 3D game like this is pretty dang hard I imagine so I give props to the dev for trying, but I think it needs further refinement. Either that or be more generous with checkpoints during platforming challenges.

 

[sredgrin]

13 dollars if you're a humble monthly sub.

 

[jb1234]

The Steam version has got a couple of reviews complaining about crashes so it might be a good idea to wait for patches.

 

[Phil32]

The Steam version has got a couple of reviews complaining about crashes so it might be a good idea to wait for patches.

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Yeah, I had three crashes during my playthrough. All when warping or traveling between areas.

 

[jett]

Hmm they removed the demo from Steam, maybe it's not indicative of the final game?

 

[silver1289s]

Does anyone know when or how you get to do the charge attack with your sword? I've seen it mentioned in the menus, but can't seem to do it yet. I just arrived at the forest temple, so it's possible I'm jumping the gun.

 

[NabiscoFelt]

Hmm they removed the demo from Steam, maybe it's not indicative of the final game?

Click to shrink...

The demo isn't the same build as the final game from what I can tell from watching videos (haven't bought the game yet), but aside from the combat-related ones (seems a lot smoother in the final product) I don't think your issues with the game would be affected that much. I'm sure button remapping at least will probably come eventually

 

[Phil32]

Does anyone know when or how you get to do the charge attack with your sword? I've seen it mentioned in the menus, but can't seem to do it yet. I just arrived at the forest temple, so it's possible I'm jumping the gun.

Click to shrink...

IIRC, the earliest you can go back and get it is after the forest temple area once you learn a new ability. I've put the location in spoilers, so if you want to find it for yourself after you've completed the temple, you can.

Spoiler: ability location spoilers

The spin attack is in the Arcane Tunnels in the big, open sewage area where you had to platform on pipes to make progress. There's a switch on the ground floor that opens up the door on the same floor, which leads to a corridor requiring more abilities than you currently have at that point to eventually reach the new upgrade.

 

[Platy]

game looks AMAZING on streams but dear god so many crashes in the streams i was watching

i will wait a few months to get it =/

 

[Jonnykong]

I kinda wish I'd waited for more reviews before impulsively pre ordering like I did last week, a pretty silly mistake I made.

I haven't started it yet, but my enthusiasm for it has dimmed somewhat.

It's in the backlog anyway, not sure when I'll get around to trying it.

 

[Skittzo]

game looks AMAZING on streams but dear god so many crashes in the streams i was watching

i will wait a few months to get it =/

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FWIW hasn't crashed once for me on Switch in about 2 hours.

 

[totofogo]

From the AMA:

We've got tons of ideas for patches/DLCs/more content for Blue Fire, and are really hoping we get the chance to work on that. But it really depends on how launch goes and what people ask of the game, so we'll see!

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I was going to wait for a sale, but with this in mind I'm going to buy it today to support them. They're a young team with a whole lot of energy + excitement around this team. I'm willing to take a gamble in hopes they become the next Team Cherry or Yacht Club, providing crazy value for a passionate fanbase.