We didn’t start this fire

With as many games as there are today one would think there would be more about firefighters. The concept is ripe for gaming and ever since Burning Rangers I have always been fascinated at the more arcade style ways to take down flames. Nuclear Blaze stands out in a couple ways. The game was built by a former Motion Twin (Dead Cells) designer and was initially built as part of a 48-hour game jam. That alone is impressive as Nuclear Blaze feels better than some games that take months to create. The concept is simple, and the action is fun, but it isn’t without a few flaws here and there.

The game kicks off as the main character is working to take down a fire that has broken out. As they start to get further into the blaze, they discover an abandoned warehouse that is also on fire, but ripe with even more. The game isn’t overly long, so I won’t go into too much detail about the story. Suffice to say it was a lot more interesting than I thought it was going to be and it kept things interesting as I made my way through.

MSRP: $14.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, Switch, PC
Price I’d Pay: $9.99

The game itself is a side scrolling adventure. My character has a flame-retardant suit as well as a hose that can be used in any direction. It is limited at first but can be powered up over time. There are water supply stations scattered throughout the level and the character can roll through various obstacles. It is a straightforward set of mechanics. I loved the fire mechanic. It can spread across walls and the ceilings for a neat effect.

There isn’t a lot here. The enemies are sparse and early on it is mostly about dodging and putting out fires. There are 12 cats in the game to save, but the main goal is to simply put out the blaze. The story is interesting as the game progresses, but the short run time doesn’t give it enough time to get deep.

One of the biggest issues I had with the game is that everything feels random. There are one-hit kills in the form of backdrafts from doors and sometimes the fire just spreads randomly instead of following a pattern. It feels almost randomly generated at times and that can be frustrating. There is a “kids” mode which is essentially easy mode. Still not sure why they call these modes things like this. Some people just want to play the less difficult mode, they might not be kids.

Nuclear Blaze is a decent romp that is impressive on the idea of how it was created. Firefighting games are few and far between so having a good one is always nice. Finally coming to consoles is good and I recommend giving it a shot if you enjoy the theme. I have always liked the idea and it is always good to get more entries in the genre.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.