“Blue Fire provides an impeccable platforming experience with the just right balance of abilities to master and challenges to test you” 8/10 – IGN “I’m really enjoying Blue Fire” Kotaku “Blue Fire is a serious candidate to be one of the best indies of the year” 8.4/10 – Meristation Mild Language, Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence. Donic's new Bluefire is a completely new rubber development offering top speed. The hero is appropriately expressive like the best mascot platformer protagonists should be, and the writing is pretty sharp at times. A new high-tech generation of rubbers in the proven Formula FD3-technology has been developed as a result of the perfect combination of the large pored blue sponge with an extremely spinny top surface rubber. Platforming is punchy and precise, giving you the right amount of control to pull off some spectacular jumps, Side challenges test your dexterity with satisfying payoffs, New abilities work well in tandem with the limited set you start with, continually making you feel like you're learning new ways to get around, Required backtracking is frustrating, in large part due to the absence of a map, and greatly disrupts the pacing, The save system is gated behind in-game currency, forcing you to grind for funds just to save and disproportionately punishing you when you die, Successful parries cause more problems than they solve, lending a clunky feel to combat, In-game economy is poorly balanced, which further disrupts the pacing. You save progress at numerous stone statues, which also act as the only points where you can purchase upgrades, equip ability-altering spirits, and more. That currency is shared with upgrade unlocks, and at times it felt like I had to forego buying new attire, Spirits, or upgrades out of fear that I’d find myself exploring a new area only to die and lose my progress a few feet away from a checkpoint I was too poor to activate. You’re only able to utilize one dash and double jump (unless you equip the right Spirits) each time you take to the air, which turns every platforming segment into a series of calculated decisions. Its platforming is great and offers a great challenge, but combat and level design needs work. Blue Fire's combat isn't nearly as finely tuned as its platforming. Blue Fire is a 3D platformer with a heap of combat too. In a sense, Blue Fire is a 3D Hollow Knight that uses Zelda's dungeon-like design in how the developers crafted its world, while using Mario's methods of platforming traversal--albeit nowhere near as polished or fully faceted feature-wise--to make its adventure. ... Persona 5 Strikers Switch review . Initially I wasn’t really digging the fact that I had to pay just to unlock checkpoints where I could save and respawn, using one of a few different types of currencies gathered from tearing apart enemies and scattered debris. While Void challenge rooms are fun to play through and navigate, Blue Fire’s combat and world-level design outside of Void rooms leave a lot to be desired. He could not get over how much the protagonist reminded him of South Park's Kenny. Blue Fire's exceptional platforming isn't enough to distract from frustrating backtracking and lackluster combat. 4.25 Challenging. Blue Fire is a beautiful 3D platformer that feels like a mashup of Hollow Knight and The Legend of Zelda, with its own unique flavor.. From stellar graphics to a charming soundtrack, this gem is a perfect example of an Indie game that can shine just as bright as any AAA. Clean and sharp aesthetic design ; Fast, response platforming; Lots of secrets to hunt out; Cons. Blue Fire's compelling approach to 3D platforming makes parkour a blast in both its challenge rooms and moody world. thesixthaxis.com - Steve C • 42d. Blue Fire provides an impeccable platforming experience with the just right balance of abilities to master and challenges to test you, making its bleak and corrupted world a joy to explore. The inclusion of a small stamina bar for wall-running and jumping is a godsend when learning the limits of your parkour abilities, as most all surfaces are applicable - including weaving around pillars to jump at different angles. Graphics. On the surface 2021 for the Nintendo Switch appears to have kicked things off with a somewhat muted bang. It's difficult to experiment with the reaches of your agility when it's so easy to lose large swathes of progress due to a misstep, a punishment that permeates not only exploration but the otherwise expertly designed platforming side challenges. It's easy to identify many of Blue Fire's potential inspirations. © 2021 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. This forced me to seek out ways to increase my ore-carrying capacity to prevent future backtracking to and from merchants, a detour that didn't add anything meaningful to Blue Fire's gameplay. Peppered throughout the world are numerous optional platforming side challenges, each of which take place in an otherworldly void that allows for more experimental level design. The blue miracle. Stylistically, Blue Fire shows influence from Nintendo with UI and text boxes that feel reminiscent of their work. February 28, 2021. The main focus is on traversal, helping you get around Penumbra and taking on challenge areas called Voids. When you aren’t dodging spike traps or pits full of corrupted ooze, you’ll be strafing and zipping around shadowy creatures looking to tear you to pieces. 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