KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 Review for Xbox X/S
Developed by Casey Connellan Games / Published by tinkBuild
TL: DR Absurd. Entertaining. Absurdly entertaining. 9/10.
There is something so universal about the panic that sets in when you spot a spider. More so when you lose sight of it. We’ve all thought about burning it all to the ground rather than living with the knowledge that somewhere, it is watching.
KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 takes this premise and expands it into a ridiculous adventure where no level of destruction is too much when confronting these eight-legged cosmic horrors.
Story
The narrative setup is both straightforward and just bananas. You play as an exterminator who has been abducted by aliens and is tasked with exterminating spiders across seven dimensions. The game does not bog you down with overly complicated tutorials or plot! No, it just hands you a handmade flamethrower, a sniper rifle, and a clipboard and sets you free to deal with the cosmic spider infestation.
Gameplay
The game is simple in that it is a first-person sandbox with different sealed-off levels that contain spiders that need to be eliminated.
What Casey Donnellan Games does with these exceedingly simple mechanics is allow players to interact with everything. Either use it as a weapon or to destroy in your hunt for the spiders. The game gives you a radar detector early on to help track them down, but you’ll still need to search thoroughly—opening drawers, flipping furniture, checking behind picture frames, and investigating any suspicious sounds.
There are different species of spiders that will need different types of extermination. Some dart across floors at surprising speeds, others leap directly at your face, and certain types spawn smaller versions of themselves when killed. A few even explode on death, which can catch you off guard if you’re standing too close. It is a good thing you will constantly be given new weapons to deal with all the spidery shenanigans.
And the weapons are what make this game really shine. Combat is OTT. Clipboards, frying pans, flamethrowers, laser guns, and remote-control exploding vehicles. The game hands you over 45 toys, I mean tools, to use. And well, if the game is providing it, then yes, you absolutely should fire a missile at the bookshelf because you heard something move behind it.
I would not describe myself as either a messy or a violent person (more addled-brain than anything, really). Harmless to most), but I took a special kind of joy in the pure destruction I could wreak on every environment. After an early objective told me to break four windows. I realized just how much I could play with in the game and how satisfying it was to knock over wine bottles and throw pictures on the ground. This satisfaction comes from the surprisingly well-developed physics system.
Objects react realistically when I throw them over my shoulder or light them on fire. Explosions send debris flying in all directions. It was just such a satisfying feedback loop. Yes, I could use my radar to find my hidden foes, or I could just open fire and see what I could flush out.
In addition to all the blowing up, each level includes optional objectives. You can complete specific tasks like organizing items, finding collectibles, or solving environmental puzzles. This was catnip to the completionist gremlin that lives inside my head. I must kill everything that moves, but also put all the weights back on the weight rack. Though optional, completing these objectives will help unlock resources faster, which allows for equipment upgrades.
Between missions to other dimensions, players return to the central spaceship, the one that abducted you, where you can spend currency to unlock new areas of the ship and access new dimensions. Simple, yet oh so sweet.
The one area of the game I was not able to check out was co-op. Though given extra keys by the developer so I could “play with friends,” I have no friends and therefore was not able to do this part. I did watch YT videos of co-op play, and it stirred feelings of deep longing in my chest.
Up to four players can tackle campaign mode together. The more people, the more chaos. Someone might accidentally trigger explosives while another player is trying to carefully search a room. Spiders can jump on teammates’ faces, requiring others to shoot them off. The shared checklist of objectives means everyone has something to do at any given moment, which solves a common problem in co-op games where players end up standing around waiting.
In addition to Campaign Mode, the game features a competitive Spider Hunt Mode. Matches support up to eight players split between two teams – humans hunting spiders. Playing as a human involves using your arsenal and sound cues to track down opponents. Playing as a spider transforms you into a tiny, fast target that can hide inside objects, stick to surfaces, and cause general mayhem.
Overall
9/10
KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 understood the assignment.
It knew its identity and stayed true. It didn’t try to be a realistic simulator with a deep narrative. No. The meat and potatoes are spiders and chaos. I had a ton of fun playing it.
The game strikes a balance between allowing complete freedom and providing enough structure to keep you engaged. You’re never truly in danger—there’s no health system or failed states from spiders attacking you. The challenge comes from tracking them down efficiently and deciding how much destruction you’re willing to cause in the process. This creates a relaxed atmosphere where experimentation is always encouraged.
So why 9/10 instead of a perfect 10? Well, that comes down to replayability. While the destruction is fun, and the creativity never lacks, extended solo sessions do start to feel repetitive since the game is essentially the same from beginning to end. As an eternal party of one, the game does not offer the dozens of hours of potential playtime that I look for in a perfect 10. But as a co-op game, each level could be replayed endlessly, and the madcap buffoonery would more than make up for the repetitiveness.
But, if I ever manage to track down some of those friends I’ve heard so much about, I will a million percent suggest we all play KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 together.
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Related: Reviews by Michelle Jones
I'm a completionist gamer who just needs to find that one last object and clear that final dungeon. I love all video games, from open world sandboxes on a console to a mindless match three on my phone. In addition to gaming and writing, I am a graduate student working on a thesis about the ancient Icelandic Sagas. Feel free to ask me anything about Vikings.
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