Real Heroes: Firefighter, by Golem Entertainment and 612GAMES, is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a simulation game that puts a big’ol hose in your hand and has you battling against the flames of Dragons (seriously). It’s a revamped title that seems to target a niche audience and, while the core concepts and idea is interesting, the game definitely isn’t for everyone.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Real Heroes: Firefighter is a game where you hold the right trigger down for 80% of the time played. You take on a 1st person perspective as you aim your hose at the flames of Hades and banish them back to the underworld. The mechanics are just that simple. For the majority of the time you’ll be using the normal mid to long range Water Gun attack to battle most blazes, but your hose can also switch to a wide-angle sprinkler hose to protect yourself from close range fires. Along with your hose you are also geared up with a trusty axe for smashing in doors, a halligan for prying open doors, a chainsaw (which is a little wonky to use at times) for cutting passageways to your next destination, and the Jaws of Life for prying open any barriers that might stand in your way. Each of these tools have their own indicator to let you know when they need to be used.
Missions are generally weaved together in the form of a story in which the town you work in is plagued by an ongoing heatwave. Most missions are surprisingly thought out with interesting situations where you have to rescue downed civilians and escort them out of harm’s way or find and shut off the gas lines before the entire building goes up. The levels are dynamic with explosions that will knock you off your feet and a very interesting mechanic where the fires you’re fighting organically grow and spread. I thought it was awesome… until I’d miss one tiny flame and forgot about it, only to come back and the whole room is on fire again. Still, it’s a cool feature to watch. Not so much to actually deal with. Especially when the genius civilian AI likes to run headfirst into a barbecue or stand directly in your line of fire. Otherwise, the game is pretty tolerable.
Aesthetics & Sound
While the visuals of Real Heroes: Firefighter have received a nice upgrade in the form of cell shading, it’s easy to tell this game is a remaster of an older 2000’s title. The character models are blocky, the animations are stiff & floaty, and the fire is… well… from 2009. It’s not the worse, and when looking at it from the lens of what technology was around in the early 2000’s, it’s actually a big improvement thanks to the cellshading, but if you’ve played the original game on the Wii or 3DS, don’t expect huge strides in the graphical department.
As for the audio, I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. The audio was probably the best part of the game and, on the Nintendo Switch I could take advantage of the integrated speakers, plug headphones in and, just to be fancy, connect to my television’s audio setup for some pretty okay effects. The voice acting is… still from 2009, but it was good… back then. Not really too much they could do with updating the voice acting, but I will admit that the character commentaries in game made me chuckle from time to time.
Summary
Real Heroes: Firefighter feels and plays like a 2019 indie title, but with that said some of the best games are developed by indie studios. It’s a game that definitely appeals to anyone aspiring to be a firefighter and is a tame 1st person simulator to for parents to sit in front of their children. Aside from the wonky civilian AI, there really isn’t much to complain about this game. Unless, of course, you’re a graphics snob. There really is some fun to be had with this game, which is why I give it a solid 6/10.’
Check Out the Real Heroes: Firefighter Trailer:
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Nintendo Switch Review
As the (self-proclaimed) King of Casuals, I'm always seeking out new titles to play and experience across all platforms. Eventually, I have ambitions to take the many different styles of this medium to create titles that will wow the masses in fresh, innovative ways.
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