Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch
    Game on Aus
    • News
      What’s coming to PlayStation Plus in June 2023?

      What’s coming to PlayStation Plus in June 2023?

      June 1, 2023

      IT’S JUNE! — and that means two things: it is officially the rainy season & it’s time for the next…

      ANZPL Split 1 2023 Trophy

      ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals: Champions Crowned

      May 30, 2023

      This is it. The ANZPL Split 1 2023 LAN Finals. Who would win the Lower Final and make it to the Grand Final to face the Skorpions?

      Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away

      Company of Heroes 3 Xbox console give-away

      May 30, 2023

      TODAY’S release of the Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition released on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, FiveStarGames…

      Assassin’s Creed: Mirage details emerge

      Assassin’s Creed: Mirage details emerge

      May 25, 2023

      AT the PlayStation Showcase this morning there was a few moments of excitement for me, one of them being the…

      PlayStation ’23 Showcase report

      PlayStation ’23 Showcase report

      May 25, 2023

      PlayStation went ahead with its PlayStation Showcase earlier this morning and kicked off the old E3-style season presentation of a…

      View All
    • Reviews
      Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

      Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

      September 6, 2023

      The Crucial T700 sets a new standard in performance when it comes to Consumer Grade SSDs, pushing speeds faster than…

      Hyper Karting and Hyper VR street signage

      Hyper Karting & Reality Hyper Amazing!

      June 7, 2023

      I recently visited Hyper Karting, a go-kart and VR centre in Sydney. As well as the go-karts, I was very keen to experience Hyper Reality.

      Company of Heroes 3 (Console Edition) – Tactical Brilliance

      Company of Heroes 3 (Console Edition) – Tactical Brilliance

      June 5, 2023

      Company of Heroes 3 marks the highly anticipated return of the critically acclaimed real-time strategy franchise to consoles. Developed by…

      Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

      Diablo 4 Review – A Dark and Thrilling Return to Glory

      May 31, 2023

      Diablo 4 is the long-awaited continuation of the iconic action role-playing game series developed by Blizzard Entertainment. I had the…

      Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

      Alienware AW510K Low-Profile RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review

      May 25, 2023

      When I reviewed the Alienware AW720M Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse at the start of the year, I came away intrigued…

      View All
    • Podcasts
      Nuts & Bolts Ep 84 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 84: What Is The LCS Doing?

      June 3, 2023

      The World Of Tanks ANZPL LAN Finals have decided the Split 1 champions. Jim takes us through the action! Lots…

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 83 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 83: Let’s Get Down To Business

      May 20, 2023

      There’s lots to cover this week. Join Mercury and Jim as the World Of Thanks ANZPL heads towards their LAN…

      The Weekly Show Ep 279 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 279: Tech Issues: The Show

      May 19, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 82 Hero Card

      Nuts & Bolts Ep 82: We Missed You!

      May 13, 2023

      It’s been a couple of weeks so Jim and Mercury catch up to talk all things Dreamhack Melbourne. Plus Snoop…

      The Weekly Show Ep 278 Hero Card

      The Weekly Show Ep 278: Look Who Just Drops In

      May 12, 2023

      Doomcutie joins Stormie and Jim as they talk through mods, leaks and so much more! Plus our Bloody Good Game Of The Week thanks to Aussie Broadband.

      View All
    • Categories
      • BY PLATFORM
        • Playstation
        • Xbox
        • Nintendo
        • PC
        • Mobile
        • VR
        • Retro
      • BY GENRE
        • Action
        • Action-Adventure
        • Battle Royale
        • Fighting
        • FPS
        • Horror Games
        • RPG
        • Simulation
        • Sports
        • MMORPG
        • MOBA
        • Platformer
        • Strategy
        • Survival
        • Indie
      • GOA ESSENTIALS
        • Esports
        • Conventions
        • Tabletop
        • Hardware
        • Funny
        • Streaming
        • Win
        • Podcast
        • Video
    • More
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
    Game on Aus
    Home » Fire Tonight Review
    Fire Tonight Review
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Fire Tonight Review

    Dylan BlereauBy Dylan BlereauAugust 18, 2021
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    I don’t know about you, but I’m all for games being shorter than most. There’s just something so therapeutic and pleasing when it comes to finishing a game in a sitting or two, whether it be the sense of achievement for seeing the experience through to the end, or the fact that you’re free to attack the next game on your seemingly infinite backlog. When it comes to Fire Tonight, a 90’s inspired narrative puzzler about reuniting lovers in a burning city, it unfortunately cuts itself short too soon, with only 45 minutes to an hour of content. Despite being arguably too short, it is still sweet, with humorous writing, simple yet amusing puzzle gameplay, and a catchy 90’s flavoured soundtrack.

    Fire Tonight Review

    You are quickly whisked away to the year 1990 and meet the star couple of Fire Tonight, Maya and Devin. The two young adults are having a deep and meaningful discussion over landline telephones as I assume couples did when mobile phones were the size of a brick, and the internet wasn’t yet mainstream. The two reminisce over memories whilst Devin combs through his enviable collection of cassettes when all of a sudden, the power goes out. Desperate to continue the conversation, Maya descends from her apartment to the streets below, quickly discovering that a fire has begun spreading throughout the city. After a payphone call to Devin results in nothing but static coming from his line, she sets out to his place, navigating her way through the city covered in flames.

    When it comes to the narrative, this is basically all you can expect to see in Fire Tonight. Given the game can be conquered in less than an hour, it’s probably fair that the story is as thin as it is, and while the premise of uniting the two is fine, the lack of character development hinders the impact that could’ve been had. As you play as Devin and Maya, you do get to know them as people a bit, but in the end, it isn’t enough to make their eventual reuniting an event that you care much to witness. I did enjoy Devin’s humorous dialogue when pointing and clicking parts of his apartment, such as hearing of his love for cereal and how it’s all he wants to eat, to his staunch belief that ketchup is the king of condiments, despite Maya’s insistence to put actual spices in their meals. It all works to provide Devin with at least a bit of character.

    Fire Tonight Review

    Also providing character to Maya and Devin is the fantastic art style of Fire Tonight’s cutscenes, which looks a lot like the art of Celeste (in cutscenes, not gameplay). They’re particularly pretty to look at and are a nice visual reward in the few moments they do appear. The basic 3D aesthetic present in gameplay doesn’t set the world on fire (because it already is), but it is appealing enough to look at in the rough hour you explore it.

    Fire Tonight largely sees you play as Maya, as she attempts to reach Devin’s apartment. In Maya’s levels your aim is to complete puzzles in a small part of the city in order to move on to the next. Levels take place on diorama-like maps that Maya can explore. Rotating the map can reveal hidden areas or items such as keys that are needed to progress. As the city is on fire, some areas of the city are blocked off and are inaccessible. Don’t fret though, as Maya eventually gets ahold of a special power that allows her to play her Walkman and make some of the fire disappear. Using this power chews through batteries however, meaning that in order to maintain the ability, you will need to scour levels for more batteries. Puzzles don’t inspire much creativity, but they are largely pleasant, however there are a few frustrating ones. The final puzzle of the experience is one that had me dumbfounded for a hot minute, more because of its confusing layout than its challenge.

    Fire Tonight Review

    In between Maya’s levels you play as Devin, whose levels are largely point and click segments that serve to pad out the narrative and his character. The gameplay in these moments boils down to clicking on every item in his messy bachelor pad until you move back to the Maya sections. You do get to listen to cassettes and repair a mixtape that Maya lovingly made for Devin, but other than that all you’re really doing is taking in the dialogue as Devin struggles with the idea of waiting at home for Maya. Thankfully the dialogue is good in these moments, and they do serve nicely as a little break between Maya’s puzzle gameplay segments.

    Fire Tonight Review

    Although Fire Tonight surprises with its simplistic yet enjoyable puzzle gameplay, it’s less than an hour runtime ultimately snuffs its flame as it appears about to burn the brightest. The short experience makes it hard to get invested in the characters and in the end stands out glaringly as its biggest flaw. Just as I felt like I was going to learn more about Maya and Devin and my intrigue in their story was at its peak, I was shown the credits. If Maya and Devin’s adventure was a bit longer, it would’ve made their reuniting moment all the sweeter and more rewarding, but that simply doesn’t happen here. Although the gameplay and soundtrack make for an enjoyable hour, the lack of overall content and narrative pay off makes Fire Tonight a hard sell, unless you manage to nab it for a couple of bucks.

    This review utilised a Nintendo Switch key provided by Stride PR. Fire Tonight is available now on Steam and Switch.

    #gameonAUS


    Written by: @GrumpyGoron

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleSong of Horror PlayStation Review
    Next Article Melbourne International Games Week 2021 Announced

    Related Posts

    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!
    GAMING REVIEWS September 6, 2023

    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

    The Crucial T700 sets a new standard in performance when it comes to Consumer Grade SSDs, pushing speeds faster than…

    Hyper Karting and Hyper VR street signage
    GAMING REVIEWS June 7, 2023

    Hyper Karting & Reality Hyper Amazing!

    I recently visited Hyper Karting, a go-kart and VR centre in Sydney. As well as the go-karts, I was very keen to experience Hyper Reality.

    Subscribe

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Ads

    Categories
    • ACTION
    • ACTION-ADVENTURE
    • APPLE
    • BATTLE ROYALE
    • CLOUD GAMING
    • CONVENTIONS
    • DLC
    • ESPORTS
    • Events
    • FEATURE
    • FIGHTING
    • FPS
    • FUNNY
    • GAMING HARDWARE
    • GAMING NEWS
    • GAMING REVIEWS
    • GIFT GUIDE
    • GOA
    • GOA PODCAST
    • HORROR GAMES
    • INDIE GAMING
    • Industry
    • MMORPG
    • MOBA
    • MOBILE
    • NINTENDO
    • Open-World
    • OPINION
    • PC
    • PLATFORMER
    • PLAYSTATION
    • Press Release
    • PREVIEW
    • RACING
    • RETRO
    • RPG
    • SIMULATION
    • SPORTS
    • STRATEGY
    • STREAMING
    • SUBSCRIPTION GAMES SERVICE UPDATES
    • SURVIVAL
    • TABLETOP GAMING
    • TECH
    • VIDEO
    • VR
    • XBOX
    Related Article
    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Crucial T700 – The SSD powerhouse!

    September 6, 2023Zak BearmanBy Zak Bearman

    The Crucial T700 sets a new standard in performance when it comes to Consumer Grade SSDs, pushing speeds faster than many other NVME PCI-E…

    Crucial Memory and DDR5: Unleashing Epic Experiences!
    GAMING HARDWARE

    Crucial Memory and DDR5: Unleashing Epic Experiences!

    July 13, 2023Zak BearmanBy Zak Bearman

    Our friends at Crucial offered us an opportunity to review some of their Pro series memory! Me being the avid gamer and hardware savant…

    Hyper Karting and Hyper VR street signage
    GAMING REVIEWS

    Hyper Karting & Reality Hyper Amazing!

    June 7, 2023Darren 'Str8JaktJim' MacneallBy Darren 'Str8JaktJim' Macneall

    I recently visited Hyper Karting, a go-kart and VR centre in Sydney. As well as the go-karts, I was very keen to experience Hyper Reality.

    Game on Australia Logo

    Game On Aus is an Australian games publication working across written, video and podcast, and supported by an ever-growing community of content creators and fans!

    Copyright GameOnAus 2023. Privacy Policy. Website by Digital Hitmen

    CONTENT
    • News
    • Gaming Reviews
    • Podcast
    • Tech
    • Indie
    ABOUT GOA
    • About Us
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.