All right. We’ve seen dozens of duel-stick shooter games on the App Store in the past few months and you’ve probably played one or two by now. Because most games of this nature seem upsettingly similar, it’s hard to create an original title that players will spend their hard earned cash on.
Against the Fire! breaks away from the mindless shooting of zombies or spacecrafts and has you defending helpless citizens trapped in a building from rather lively masses of fire. This will be accomplished with a Super Mario Sunshine-type backpack hose that is aimed with the right control stick. The main objective is to fend off wads of fire and escort the trapped victims to the designated safe-zone. In the upper left of the screen, your oxygen level is displayed and once it hits zero, you fail. If your HP drains to the bottom of the meter from being attacked by fire, you fail. Luckily, several power-ups such as an increase in the speed of your movement and a boost in power for your hose are scattered throughout each level to aid in extinguishing the inferno.
If you’re unfamiliar with the duel-stick shooter genre, they all work pretty much the same. The virtual joystick on the left controls your movement while the right one controls the aim of your hose and the direction in which you wish to advance. Games like this have probably became so popular due to the ease of this control scheme and the small learning curve.
The music packed into the app is similar to old Sega games. Some might like the style, but players like me will find it lacking. It’s just not heroic enough. If I’m saving the world from brought-to-life balls of fire, I expect fully orchestrated, up-beat and tense music and not some cheap elevator music. Okay, that might have been just a bit harsh, but it could definitely be improved upon.
With a well-developed art style paying close attention to detail and cartoonish animations, this one is worth a try. Fifty increasingly challenging levels will occupy even the most skilled of players for countless hours. So whats the verdict? Well, if you already have a few games of this style, then I’d pass. As for relative newbies or fanboys of the genre, it’s most definitely worth your dollar. Be sure to get it on sale before the next big update!
