Video Games

Blue Fire review

July 8, 2021

238

Blue Fire

If you ever wondered what a game would be like if you combined The Legend of Zelda with Dark Souls, I have the game for you! Blue Fire is an action adventure game with a Zelda inspired look and feel along with Soulsborne-like difficulty.

Blue Fire is developed by ROBI Studios, published by Graffiti Games and is available now for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia. To be successful, you’ll need to master the art of movement, conquer 3D platforming challenges and destroy your adversaries to discover hidden secrets and riches.

Blue Fire Details

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia
Reviewed on: Stadia and Nintendo Switch
Developers: ROBI Studios
Publisher: Graffiti Games
Genre: Action Adventure
Modes: Single player
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

The haunting world of Penumbra

The story in Blue Fire is a particularly interesting one. It takes place in a long forgotten land in the desolated kingdom of Penumbra. As the story goes, there were 6 gods who created the land of Sarana. As part of an agreement, the Gods made a pact to protect the land and keep peace.

However, one of the gods, who was stronger than the others, over time grew a hatred towards the other gods. As a result, this hatred consumed him and created a dark and corrupting energy known as the Black Shadow that destroyed everything in its path.

A war between the gods and the Black Shadow broke out that lasted thousands of years. As a result, the gods combined their powers and created Penumbra, a floating castle hidden from the Black Shadow. The remaining living creatures in the castle were protected by the essence of the gods, a power called Blue Fire.

Blue Fire

Hardcore platforming

In Blue Fire, you play as Umbra, a soulless being with a small but agile body that makes him a stealthy warrior. Empowered by the Black Shadow, Umbra’s abilities and strength expand throughout the game through combat and exploration. He can dash, wall run, wall jump, double jump, down-smash, slash both horizontally and vertically and do a spin attack. Furthermore, as the game progresses, you are able to personalize Umbra through souls, weapons, spirits and other items that you come across.

To be completely honest, Blue Fire is not meant for those looking for a stroll through the park or even a moderate challenge. And, at times, can be quite frustrating. The game is filled with hardcore 3D platforming that will have you leaping through deadly traps and demanding platforming challenges. Along the way you encounter a cast of peculiar characters that will aid you with your journey. There are plenty of collectibles and items to discover throughout the world that you can collect, sell or trade.

Boss fights in Blue Fire are intense and locking on to your enemies while keeping moving is key to be successful. Within Penumbra there are challenges called Voids. These levels are filled with valuable rewards but feature abstract platforming challenges, which gradually get more difficult and require precise movements and an absolute mastery of your skills.

Blue Fire

Clean aesthetic with cel shaded graphics

Blue Fire has a nice clean aesthetic with cel shaded graphics that are reminiscent of Wind Waker. For the most part, as you travel the world of Penumbra it feels like a world that is full of magic and wonder. The characters you encounter and converse with all have unique and at times peculiar personalities that set them apart from each other.

However, there are some issues with the game’s presentation—specifically the camera. Seeing as most of the gameplay requires precise movements in a 3D world, there were often times that the camera obstructed my view. This made things like jumping back and forth between walls to scale them and jumping around objects extremely frustrating. There were countless times that after many attempts I had to put my controller down and come back to the game 30-60 minutes later.

While I didn’t have any performance issues on Stadia while playing, the same can’t be said for the Nintendo Switch version of the game. I frequently encountered slowdown during combat and exploration. The game’s soundtrack helps set the mood and tone of the game perfectly.

Blue Fire is a challenging but rewarding game

Overall, I enjoyed my time with Blue Fire. I love the way the game looks and feels and the amount of character customization from cosmetics to weaponry is fantastic. Penumbra is a haunting world that is filled with lots to see and do. For those looking for a challenge, Blue Fire offers up some challenging 3D platforming that is sure to keep you on your toes.

However, the game’s camera system can be frustrating at times. There are certain situations where it obstructs your view or doesn’t give you the best angle and that can lead to a lot of trial and error. If you are playing on the Nintendo Switch, there are performance issues that include slow down and stuttering.

Blue Fire is a fantastic first title from the team at ROBI Studios. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next from this small but talented team!

+ Great amount of character cosmetic and weapon customization
+ Beautiful cel shaded graphics
+ Fast-paced combat
+ Fun to explore and uncover secrets and collectibles

– Difficulty can be off-putting to some
– Camera sometimes obstructs your view
– No map system
– Performance issues on Nintendo Switch