The newest game from developer Pixel Crow and publisher Movie Games, Fire Commander is a fairly unique concept: a fire fighting sim styled to play like an RTS. We were able to play an early access demo which is available on Steam, and we found the game to be an exciting experience, though not one without its flaws.
There’s no release date yet for Fire Commander, but it is set to release on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Those console versions are fairly exciting; though we played with a mouse and keyboard, but we can see how it wouldn’t be too difficult to play with a controller. There are not as many menus or tools to click as some RTS games out there, even though there is a lot going on in this game.
The demo comes with three missions and training to teach you some of the things you’ll have to do in each one. It’s a good thing, too, because there are a few things to learn, as simple as they may be. The tasks you’ll need to complete involve firefighting basics with more later on. To complete missions, you’ll need to put out fires and ensure everyone gets to safety. It’s easy at first but can get tricky as more mechanics are unlocked and there becomes more to manage. You’ll need to know what types of firefighters are good at what tasks and some even have special uses. There will be explosives and other dangers that take priority and even some victims will need to come ahead of others as they may be unconscious or in greater peril.
Despite all there is to manage, the game never feels overwhelming. In fact, it’s actually pretty fun to determine what each situation calls for. Do you put out fires that could potentially cause damage or block a door, or do you hurry in and get a civilian out first? Sometimes you’ll even need to send someone in ahead to bust open heavier doors or use a console to activate gate controls to get emergency vehicles closer to the scene. You’ll have control over the vehicles you call onto the scene, too. An ambulance being closer to a burning building makes getting people out faster, but you can also bring in the fire truck to extinguish upper-level fires or ones spreading outside a building. It’s also useful to have firefighting vehicles close to the building to refill firefighter’s water meters.
While not explained in the demo, each firefighter has their own specialty, stats and even HP, Stamina and Water bars, though these are not as diverse as one would hope. Some are purely good at putting out flames while others may be equipped to break down heavier doors or better at saving lives. Pixel Crow plans to add experience, leveling and unlockable skills to expand this even more, which will add some interesting layers to the game’s strategic elements. Other additions planned are a growing fire station and more vehicles, which may or may not be upgradeable, and a full story mode including side missions.
The game is fun and provides a different type of strategy to overcome as your team is more CRPG sized and less of an army. You’ll need to pay attention to everyone’s role and what they’re doing in order to succeed and there are even sub-objectives to complete. However, the current demo has a few bugs that can cause problems and even prevent completing a mission entirely. Firefighters will often walk into the very fires you tell them to put out and stand there taking damage unless directed to move back. They’ll also occasionally stop following commands entirely or act like they can’t path somewhere, even though they can if told to move a few feet instead of all the way to their desired destination. While annoying, these don’t hinder a mission much if you’re keeping track.
The real game-breaking problem occurred for us in the final mission. We encountered a fire that could not be put out because firefighters couldn’t reach it for some reason and because it was indoors, the truck was also unable to get it. This meant the mission couldn’t be completed and had to be either restarted or abandoned entirely. This is a huge problem that will hopefully not appear in the finished game.
However, if these major bugs get fixed, the game will likely be welcomed by RTS and simulator fans alike as Fire Commander is a unique intersection of these two genres. It’s fun to play and with a good story and progression options, it can only be made better. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on if you’re into either of these types of games, or just a firefighter. Still, we’ll remain hopeful that most of these will be worked out before its Tokyo Game Show showcase and definitely before the full releases because it’s just a blast to play.
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