Wildfire is a 2D stealth game from a small four-man team, and it’s already shaping up to be one of the more interesting takes on sneaking around that I’ve seen in a while.
There’s something about 2D stealth that makes me enjoy it more than its 3D cousins. The way the perspective plays out makes stealth less of a battle against 3D controls and presents it as more of a straight-up puzzle, and Wildfire plays to this strength by arming you with more than just the ability to sneak around.
You’ve got, well, fire, the ability to summon flames (and steal it off your enemies) and then use them to both burn stuff down and distract/terrify enemies. You can also use water, to douse flames, freeze things and heal yourself, though I guess Watersmith wouldn’t have been as catchy a title.
Then there’s more traditional stealth stuff like sticking to the shadows, stalking around in long grass and keeping track of the noise you’re making (which is reflected via a very helpful blue wave that spreads out from your avatar as you’re jumping).
The team behind it is being led by Dan Hindes, a games writer and head of Sneaky Bastards, a website and magazine that knows more than a thing or two about stealth games.
Wildfire is currently up on Kickstarter. If you want to try before you buy (well, pledge), there’s a playable alpha/demo link on the Kickstarter page. I’ve been playing it this afternoon, and it’s pretty damn good!