Nuclear Blaze is a firefighting game developed by Sébastien Benard, known for his work on Dead Cells. The game originated from the Ludum Dare game jam with the theme of ‘Deeper and Deeper’ in April 2021. After the competition, Benard decided to expand on the idea and give it a proper release. The game’s premise involves players taking on the role of a firefighter, tasked with putting out a wildfire that has gotten out of control. While doing so, they come across a secret research black site in the forest that is also on fire. The player then goes inside to investigate before getting trapped within and cut off from communication with their team. The objective of the game is to put out the fires and collect dossiers that can tell the player more about what happened to the numerous dead researchers there.
Gameplay
The game is level-based and features a 2D action structure. Players must kick in doors, use keycards to grant access to new areas, save cats, and put out fires. The player’s trusty hose and water tank are their best friends here, but water is limited, and players can only fill back up at a few spots. Fires that aren’t entirely put out will soon flare back up again and undo all the hard work. If the player touches any fire even once, they instantly die and are sent back to their last checkpoint. To keep things feeling fresh, players occasionally unlock new abilities or come across new level gimmicks that introduce much-needed variety.
Visuals and Sound
The visuals of Nuclear Blaze feature a simple retro art style with tiny lead characters, reminiscent of Atooi’s Xeodrifter. The spritework is generally well done, but unexceptional. The game features a surprisingly diverse color palette, with varying shades of blues, greens, and reds used to create cool contrasts and make levels more visually appealing. The soundtrack from Pentadrangle borrows a bit from Metroid’s playbook, with atmospheric and somewhat menacing tracks that add to the sense of isolation and curiosity. The soundtrack contains a fitting selection of tracks for the tone that Nuclear Blaze is clearly aiming for.
Nuclear Blaze is a great bite-sized take on the action-platforming genre. While the game is short, it explores a few ideas before winding everything down. The game is not story-centered, but it still manages to conjure an atmosphere that borrows heavily from the mythos of the SCP Foundation project. The game is not forgiving, but there is a variety of accessibility options to ensure that everyone can play at their own skill level and still see everything without compromising the core gameplay. Overall, Nuclear Blaze is an enjoyable game that provides players with a unique firefighting experience.
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