Firewing 64

There was a time when platformers represented the great majority of the video game market, especially during the golden console era, such as Sega Genesis or Nintendo 64. While the genre is still alive and well even today, it’s quite clearly not as strong as it once was. On the other hand, indie developers continue to push new games out there, some of which are excellent.

Firewing 64 is a 3D platformer in which you play the role of a dragon trying to rebuild a crystal, which is harder than it sounds. The game is designed to come as close to the old Nintendo 64 classics as possible, which means that it borrows the same gameplay mechanics, level design ideas and visual appearance. It may look a bit dated today, but old school fans should feel right at home.

As mentioned before, you play the role of a small dragon called Firewing. The story starts when the Peace Crystal is destroyed, which prompts a quest for its recovery. Hence, your mission is to find all the pieces and bring them back together, all while watching out for unruly enemies trying to ruin your plans. It’s obviously not a complex story, but it’s a great way to keep yourself distracted.

The gameplay revolves around your ability to negotiate tricky levels and making sure that you collect various bonuses, not to mention the fact that you also have to fight certain enemies. The combat is a bit rough, on the other hand, because the “Bite” ability requires you to get close and personal with every enemy, thus putting you at risk of getting hit yourself.

The controls have a few issues as well, especially if you decide to use the keyboard instead of a controller. Most of the blame rests with the annoying camera controls, because everything else appears to be working just fine. As for the graphics, the retro style goes great with the theme of the game, and you can tell that the designers put some effort into the level design.

When it’s all said and done, Firewing 64 has the ability to keep you engaged for quite some time, especially if you are not swayed by the tricky camera controls. The graphics are very well done, at least if you are a fan of retro experiences.