Wannabe artsy – A Firelit Room Free Review

Gives off the air of a minimalist artsy game. Poor writing, little meaning in choices, and empty activities prove that’s nothing but a facade. The game tries to write several different ideas at once. First you are isolated with a nameless girl making an interesting hook that collapses in on itself quickly as you build the first hut and hear “Builder puts up a hut and says word will get around” your nameless companion will be forever referred to as “Builder” and will quickly, skillfully, but nonchalantly put together whatever structure you direct her to. Just her. None of your colony helps. The only other means of plot or story after the beginning are random prompts with no significance. “You see a shadowy figure: investigate? Or ignore?” “As you approach the figure it vanishes without a trace” the same unsatisfactory results happen for each moment of intrigue. You investigate and it’s gone. Sometimes you get some resources but that’s it. There are other prompts that are boiled down to “you lost a house, people, or traps: Mourn” you only get one option which dismisses the box and is often OK or Mourn. There is no choice, there is nothing you can do, you now have to wait for the population to reappear and use your resources to fix the house and remake the traps. I would be less nitpicky if this game didn’t set me up for an interesting and serious attempt at a story with its first impressions. Did I mention the fact that the game soft-locks if you have insufficient resources to build something and tap on it? “Gameplay” As you play your first means of interacting with the game is simply to press “stoke fire” it progresses the aforementioned story until you can build on your own. After that there is no more plot or character building, simply construction and resource management. That can be fun in its own right, but in this game it’s slow, simplistic, and grindy. Eventually you get a trader’s hut and buy a compass. Now you have a shiny new button labeled “Embark” and a few resources to manage below. Once you have cured meat you are excited to send some people exploring and learn about the world and even more interested when it presents you with an actual tiled map to travel through as your own character. After two steps you are given a black screen and told to “pay as much as you want”. I’m ok although a little peeved with the game having a demo and just shocking the player with the paywall, but seriously offering us to pay $9.99 for below average writing and mediocre at best gameplay? That’s just arrogant and insulting.
Review by Dmeejyjshdjrjdjs on A Firelit Room Free.