Written: 10.4.06 Acquired: 9.2.06 Status: Cart only Price: $13.51
Publisher: HUMAN
Released: 9.8.94
Developer: HUMAN
Scarcity: 3.5
If you've ever seen the old 1974 flick THE TOWERING INFERNO (Fred Astaire, OJ Simpson yes THAT OJ Simpson) then you will know exactly what to expect from this
12 years ago EGM ran a spiffy 2-page feature on THE FIREMEN, and ever since I've been curious about it. Made by HUMAN, perhaps most well-known for their Fire Pro Wrestling franchise, The Firemen is a 1-player top-down action game where you navigate a top high-rise fire fighter through the burning Metrotech building. Using your water hose to extinguish fires, along the way more hazards crop up; dispatch mechanical objects gone haywire and of course face intimidating end-level bosses
Like Godzilla: Kaijuu Daikessen, this 12-year-mystery lived up to the hype. The Firemen is stellar. It's graphically pleasant with well-shaded characters adding a perception of depth, plays really well and the theme is unique. All of this culminates in a game which has that "cool" factor. There is some in-game JP text communication between Danny and Pete the firefighters, but nothing that hinders the game. Oddly, the game intro is in English
It's 6 PM on Christmas and a small fire in the Metrotech kitchen left unattended has spread throughout the complex. With the building quickly burning to a crisp and injured people trapped inside, it's your job to get in and neutralize the situation. There are six floors in all. Thanks to the whole theme and atmosphere, it reminds me of Die Hard the movie, except replace the terrorists with deadly flames, and the guns with a water hose
Your partner carries an axe and helps you in eradicating fires and other enemies, including bosses. He'll carry out the victims as well
Finding and rescuing victims are not necessary, per se, but finding more means a better score and each time you save someone your health will be restored by roughly 60% (if necessary)
The buttons are simple
Y = straight ahead spray B = downward spray X = extinguishing bomb (limited) A = crawl L/R = locks position and strafes (you can shoot in 8 directions)
Predominantly, you'll be using the straight spray but the downward spray is the only way to eliminate small fires. There are two main fire types: small and large. The small flames you can touch without getting hurt. Crawling is critical at times. Much like Burning Rangers you'll hear a quick whiz before all hell breaks loose. By crawling you can avoid backdrafts and fireballs. You'll also crawl under high flames, desks and even through a vent!
The bomb is your ultimate weapon and up to 3 can be carried. Save them for the bosses! If you have 3 already, and find another bomb, pick it up so you can transform into a super fire fighter with a bigger and stronger spray. There is also a separate icon for this rare powerup
Let's check out the game's first 3 stages and bosses...
LEVEL 1
Just stay diagonal of this 1st boss because it shoots 4 flames (north, south, east and west) and then scurries around the screen
LEVEL 2
Beware of exploding containers. The breakable glass is a nice touch
This sorching flame ball boss can only be attacked with the downward spray. Keep in mind with this type of spray you move exceptionally slower. Be careful or it will char you to a burning crisp
LEVEL 3
Things start to get trickier as stage 3 introduces backdrafts, new enemies and collapsing floors
Easy boss in its first couple forms but the last form, as shown here, can be double tough as it surrounds you in no time
Does this game have any flaws? Of course, it's not perfect
No 2-player option
Isn't hard, and short -- I beat it on my third try in 75 minutes. Each level you have 10 minutes (sometimes more) to complete. 3 continues by the way
No option screen, so much like Majyuuou there's no way to crank up the difficulty
The Strafe buttons (L and R) -- one should have been "spin in place" or a 180° turn
Unlike Burning Rangers the flames are not randomly generated. So once you play through it, you know where everything is... a bit of a shame
On the upside, at the end a detailed account of your gameplaying is given; everything from class to level completion times to total play time to % of rescued people and a total point score out of 100, so that can be something to shoot for on repeated plays. But the replay value is only slightly above average at best
Other than those flaws listed, THE FIREMEN is a true winner
And keep in mind it's not to be confused with Fire Fighting which is known in the US as Ignition Factor by Jaleco -- similar yet not as good, but solid and playable in its own right
CLOSING THOUGHTS
THE FIREMEN is top-notch top-down action. Sorry but it must be said: This game is on fire
Update: Originally, I scored this game 8.5 and really enjoyed it. However, I have been playing it again recently and am not so impressed. I guess it's one of those games that when you first play, you are wow'ed by. But after playing it some more, it hits you it's not as fun once the novelty wears off. Overall, I still think it's a solid little import to have in the ole library, but no longer do I consider it one of SFC's very best. It's solid, but I find it a bit tedious these days and don't see myself coming back to it much. Yeah sometimes this happens in this hobby of ours. We play a game and think, "Wow, this is so cool!" Years later you play it and go, "Huh, what happened?" I guess, back in 2006 fighting fire on SNES was new and neat to me. Now, it's just kind of eh. Not worthy of an 8.5 / 10 score. I still like The Firemen, but it's not as good as I initially thought
Overall: 7.5