Nuclear Blaze Review: The game that burns the brightest burns half as long

I’ve been playing video games long enough that, at times, it’s hard not to feel like I’ve seen it all. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—after all, you can only combine tropes, stories, genres, and gameplay mechanics in so many different ways (although, to be fair, said ways are many)—but it isn’t very often that I play something only to find myself thinking “huh, that’s new. “Not very often” isn’t the same thing as “never,” however, meaning that, from time to time, I do find a game that does just that. Enter Nuclear Blaze, an… *checks notes* atmospheric, puzzle/platformer firefighting game… which is certainly not a string of words I ever thought I’d put together. But, alas, here I am doing just that. And I’d definitely say that I’m better off (or at least happier) for doing so!

Another Day on the Job?

As someone who knows very little about the intricacies of firefighting, I can say with 100% confidence that this is always how they arrive on the scene.

Nuclear Blaze is fairly light when it comes to more narrative elements, but a story most definitely still exists within it. The game begins with you, a firefighter belonging to what I’m assuming is some kind of elite firefighting task force, being sent to put out a raging fire in and around a certain facility. Everything begins normally enough, and you’re able to get the surrounding fire under control with little incident. But, after entering the facility itself, you soon realize that things are much worse than they initially seemed.

Being as short as it is, Nuclear Blaze doesn’t have much time to tell its own story. Because of this, most of the game is told as the player explores the world of Nuclear Blaze itself through the use of collectible documents and the uncovering of new areas within the facility that you’re exploring. The end result is something that works incredibly well, basically playing out like the video game version of a creepypasta (well, a good one, anyway). Of course, that’s not the entire reason that the game feels like an Internet ghost story. There’s also the fact that this game is directly inspired by SCP. Unfortunately, explaining all of the ins and outs of SCP isn’t something that I can do in this review (it’s super lore-heavy), but it’s basically a collection of fictitious stories/documents surrounding a top-secret group known as the SCP (Secure, Contain, Protect) Foundation and the anomalies that they’re dedicated to removing from everyday society. Given that SCP stories are fairly short in nature, it’s an absolutely perfect inspiration to draw from, and Nuclear Blaze feels like it would fit right in with everything else SCP-related.

Sparking Danger

What do you MEAN the fire spreads around if I don’t put it out quickly enough!?

Given how strange Nuclear Blaze‘s concept is (and I mean that in the best way), it’s kind of hard to make any direct comparisons. However, if I had to, I’d say it’s a platformer that almost plays out like a Metroidvania that (mostly) replaces enemies with raging fires. The facility that you’re exploring is primarily made up of long hallways (the game’s “basic enemies”), and giant, interconnected rooms (the game’s “bosses” …sans one)—with all of them engulfed in flame, naturally. The premise itself is incredibly simple. All the player needs to do is completely clear out the fires in whatever room they’re in (or at least the larger ones, anyway) in order to progress, while also managing their water supply. The game also throws power-ups at you as you progress, allowing you to do things like dodge roll, firefight while climbing ladders, and… *drumroll* aim upward at a 90-degree angle. Additionally, while not technically a part of the game, Nuclear Blaze also lets you mess with specific settings (player armor, how quickly fire spreads, etc.) to make the game either more or less difficult! It’s all simple stuff, but, hey, the game itself is pretty simple, so it all works out well.

Overall, Nuclear Blaze is great. The firefighting mechanics are unique and fun, the platforming is solid, and it’s got solid difficulty scaling. There is one major problem that I have with this game, though—it’s short. Like, really short. You could easily beat your first playthrough of it at a casual 60 – 90 minutes (or even faster if you’re skilled from the get-go), and, at the end, it leaves a big, firefighter-shaped hole in your heart because you can’t help but feel that there should have been more. There’s definitely something to say about putting quality over quantity, however, so I have to be fair and say that, while too short for my tastes, I had an absolute blast from start to finish.

Firey Fun for the Whole Family

The facility you’ll be exploring has plenty of interesting sights… but don’t expect to see them all the first time around!

So, about that whole “the game is very short” thing… it’s absolutely all true. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the fact that Nuclear Blaze has more going on for it than its standard story mode. For starters, you’ve got Kids Mode which, if I’m remembering correctly, was literally made with the dev’s three-year-old son (which is a super-cool thing to do, by the way). Because of this, it’s less “firey hot action” and more “pretend to be a firefighter while rescuing kitties.” The game basically does everything for you, with only minimal player input required. And, while it’s been quite a while since I was three, I’d say that it’s a neat little addition and absolutely perfect for its prime demographic.

On the other side of the difficulty wall, we’ve got Nuclear Blaze‘s New Game+. Ominously titled “Hold My Beer Mode,” this second run-through of the facility offers a much more challenging experience for players overall, in addition to the ability to enter certain parts of the facility that were previously inaccessible. The game’s basically threatening you with one hand and coaxing you with the other (more death and more lore!), and it’s a great way to entice players into having another go. While I personally would have rather just been given more content in the form of a longer overall game, Hold My Beer Mode is definitely a fine runner-up.

Here for a Good Time, Not a Long Time

It’s already been said once in this review, but it bears repeating. Nuclear Blaze is the equivalent of a brightly lit candle—it’s at its end far too soon, but it’s impossible not to marvel at its splendor while it’s still there. As little as I’ve actually thought about the “firefighting game” genre, I’m all-in if future games are anything like this.

Final Verdict: 4/5

Available on: Switch (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, PC; Publisher: Red Art Games; Developer: Deepnight Games; Players: 1; Released: April 27, 2023 (Switch & PS4); ESRB: E10+ for Everyone Ages 10+; MSRP: $14.99

Full disclosure: A Nuclear Blaze code was provided to Hey Poor Player by the publisher.