Blue Fire is an enjoyable platforming experience and an otherwise decent game in all other aspects. While Void challenge rooms are fun to play through and navigate, Blue Fire’s combat and world-level design outside of Void rooms leave a lot to be desired. If Blue Fire leaned into its platforming, I would be highly recommending it for everyone out there.
Sometimes a game can be torn apart by competing systems. Blue Fire by no means is a bad game; in fact, its platforming is some of the most fun platforming I’ve played on the Switch when it comes to indie titles. What bogs it down are the various other mechanics thrown in that seem to detract from an otherwise enjoyable experience. Borrowing mechanics from games like Dark Souls, Blue Fire tends to lose its identity by trying to be a game that it’s not. While its obscure story takes a bit to develop, the main focus of Blue Fire is traversing and exploring its bleak world.
Utilizing easy to learn, hard to master control mechanics, Blue Fire is a platformer first and foremost. Using only two movement mechanics, Jumping and Dashing, players can navigate the world with a somewhat stumbling grace. How far you can Dash or how high you can Jump is all determined by how long a button press is held, which oftentimes contributes to the difficulty in various platforming sections. I often found that the game’s most difficult sections weren’t that a jump was too high or platform too far away, but rather that I misjudged my own timing for the button press. Eventually, players are treated to an assortment of other traversal mechanics such as wall-running, but by and large Blue Fire keeps things simple throughout.
I found that Blue Fire’s biggest weakness was its combat system. Part Souls-like, part Zelda, Blue Fire’s combat mainly consists of only one to four enemies on screen at any one time, patiently waiting for when to dash away or block an enemies attack before counter-attacking. Mana, which is Blue Fire’s stamina-esque bar, is used any time a player blocks or parries an attack, but seemingly does not recover during combat. This oftentimes leads to frustrating moments of desperation to take down enemies, especially when paired up with the Switch’s hardware limitations concerning its analog sticks. That’s not to say Blue Fire’s combat is unmanageable; it’s 
often just tedious and stands apart from the otherwise fantastic platforming. Should a player die to an enemy, or more frequently fall off the side of a platform, Blue Fire resurrects them at their most recent statue.
Statues are Blue Fire’s save-point and checkpoints, similar to Dark Souls’ bonfires. Usually spread few and far between, players can upgrade their Mana bar and unlock Spirits that alter various abilities. Mana bar upgrades and Spirits are unlocked via an upgrade currency found throughout the world in crates as well as in Void platforming challenges. While not a complex system, Blue Fire’s upgrade system often felt more like a chore than rewarding and would have been much better served if the main gameplay loop of its platforming was kept throughout.
Blue Fire’s level design is fairly linear at first glance but offers a surprising amount of secret areas throughout that I was only able to uncover upon backtracking through its world after acquiring various keys to unlock foreboding locked doors. It’s not the most intricate of level designs, however, the overall ambiance of Blue Fire’s world amplifies the desire to discover every secret that ROBI Studios have put behind their secret doors.
Overall the world does have a fair amount of variation to it, covering everything from desolate white hallways to ancient ruins, Blue Fire is nothing but enjoyable to look at. Void platforming challenges offered the most enjoyable experience, as they all rely upon Blue Fire’s fun platforming gameplay while throwing interesting levels at me without getting too repetitive. I wouldn’t complain if the entirety of Blue Fire was its Void challenges.
Blue Fire is an enjoyable experience when solely focusing on its platforming sections, but can otherwise be a slog. Combat is serviceable if not stale, and its upgrading system is more often than not a hassle. I can’t help but wonder that if Blue Fire leaned more heavily into its platforming gameplay, would it be a more enjoyable experience? Right now, Blue Fire attempts to be a game that it’s not and it shows. The Void challenge rooms are fun and are easily the best part of the game, but everything else is just decent at best.
