Firework is a hidden gem of a game. Though the story may be lacking, the gameplay does more than enough to make up for it. It provides a unique experience for people and is easy enough to pick up and go. For people who have enjoyed the Mega Man series, this is a game that you should play. It provides enough interesting challenges while still being manageable to beat. If you have a few hours in your life to spare, Firework is a game that doesn’t disappoint.
Firework is an 8-bit action platformer designed by Fantastico Studios that may be small in size but huge in gameplay. You begin the game as a Yan, a caretaker, whose job it is to watch a group of sentient black balls. These balls all have a mind of their own and soul desire to leave their ports to wander around the facility. Yan’s responsibility is to keep these balls safe and in their ports because within a short amount of time these balls explode on contact with anything they hit. Yan tries his best to deter these balls from leaving their spots by telling them stories and taking care of them. Unfortunately, it proves more difficult as it seems that these balls have a mind of their own. At this point in the game, Yan directed to go to the basement of the facility whereupon his curiosity gets the better of him. When he gets there, a giant wall of fire blocks his path and he is swarmed by these strange fire creatures that set the entire area ablaze. With them is a King of Fire and his three generals whose goal is to bring down the security shields to this faculty. As Yan is on his own he must do whatever he can to protect the facility from these blazing intruders.
Even though Firework is fairly small and could easily be beaten in one sitting it does not mean that it isn’t without merit. The story of Firework is somewhat linear and doesn’t explain much in terms of the lore of this place or even who these intruders are supposed to be. All they really say to Yan is that he is defective and shouldn’t get in their way — nothing beyond that. When you first play Firework, it seems like a simple linear game, where you just beat the bad guys, fight the boss, and save the world. Underneath this obvious layer of linear, there is more to it. Firework has multiple endings and each one is different from the last. The ending depends on your choices and how you want to save the facility. The facility even has secrets hidden within the game. The branching narratives that lead to different conclusions help to make this game far from its linear look. Anytime you can bring a gamer back and provide a different ending depending on player choices is a good time.
With that said, the story aspect of Firework is its weakest link. Not much is explained as to what these black balls are and why they are important. Moreover, why are these fire people trying to kill you? The game just throws you into a world and doesn’t explain the backstory and why you are doing what you are doing. You just go through the motions trying to beat the game.
The gameplay is by far the best part of this game. The movement is fluent and fast, the different areas are all unique and each has its own gimmick. For example, one area has platforms that are on a timer for when they can be jumped on, while another is pitch black and you have to keep firing your gun to see the surrounding area. At each death, you get a better sense of the game and help the player achieve success. A good example of this is when you try to clear out the room when trying to get the good ending. To get the good ending, the player must clear out all of the fire in the area so it doesn’t spread further into the facility. That can be difficult to do when there are tons of enemies raining down hellfire on you. After dying a few hundred times, you start to build strategies to take out each enemy flawlessly and improve the speed you progress through the game. Another example comes from defeating enemies. After one is defeated, they have the chance to drop a heart or blue shield gems. Once enough is collected for your shield meter, It adds an over shield to your health bar until it completely fills up. Having that extra health is a tipping point that can’t be ignored during a fight, especially with one of the bosses in the game.
One could assume that the game was inspired by the Mega Man series and incorporated it into its own unique style. The gameplay starts off simple but later becomes challenging and exciting as it progresses. For example, the first area is just a climbing section with little to no enemies to get in your way. The only difficult parts are the bosses. The main way to avoid taking damage is to jump over them then shoot them in the back. There is no real strategy in beating them. On the other hand, later in the game, the player comes to an area surrounded by platforms that they can’t stand on for too long or it will damage the player. Add that with enemies all over the place and you are in for a bad time. Granted if you keep jumping on the platform it won’t turn into something that can damage you but other entities can activate them accidentally. Everything from enemies to the fire left by their attacks can activate the platforms making it very difficult to make the right jumps without damage boost through the place. It really wants to challenge the player with all the skills they have gained with precise jumps and movement and difficult bosses. Each boss and mini-boss has its own unique gimmick and challenges the player in different ways. As you progress in the game, each general gets harder but with great risk comes great reward. This includes three powers you gain after defeating the three different generals, twelve of those black orbs that have gotten lost into the facility, and a secret power-up that you can find somewhere in the game. The twelve orbs you can find hidden through the game each upgrade a certain stat: Range of your gun, speed, and how many jumps you have in there air. Each one of these upgrades is essential to progress through the game smoothly, especially the extra jumps. When fire is everywhere, having the ability to save yourself from taking damage is super helpful.
The music is also great as well. Each area has its own unique soundtrack and gives the player a sense of urgency and tension. Each song brings new life to the game making the player feel anxious or even tense when going through the area. Even the beginning of the game feels mysterious and ominous when exploring the upper sections of the faculty. Even the bosses have their own track making them feel different and special in their own ways.
The art style is a straight throwback to old 8-bit games with a retro vibe. Throughout the whole game, there is a prompt at the bottom of the screen that keeps telling the player three things,” Entertain. Keep them safe. Keep them happy.” This is said throughout the entire game and even represents what type of ending the player can get. Another ascetic that I found charming and didn’t realize until later, is that the screen you are playing on looks like a monitor like someone or something is watching your progress. That every movement and choice made is being watched by someone in the faculty and that someone could be found hidden somewhere in the game if you look hard enough. It is really cool to see this in a game like this. Yan and the player are actually being monitored throughout the whole adventure and they don’t even know which many games don’t show often.
There is a New Game + is Firework as well. Once you get the true ending and a hundred percent the game, you can boot up your save file and play the game again with all the upgrades you have collected during your time. The one catch is the enemies that spawn in the final section of the game spawn in the beginning and there is a lot more to deal with. Even shield gems changed as well having the despawn very fast if not collected immediately. This provides new challenges for experienced players and makes replaying the game more fun and entertaining. If one beats the game and doesn’t get the true ending, replaying your save file will bring you back to the beginning of the game with the power-up you have, giving the player a chance to collect everything.
Overall, Firework is a hidden gem of a game. Though the story may be lacking, the gameplay does more than enough to make up for it. It provides a unique experience for people and is easy enough to pick up and go. For people who have enjoyed the Mega Man series, this is a game that you should play. It provides enough interesting challenges while still being manageable to beat. If you have a few hours in your life to spare, Firework is a game that doesn’t disappoint.
