Fire Fu is a recent gaming release over in the Windows Phone Store. The game is a fast-paced, arcade styled game where you learn how to control the element of fire to toast an endless supply of oddball creatures.
The Windows Phone game has sharp looking, hand-painted artwork and easy gaming controls. Add plenty of magic potions to help you blast the enemy, along with support for low-memory Windows Phones and Fire Fu comes across as an entertaining game to pass the time with.
There isn't much to Fire Fu's primary menu where you will find controls to jump into game play, access the game's settings, view the leaderboards and access the game's tutorial.
Fire Fu's settings include the basics such as muting sound effect and the game music, view the credits and visit the developer's Facebook and Twitter pages. The tutorial walks you through game play nicely and will automatically launch when you first jump into game play.
The storyline behind the game has you being the chosen one with the ability to control fire. You use your fire element to incinerate your enemies, saving the day. Along with the capacity to control fire, you will also have a handful of potions available (for purchase) to help you in your battles. The potions can be purchased prior to game play with the gaming credits you earn after each game. There are five potions available such as a Ring of Firestorm, a Comet Storm and a Dragon Flame.
Speaking of which, each game of Fire Fu is timed at one minute and the goal is to eliminate as many monsters as possible. Every monster that flies, crawls or dangles on the screen is fair game for being roasted except the green goblin-like critters. Unleash your flame on the green guys and you will lose points.
Along with the monsters, you will have a series of fairies that flitter around the game that when destroyed will release bonus items such as extra time or double points.
The mechanics of burning the monsters into a pile of ashes is simple. You swipe at the screen to generate a fire burst and swiping over the monsters will burn them to a crisp. Your flame isn't without limits and can be exhausted. A meter is in the upper right corner to indicate how much energy is available. Lift your touch from the display and the energy will replenish in a matter of seconds.
Once the timer expires, a series of golden fairies will start flying around the screen. If you blast them with fire, they burst into a collection of smaller pixies that can be collected and used as gaming credits to buy potions.
Overall Impressions
Fire Fu is an entertaining Windows Phone game. The one-minute game format is a nice fit when you only have a few minutes for gaming and Fire Fu has strong enough appeal to hold up to longer gaming spurts.
Graphics are nicely drawn up and the game pace is zippy enough to keep you on your toes. The game screen can get rather cluttered and you will have to be extra careful not to roast one of the green monsters.
While I enjoyed playing Fire Fu, the game could stand to have a little more variety. There is a nice selection of monsters to blast and I do like the flock of sheep that scurry along the bottom of the screen from time to time. The sheep are also fair game but require multiple hits before they turn into shish-kea-bob. But I couldn't help to think that maybe different flame colors or more frequent backdrop changes would add to the game. The only nit I can come up with that may turn some away is that in order to access the leaderboard, you have to login with a Google account. I'm not a big leaderboard follower so this feature doesn't bother me, but I can see tarnishing the game's appeal with others.
Overall, Fire Fu is a Windows Phone game well worth the try. The trial version will let you play a handful of games before expiring, which is plenty of time to decide if Fire Fu is your cup of tea. At last check, Fire Fu is not rated yet in the Windows Phone Store and we would place it in the 4-4.5 Star range.
Download Fire Fu for Windows Phone (Trial / $1.99)
