Kill it with Fire Review on Xbox

Kill it with Fire is a single player arena orientated sandbox world where you track and kill spiders in a suburbia setting. All reviews (unless stated otherwise) are based on the Developer/Publisher providing myself with a review code, which i am grateful for, but does not influence my outcome.

The premise is that you are a exterminator who’s jobs its to defeat spiders by any means necessary, fire, bullets, explosions, throwing stars, anvils, anything really. But killing them is the easy part, finding them is a bit harder.  

The game boasts a ton of varied weapon, eight different spider types, optional objectives, hidden upgrades, challenges and enough destruction to keep a demolition expert happy. 

Gameplay

From the start you are thrown into the extermination world by killing your first spider with your clipboard which holds a list of optional objectives. From there you are quickly introduced to different weapons and the your trusty arachnid tracking gadget that resembles the tracker from Alien Isolation. Using this, you can pinpoint the general direction of those pesky spiders as they hide from you, only coming out as you move one of the large number of objects placed in the room they are on. 

The tracker can be upgraded to a more specific locator if you find the appropriate part and one I would try and find as soon as possible. However, it does need batteries and the charge goes quickly, so finding new ones is essential if you want to use the tracker often in a level. Once you have found a spider, then its your duty to exterminate it in any way you can see fit. In doing so, the number you kill goes on your kill counter and this is directly tied to the opening of new rooms into the level. These then lead into new rooms which hold more spiders, weapons, secrets and more fun. 

Now there is a large array of weapons to get to enjoy, however you have to find them scattered about the levels first in order to use them. Once found they can then be used on any level you choose to play or revisit. Weapons are anything from guns, Molotov cocktails, C4 and more. However, there is also other items that can be used, such as energy drinks which slow down time and crisps that lure in spiders to a specific location. The crisps themselves can even change the spiders type depending on which crisps you feed it, which could be helpful if there is a specific spider you need to kill under an optional objective. 

As mentioned there is also optional objectives which can range from killing a specific type of spider to killing them in an inventive way. You don’t have to do these, but in doing so these unlock challenges in each level which you need to complete in order to reveal the secret ending! The challenges live up to their name and I found that some cannot be completed without a specific weapon which was found in a later level. 

As you progress through the game you will often find upgrades and these come in two factions. The first is for yourself in terms of speed upgrade, or the number of items you can hold, and even unlimited ammo later on. Each upgrade has a number of points it needs to be used and as you progress your allotted number of points increase. However, you will never get enough to use all upgrades so carefully choosing which upgrades to use per level is required. The second faction is the tracker and game mode. You can upgrade the tracker to pinpoint the spiders exact location, add a laser to it, unlimited battery and even identify the type of spider. All useful depending on the level. 

Here is also where you can get two optional modes as well, goose which replicates the visual style of the game to match the goose game aesthetics and tiny which makes you as small as the spiders you kill. 

Spiders themselves also come in a varied selection and can provide an interesting challenge depending on type. Some spit webs at you, blocking your view. Some are invisible, some jump and some when they die, explode! All are fun and interesting to kill, but id be lying if I didn’t have a soft spot for the exploding ones, and using their ability to take out others. 

Level design is pretty well done, with you moving through areas based on buildings like apartments, petrol stations and offices. Each level can be destroyed in a huge amount of fun ways and the objectives suit perfectly each individual room. Secrets are also well hidden but not too well to ensure you need to spend hours on the internet searching for their location. The control system is also nice, smooth an easy to manage with a nice touch of being able to set up the quick select bar at the bottom with your favourite weapons.  

Overall this is a really fun single player game for those that want to kill spiders and blow stuff up with not too much thought in between. In that area this games excels and I enjoyed my time going through the levels and even going back to replay levels in abid to get the missing upgrades or challenges I missed the first time. 

Graphics
 

The graphic style offers a nice clean blocky aesthetic which is currently the main trend for some indie titles at the moment. And with plenty of objects for spiders to hide in or behind, the games visuals regardless of locations, always look bright and colourful. Everything hear is lovely and it helps create a great atmosphere ready for the opposite of the dark and broody looking spiders who jump out at you and give you a scare. Framerate and overall smoothness was good and even when there was large explosions or mass rooms on fire, I didn’t really see any slowdown or tearing. 

The story itself is nothing too outrageous but you will need to explore carefully in order to soak up the content it offers, specially regarding the secret ending.  
 
Sound

There is no voicework with the story being preferred to be told by text. The music comes in three distinct scores from the menu music which is jaunty and jazzy, that adds a nice triumphant bellow whenever you do complete a level. Next there is the general music that plays during the levels, which has that clenched string instrument sound that is often found in horror movies. And finally there is the heavy pumping music of the challenges which is there to encourage the pressure of said elements. Overall the music of this game is well thought out and does exactly what is needed to ensure you thoroughly enjoy murdering the eight legged creatures.

Verdict 
This leads me onto the rating of the game:-
Now I rate games in order of, avoid, on sale, great purchase and must own. My rating for Kill it with Fire  is "Great Purchase".

For me, the was game is fun, and thrives on the destructive toys to deal with the spider threat.  Being short is also a bonus for those who are time restrained and it can easily be completed in an afternoon. Replay ability comes in the form of visual modes and the secret ending and of course any upgrades you may have missed along the way. Hopefully the developer adds more weapons as I can see once this is done, there wont be much to come back to. 

The game is currently priced on Xbox at £12.49 or approx $15, and depending on skill and patience would give you about 6+ hours worth of gameplay to potentially clear the story, and the replay ability factor of different visual modes and secret ending.

This is a perfect title not to take too seriously and enjoy some lovely carnage and fun taking out spiders. The games visuals, sound and fun makes this a great afternoon game to enjoy, though I would say without further dlc, once completed may just sit in your collection as once played type. Regardless this is great and I look forward to what the developer will create next…maybe a sequel???