Mini Review: Nuclear Blaze (PS4) - Short and Basic Pixel Platformer

Nuclear Blaze is a firefighting, 2D pixel platformer from Sebastien Benard, lead developer and game designer for Dead Cells. As a firefighter, you are tasked with extinguishing an out-of-control forest inferno, but while doing so you stumble upon a mysterious military facility and head inside to uncover the source of the ferocious blaze.

The entire campaign lasts a little longer than an hour and spans various facility areas you must clear of fire to progress. This involves aiming your hose with the analogue stick and spraying water by pushing square, our favourite! Some areas will also have sprinklers which can be turned on with the flip of a switch and locked doors that block your path, requiring you to collect either a key or swipe card to proceed. It’s all very simple gameplay, lacking variety as the only new mechanics added throughout are dodge rolling and armour, neither of which manage to switch things up substantially.

Nuclear Blaze does a superb job of being accessible to all ages, with the ability to adjust the speed of fire spread and hose strength on the fly through the entire game. There is also a dedicated Kid’s Mode, easy enough for a 3-year-old, with invincibility, auto jump, and auto aim active, allowing you to focus on saving furry felines from the flames. On the other end of the scale there’s the Hold My Beer mode, which is a more intense experience with additional military turrets and faster fire spread to keep you on your toes.

Nuclear Blaze is an enjoyable pixel platformer that gets all the basics right but lacks any meaningful depth to keep you engaged. Its vast array of difficulty options can be praised for making it accessible to all, however its incredibly short runtime makes it a very passable experience.