You know those two or three dialog boxes that appear when your phone obsessively asks you to update it? At that point you're talking to a software called an "installation wizard" whose job is to install the new update and remove the old one. This small software, intended for self-destruction, is the protagonist of firewall, a puzzle game set inside a smartphone operating system. With a humorous style halfway between The Office and Silicon Valley, this game will make all technology lovers feel at home.
Developed by Narven Games and published by All in! Games, Backfirewall is much more than a simple puzzle game: it is a journey through the components, applications and contradictions of the computer processes that govern our smartphones. Compared to a simple graphic style, which could make one think of an unrefined work, the dubbing (English) shines, making walking through the RAM memory banks or the GPU art galleries a truly unique experience.
From a puzzle perspective, Backfirewall certainly has no intention of revolutionizing the genre, but its four main mechanics, inspired by the computer world, keep the experience varied and intriguing. The only major flaw of this game is the language barrier: not only is it not available in Spanish but its visual and spoken humor is based on distorting those English words that we have also learned to absorb from the computer world. In this Firewall review We tell you all the fun that this game can bring you, as long as you learn a few words in English.
An unlikely alliance
The backfirewall is the epic of a software, a wizard to install a new update, intended to be removed within minutes of its birth. Not only that: the arrival of a new operating system on a device also means the death of the old one and here we see the premises of an unusual alliance come true. OS9, the now obsolete operating system, and the New Software Installation Wizard decide to embark on a journey through the different regions of the phone they inhabit to cause as many errors as possible. Doing so will force the device to reboot and reinstall the old OS9.
Initially, this plan seems reasonable, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the player (who takes on the role of installation wizard) and OS9 (who acts as Virgil in the "Dante" adventure, guiding us and explaining what needs to be done) find themselves entangled in a conspiracy much bigger than them. However, the phone's operating system needs an update: many structures are not secure, some processes have forgotten what they were supposed to do, and the central administration has become very slow in processing the simplest requests. OS9, however, is determined to survive and is absolutely convinced that when he gets back to the top, he can fix everything.
Clear and simple mechanics.
Inspired by some functions that we use daily with our devices, the four mechanics with which it is possible solve puzzle of the game manage to entertain without ever being repetitive. Well explained in the tutorial, these functions are given to the Wizard during installation as a kind of "cheat codes" available for OS9. The first is the "remove" function with which you can remove some elements from the stage to reveal hidden resources. The second is "reverse" and you can think of it as the ability to reverse the effect of gravity on a single object. The third is the "color code" with which to change the color of objects so that they acquire a different function and the fourth is the classic "duplicate".
The puzzles these tricks can solve are almost all environmental. You will have to remove boxes, turn on elevators, colored doors and levers to activate them and duplicate elements of the environment not with the aim of fixing the system, but trying break it even more. That's why the to-do list in each environment is made up of phrases like "the incoming information management system is working perfectly": this means that your task is to sabotage that same system. Most levels, then, are exploratory, that is, composed of an environment that you will have to search far and wide to cause errors. Some, however, are more linear and act as a transition between one area and another.
The humor barrier
There is a group of people who will love this game, that is, all those who are passionate about technology and enjoy content in English. This is because everything, from the language of OS9 to the obsession of different apps with what the User does, is imbued with the language of the technological world and even the pedantic enthusiasm of Apple conferences; those in which everything is revolutionary and never seen before. Or even, the visualization of certain elements is a joke in itself: logs, textual annotations about the state of a system, for example, take the shape of a piece of log because in English log is a term of maritime origin that had to do with a record used to measure the speed of ships.
The English dubbing, then, is wonderfully characterized, and manages to give each character a unique personality. Our OS9's British accent, then, is very reminiscent of Paul Bettany's voice, so Marvel fans will feel like they have a truly irreverent Jarvis (or Vision) guiding them. All of this, unfortunately, loses its effectiveness and impact if the person playing does not speak English, and in an instant Backfirewall transforms into a mediocre puzzle game with crude graphics. Add the simple ones Spanish subtitles You could even transform the game into a resource for studying programming-related English.
Conclusions
Tested version PC with Windows digital delivery Steam, playstation store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop Price 13,49 € Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (1) 8.5 your voteBackfirewall is a game that will entertain you thanks to its unique technological humor in the video game scene and its engaging and not too difficult puzzles. Its help system, which takes the form of a rubber duck to ask for clues to solve the puzzles, is well done, and its story between treacherous applications and a user with many personal problems will capture your attention. Between the lines of the story, then, we can read a fierce criticism of the planned obsolescence system, the systematic violations of privacy by social networks and the obstructionism that the industry makes to the self-repair movement of electronics, the so-called "right to repair". For a game with so much to offer to be stuck behind the language barrier is a real shame, but an adaptation probably wouldn't do the work justice. If you're comfortable with English, then Backfirewall is a really well-made, thoughtful, fun and irreverent little experience that will make you rethink the relationship you have with technology.
PRO
- Compelling and thoughtful story.
- Well-made and accessible puzzles.
- Really funny tech humor.
- Masterful English dubbing
AGAINST
- Requires a good knowledge of English to be fully appreciated.
- Some scattered bugs that barely affect the game.
