It is a first-person tragicomic narrative adventure game that’s set inside a smartphone. You are the update assistant – solve puzzles to counter the update and save the previous operating system from deletion.
Released on
Genres
Reviews View More
Backfirewall is a puzzle game with a slightly meta narrative in the style of Stanley Parable or There Is No Game.
The game takes the form of a first-person shooter in which you get different powers to solve a variety of puzzles, which are interesting without being too complicated.
The game's environment and narrative are rather unusual in that you find yourself in a machine that needs to be updated, and there's a whole personification of the different elements of a computer, both software and hardware. The game's storytelling and approach to the various gameplay phases is fairly pleasant and amusing.
Visually, the game is OK, but the music and sound design are pretty good, with some passages having a real atmosphere.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a puzzle game that's not too heady and has a fun/sympathetic story that doesn't last forever, this game could be a very good choice.
The game takes the form of a first-person shooter in which you get different powers to solve a variety of puzzles, which are interesting without being too complicated.
The game's environment and narrative are rather unusual in that you find yourself in a machine that needs to be updated, and there's a whole personification of the different elements of a computer, both software and hardware. The game's storytelling and approach to the various gameplay phases is fairly pleasant and amusing.
Visually, the game is OK, but the music and sound design are pretty good, with some passages having a real atmosphere.
In conclusion, if you're looking for a puzzle game that's not too heady and has a fun/sympathetic story that doesn't last forever, this game could be a very good choice.
🇬🇧 full review | 🇧🇷 resenha completa
Equilibrando os prós e os contras, "assistir" Backfirewall_ valeu a pena, embora jogar não tenha sido tão bom. Tem alguns puzzles esquecíveis, algumas partes na história que não clicam e um sistema frustrante de itens colecionáveis inúteis. Mas em torno disso, você tem um dos mundos mais interessantes criados com base na premissa de “o que acontece dentro de um computador” que eu já vi. Você tem personagens carismáticos, algumas boas piadas e um conceito mais verossímil (e tecnicamente preciso?) de sociedade digital. Não é mais legal que as motocas de luz em Tron — não há muitas coisas mais legais que as motocas de luz em Tron —, mas a saga de OS9 para sobreviver foi muito divertida por algumas horas. Talvez você também (não) precise de uma atualização.
Equilibrando os prós e os contras, "assistir" Backfirewall_ valeu a pena, embora jogar não tenha sido tão bom. Tem alguns puzzles esquecíveis, algumas partes na história que não clicam e um sistema frustrante de itens colecionáveis inúteis. Mas em torno disso, você tem um dos mundos mais interessantes criados com base na premissa de “o que acontece dentro de um computador” que eu já vi. Você tem personagens carismáticos, algumas boas piadas e um conceito mais verossímil (e tecnicamente preciso?) de sociedade digital. Não é mais legal que as motocas de luz em Tron — não há muitas coisas mais legais que as motocas de luz em Tron —, mas a saga de OS9 para sobreviver foi muito divertida por algumas horas. Talvez você também (não) precise de uma atualização.
If you go into this thinking "Stanley Parable" -- then whoever told you to compare the two is a hair disinjenous and also doing you a disservice.
It's a narrative driven and lightly meta comedy game where you explore the inside of a whimsical space. The base idea is really cool - you're an app inside a phone. Imagining what goes on inside an OS by personifying everything is quite novel and cute. I could actually see them taking this and turning it into a comedy show script because the premise and jokes are strong.
The gameplay can be a little slow, jank, and the puzzles run the gambit from very easy to mildly confusing. Narrator VO is fun, multiple endings exist, and it is not a bad story to spend a few hours with.
It's a narrative driven and lightly meta comedy game where you explore the inside of a whimsical space. The base idea is really cool - you're an app inside a phone. Imagining what goes on inside an OS by personifying everything is quite novel and cute. I could actually see them taking this and turning it into a comedy show script because the premise and jokes are strong.
The gameplay can be a little slow, jank, and the puzzles run the gambit from very easy to mildly confusing. Narrator VO is fun, multiple endings exist, and it is not a bad story to spend a few hours with.
Stanley Parable, but in an app. Wish XOR/NOR went on for longer, really enjoyed it. Kinda sucky if you wanna get all endings, collectables and all, but if you're just running through it, it's perfect.
Definitely a strong game. I was hyped by someone telling me this was some sort of Stanley Parable. While it didn't quite meet my expectations, and is definitely not a 'Stanley Parable' like at all, I had fun playing the game!
As someone studying computer sciences, some of the references are even more enjoyable, such as the fact that the processes names all start by PID and a number, which is actually how a process is identified in your computer!
The game mechanics are satisfying, the puzzles aren't too hard, maybe a bit too easy. The voice acting quality is pretty spot on for an indie game, one of it's weak point being Alex's voice, imo.
Wasn't fond of the stealth part, too.
Had a few issues with controls towards the end of the game with some newer mechanics, also had to restart the game because the subtitles didn't match what was being said (plus visual tearing, maybe an issue on my side, overheating, idk)
As someone studying computer sciences, some of the references are even more enjoyable, such as the fact that the processes names all start by PID and a number, which is actually how a process is identified in your computer!
The game mechanics are satisfying, the puzzles aren't too hard, maybe a bit too easy. The voice acting quality is pretty spot on for an indie game, one of it's weak point being Alex's voice, imo.
Wasn't fond of the stealth part, too.
Had a few issues with controls towards the end of the game with some newer mechanics, also had to restart the game because the subtitles didn't match what was being said (plus visual tearing, maybe an issue on my side, overheating, idk)
𝟕,𝟐/𝟏𝟎🍹
We are all used to the fact that indie projects often have incredibly interesting concepts, but suffer from a lack of funding and game design experience to build interesting gameplay, alas, but the Backfirewall is no exception. After passing the demo, it may seem that this is an exciting dynamic adventure in the spirit of Stanley Parable, but for some reason the devs filled the center of the game with "rooms with a list of tasks", I thought that there would always be something unexpected and new, that this is just a walker with elements, but in fact, in terms of genre, it`s - a puzzle, between story sections, you repeatedly find yourself in large rooms in which you need to solve several rebuses, talk with key characters, look for easter eggs, to break another mechanism and go further, and.. not to say it’s bad, but it’s too simple, too the same, it breaks the flow of the story, it’s not interesting, you need to either move something, or change colors, or rearrange something, good that in every location there is a "character-duck", which can give detailed hints for any difficulty + there will be some miserable stealth, but there is very little of it, and after the 1st section, the devs themselves are already starting to joke about it.
That is, just don’t expect anything from the game, and be prepared for the fact that this is a “puzzle”, then you might get more excited, expecting something incredible - I got mixed emotions, but after the last level, I still stayed, in in general, with positive ones, since the last hour of the game finally returns to the "correct" path "of the scripted hallway story walking simulator, and even has a touching ending, and a decent soundtrack.. The game was made by only a few people, I don't understand why they it was so stretched out, I completed it for about 7 hours!! Seven!! If they took an hour from the demo, an hour from the ending, and put the other 5 more dynamically, without these stupid rooms with tasks, it would have been less work, and the game would have been much more addictive, the humor here is also not particularly unique, and it certainly is not enough for 7 hours, devs could spend more time on a script and make some philosophical parallels with our reality, but instead this there are several endings in the game, a lot of voice actors, a lot of achievements, "findable" items to be able to replay the game 100 times :)
Okay, I already scold quite a lot, this is still one of the most interesting projects of 2023, where else will you play as an update program inside a smartphone that is trying to survive? The visual is simple, but tasteful, there are humorous moments well borrowed from Stanley Parable, and a large number of achievements, content, "replay value" for only 13$ - for you, on the contrary, it can be a plus, and yes, there is a prolonged middle with mediocre gameplay, but by the end, the game has been "corrected", you won't regret it anyway.
Subscribe on my Steam Curators page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41977550/
///
Все мы уже привыкли, что инди-проекты зачастую имеют невероятно интересные концепции, но страдают от нехватки финансирования и геймдизайнерского опыта для построения интересного геймплея, увы, но бэкфайрволл не стала исключением. После прохождения демки вам может показаться, что это увлекательное динамичное приключение в духе Стенли Парабл, но разработчики зачем-то заполнили центр игры "комнатами со списком заданий", я то думал, что всегда будет что-то неожиданное и новое, что это просто сюжетная бродилка с элементами, но по сути, по жанру - это головоломка, между сюжетными секциями, вы раз за разом попадаете в большие комнаты, в которых вам надо решить несколько ребусов, поговорить с ключевыми персонажами, поискать пасхалки, чтобы сломать очередной механизм и пройти дальше, и.. не сказать, что это прям плохо, но это слишком просто, по сюжету одинаково, ломает динамику повествования, это неинтересно, там надо либо что-то передвинуть, либо поменять цвета, либо что-то переставить, благо в каждой локации есть "персонаж-уточка", которая даст развёрнутые подсказки на любую трудность+ещё будет немного убогого стелса, но его прям совсем мало, и после 1-ой же секции над ним уже начинают шутить сами разрабы.
То есть, просто ничего не ждите от игры, и будьте готовы к тому, что это "головоломка", тогда вам может больше зайдёт, ожидая чего-то невероятного, я же получил смешанные эмоции, но после последнего уровня, всё же остался, в целом, с положительными, так как последний час игры наконец-то возвращается на "правильный "путь" заскриптованного коридорного сюжетного симулятора ходьбы, и даже имеет трогательную концовку, и достойный саундтрек.. Игру же делало всего несколько человек, я не понимаю, зачем они так всё это растянули, я проходил её около 7 часов!! Семи!! Если бы они взяли час из демо-версии, час из концовки, и остальные 5 скомпоновали подинамичнее, без этих дурацких комнат с заданиями, получилось бы и работы меньше, и игра бы затягивала гораздо лучше, юмор тут тоже не блещет какой-то прям уникальностью, и его уж точно не хватает на 7 мать его часов, можно было потратить время на большую проработку сценария и сделать какие-то философские параллели с нашей реальностью, зато вместо этого в игре несколько концовок, куча актёров озвучки, куча достижений, "находибильных" предметов, чтобы вы могли это всё 100 раз перепроходить :)
Ну ладно, довольно много я уже ругаю, это всё равно один из самых интересных проектов 2023 года, где вы ещё поиграете за программу обновления внутри смартфона, которая пытается выжить? Визуал простенький, но со вкусом, есть неплохо заимстовованные из Stanley Parable юморные моменты, а большое количество достижений, контента, "реиграбельности" за 500 рублей - для вас наоборот могут быть плюсом, и да, тут затянутая середина с посредственным геймплеем, но к концу игра исправляется, вы, в любом случае, не пожалеете.
We are all used to the fact that indie projects often have incredibly interesting concepts, but suffer from a lack of funding and game design experience to build interesting gameplay, alas, but the Backfirewall is no exception. After passing the demo, it may seem that this is an exciting dynamic adventure in the spirit of Stanley Parable, but for some reason the devs filled the center of the game with "rooms with a list of tasks", I thought that there would always be something unexpected and new, that this is just a walker with elements, but in fact, in terms of genre, it`s - a puzzle, between story sections, you repeatedly find yourself in large rooms in which you need to solve several rebuses, talk with key characters, look for easter eggs, to break another mechanism and go further, and.. not to say it’s bad, but it’s too simple, too the same, it breaks the flow of the story, it’s not interesting, you need to either move something, or change colors, or rearrange something, good that in every location there is a "character-duck", which can give detailed hints for any difficulty + there will be some miserable stealth, but there is very little of it, and after the 1st section, the devs themselves are already starting to joke about it.
That is, just don’t expect anything from the game, and be prepared for the fact that this is a “puzzle”, then you might get more excited, expecting something incredible - I got mixed emotions, but after the last level, I still stayed, in in general, with positive ones, since the last hour of the game finally returns to the "correct" path "of the scripted hallway story walking simulator, and even has a touching ending, and a decent soundtrack.. The game was made by only a few people, I don't understand why they it was so stretched out, I completed it for about 7 hours!! Seven!! If they took an hour from the demo, an hour from the ending, and put the other 5 more dynamically, without these stupid rooms with tasks, it would have been less work, and the game would have been much more addictive, the humor here is also not particularly unique, and it certainly is not enough for 7 hours, devs could spend more time on a script and make some philosophical parallels with our reality, but instead this there are several endings in the game, a lot of voice actors, a lot of achievements, "findable" items to be able to replay the game 100 times :)
Okay, I already scold quite a lot, this is still one of the most interesting projects of 2023, where else will you play as an update program inside a smartphone that is trying to survive? The visual is simple, but tasteful, there are humorous moments well borrowed from Stanley Parable, and a large number of achievements, content, "replay value" for only 13$ - for you, on the contrary, it can be a plus, and yes, there is a prolonged middle with mediocre gameplay, but by the end, the game has been "corrected", you won't regret it anyway.
Subscribe on my Steam Curators page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/41977550/
///
Все мы уже привыкли, что инди-проекты зачастую имеют невероятно интересные концепции, но страдают от нехватки финансирования и геймдизайнерского опыта для построения интересного геймплея, увы, но бэкфайрволл не стала исключением. После прохождения демки вам может показаться, что это увлекательное динамичное приключение в духе Стенли Парабл, но разработчики зачем-то заполнили центр игры "комнатами со списком заданий", я то думал, что всегда будет что-то неожиданное и новое, что это просто сюжетная бродилка с элементами, но по сути, по жанру - это головоломка, между сюжетными секциями, вы раз за разом попадаете в большие комнаты, в которых вам надо решить несколько ребусов, поговорить с ключевыми персонажами, поискать пасхалки, чтобы сломать очередной механизм и пройти дальше, и.. не сказать, что это прям плохо, но это слишком просто, по сюжету одинаково, ломает динамику повествования, это неинтересно, там надо либо что-то передвинуть, либо поменять цвета, либо что-то переставить, благо в каждой локации есть "персонаж-уточка", которая даст развёрнутые подсказки на любую трудность+ещё будет немного убогого стелса, но его прям совсем мало, и после 1-ой же секции над ним уже начинают шутить сами разрабы.
То есть, просто ничего не ждите от игры, и будьте готовы к тому, что это "головоломка", тогда вам может больше зайдёт, ожидая чего-то невероятного, я же получил смешанные эмоции, но после последнего уровня, всё же остался, в целом, с положительными, так как последний час игры наконец-то возвращается на "правильный "путь" заскриптованного коридорного сюжетного симулятора ходьбы, и даже имеет трогательную концовку, и достойный саундтрек.. Игру же делало всего несколько человек, я не понимаю, зачем они так всё это растянули, я проходил её около 7 часов!! Семи!! Если бы они взяли час из демо-версии, час из концовки, и остальные 5 скомпоновали подинамичнее, без этих дурацких комнат с заданиями, получилось бы и работы меньше, и игра бы затягивала гораздо лучше, юмор тут тоже не блещет какой-то прям уникальностью, и его уж точно не хватает на 7 мать его часов, можно было потратить время на большую проработку сценария и сделать какие-то философские параллели с нашей реальностью, зато вместо этого в игре несколько концовок, куча актёров озвучки, куча достижений, "находибильных" предметов, чтобы вы могли это всё 100 раз перепроходить :)
Ну ладно, довольно много я уже ругаю, это всё равно один из самых интересных проектов 2023 года, где вы ещё поиграете за программу обновления внутри смартфона, которая пытается выжить? Визуал простенький, но со вкусом, есть неплохо заимстовованные из Stanley Parable юморные моменты, а большое количество достижений, контента, "реиграбельности" за 500 рублей - для вас наоборот могут быть плюсом, и да, тут затянутая середина с посредственным геймплеем, но к концу игра исправляется, вы, в любом случае, не пожалеете.