GraviFire by Sometimes You is a simple 2D block pushing puzzle game that is best played in short bursts. The player controls a wisp of fire that has been abducted by aliens, outfitted with a space suit, and forced to push blocks onto switches. There are a total of 50 levels to complete with some being more brain twisting than others.
The gimmick here is controlling gravity in certain directions while moving your fire wisp around the board. The left stick controls the grid-based movement of the spacesuit wisp while flicking the right stick causes boxes to move in that direction provided there is a gravity well placed in that portion of the screen. When boxes are in movement, the player can push or pull boxes too. This adds to the strategy but most stages can be finished in a minute or two with some trial and error. Since there is no move counter or timer, the player is free to troubleshoot without penalty. Due to the layout of some stages, it is possible to find more than one solution to a puzzle too. Although there is no hint system, the player has the ability to skip the current stage and continue to the next, a much welcomed feature. At first glance, some stages might look intimidating but can be completed in just a couple moves if planned accordingly.
Visually, the simple 2D pixel art does its job and falls in line with other Sometimes You titles. The only complaint comes from the size of the screen and the interactive elements – everything is small and doesn’t fill up the space of the screen. Even your spacesuit wearing fire creature is tiny in comparison to the rest of the screen. However, these single screen puzzles are what make this game what it is. Bigger sprites could have forced the screen to scroll with would have made solving these block pushing puzzles much more tedious.
GraviFire isn’t the best puzzle game but fits in the library of Sometimes You titles. It is a short, arcade-like experience best played a few stages at a time. Achievement hunters should also take note as completing stages, playing the game naturally, can earn some big Gamerscore.
GraviFire is also available on PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
On Par With: other Sometimes You titles (Awesome Pea, Explosive Jake)
Better Than: Dungeons & Bombs
Wait For It: another physical release of a Sometimes You compilation
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz