Fire (or Fire Brigade) is a Game and Watch game released by Nintendo on July 31, 1980. It is part of the Silver series; the first series of Game & Watch games. The game is a simple but challenging puzzle game where you control two firemen trying to save people from a burning building.
The handheld turns 43 today which makes it older than the game we covered in our first post.
The goal of the game is to bounce the people falling from the burning building onto an ambulance. The firemen are controlled by pressing left and right. Every time a person falls onto your trampoline, you score one point. The maximum score is 999. If a person falls onto the ground, you get one miss. If you get three misses, the game ends.
Fire was a popular game when it was released and is estimated to have sold one million units! Part of the appeal of the game is that it is a great way to test your reflexes and timing while on the go; thus occupying some downtime during the early 1980s.
There are a few different ways to play Fire today. The game is available on various emulators. Currently, my favorite way to play is on my laptop's browser. There is a remastered fan made version that accurately captures the gameplay. Additionally, there is a remake of the game called Fire Deluxe, which was released for the Game Boy Color in 1999.
Here are some additional facts about Fire:
- A Wide Screen version of the game was released in 1981.
- The game was later included in the Game & Watch Gallery series of compilation games.
- Fire has been referenced in several other Nintendo games, including Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Mario Maker 2.
- Sharing the same birthday, the Gameboy would be released in the US nine years later on July 31, 1989
Until next time!