The Ignition Factor (SNES)

That is actually a weirdly creepy title screen in game, probably because of the heat haze effect it uses.

This seems very similar to The Firemen so far. You're racing to save people against the clock, and you have to put out fires with your water jet and clear a path before they spread. First up though I notice two pretty big differences.

1. The water tanks only last a few seconds. Then you need to wait and let them recharge. And the fire's spreading while you're doing this.
2. You don't have a loyal partner by your side, killing fires with his axe.

Uh what? Also whoa, green fire! The graphics in this game aren't bad, but the flame art doesn't compare well to The Firemen.

Well this isn't working. I guess I need to use a chemical extinguisher on green fires. OR MY AXE!

No, not the axe either, damn! And the chemical fire extinguisher apparently doesn't recharge when you leave it for a while. Double damn!

Hey I rescued someone! But now she wants me to find someone else? Man this job never ends.

Wow, I did? That's fantastic! But if I carry too much stuff I get weighed down and can no longer run or kick, so I throw it in the trash.

If you walk into fires in The Firemen, you flicker a bit and take damage. This game's slightly more dramatic about it.

Okay maybe I'm lost, I guess I'll check the map.

What does that even mean? The other game had a perfectly readable map on top of the screen at all times. This game though, has this.

Remembering my boss's cryptic message at the start of the game, I try talking to the mannequins, and this woman appears out of nowhere. She warns me not to walk on the skylights, because it's dangerous.

She was right.

After brushing the broken glass off and climbing back upstairs, I decide to try a different door. In this room there's a guy who says the water is too hot to cross, so I cool it down with my fire extinguisher. Then he says he needs medical attention, so I leave him to die in a fire and go somewhere else.

This place looks cool, lots of barrels flying up and exploding. Just like The Firemen in fact! This place was full of dead ends and miserable people too so I quit.


Overall I found The Ignition Factor to be frustrating and boring. The best bit was the title screen, and it was all downhill from there.