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Still here? Well, they make some people run a mile so now they've all gone, let's talk about Kill It With Fire. Because this game features spiders. Lots and lots of spiders.
Waaay back in the beforetime (1990), there was a movie called Arachnophobia, which also featured lots of spiders. If you haven't seen it, watch it, it's great. Anyway, the reason that comes to mind is one particular scene in which Jeff Daniels makes a flamethrower from a lighter and an aerosol can. This prompted a spate of arson-lite events at my school which resulted in a lot of kids nearly blowing their hands off with cans of Lynx Africa (which, by the way, smells even worse when it's lit), and general flame-based mayhem.
Some 30-odd years later and Kill It With Fire comes to VR, giving you the opportunity to relive the excitement of the homemade flamethrower, but with none of the danger.
But that isn't all.
Kill It With Fire sets the player up as a WMSD (weapon of mass spider destruction), in an overly spider-infested house. Armed with a plethora of improvised and actual weapons, the premise of the game is simple. Kill. All. The. Spiders. In a number of inventive ways.
Graphically we're in I Expect You To Die territory (another fun VR experience - if you haven't played it, do). Fun, colourful level designs and decor go a little way to tone down some of the terror, and serve to help to pick out the pesky arachnids, enabling you to mark them for death. It's a smart move, keeping the game appealing to a much wider audience than if it were set in some sort of dark, Silent Hill style environment.
But that's not to say that spiders fairly realistically skittering all over the place isn't still really bloody creepy (spoiler: it is), and the sound of the little swines helps with not only the overall uneasy feeling, but also immersion and targeting, introducing a huge potential for a cricked neck as you hear one behind you and try to zero in like some sort of deranged owl.
Some are in the open, whereas others are hidden, just waiting to run out when you open a drawer, pick up a book, or a lift a toilet seat. There's some genuine feelings of trepidation as you approach objects, not sure where the next wave of nasties is going to come from. Once revealed, the music perks up and it's time to bring the pain. The audio design really is very effective in keeping a feeling of tension and pace.
Actually killing them is pretty satisfying too, as you leverage everything at your disposal to dispatch as many as possible, completing achievements in the process. Hurling plant pots, books, framed pictures, frying pans, anything you can get your hands on at them is really good fun. The more of them you can wipe out, the further you'll progress through the game, opening up new areas, bonuses, and new weapons.
And the weapons are fun! Revolver? Naturally. Shuriken? Of course. Flamethrower? Well, just look at the title.
It isn't all gravy, however. There are some minor issues with aiming and tracking, and hopefully these can be tightened up in a future update, although perhaps it's the limitations of the hardware. Either way, sometimes the game doesn't quite pick up gripping objects, and whilst that's not uncommon with games in this vein on Quest 2, it can be a touch frustrating, particularly when you're trying to beat the clock. It's not a dealbreaker though, the game is still fun enough to keep you coming back.
SUMMARY
Overall, Kill It With Fire is a decent way to spend a few hours, and the sort of game that casual or new players can get to grips with quickly. Challenges are plentiful, and not too taxing to complete, so there's some replay value, depending on how well you play. Fun
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