I always take notice of games with humor in them. There are usually not enough of those, and those that exist rarely make me laugh. I tried High On Life, but its immature style of humor did not resonate with me. Backfirewall showed some promise, and I gave it a go. I am glad I did.
Not many games have a unique premise, but Backfirewall certainly does. It’s a story about a rogue OS that refuses to get updated. Everything happens inside a smartphone, where every app and process is conscious. Think Toy Story for the new generation.
You play as the Update Assistant, trying to update the system from OS 9 to OS 10.1.1. But things don’t go as planned, as the old OS refuses to get deleted and tries to make you change your mind — and save both of you. Unique, right?
And it’s funny, too. Maybe not laugh-out-loud funny, but certainly chuckle-worthy. And the zany atmosphere and narration that implore you to break the rules and don’t do as you’re told reminded me of The Stanley Parable, still one of the wittiest games out there.
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Yes, but what about the gameplay? Plainly speaking, it’s a puzzler with some platforming elements. You explore the world inside a phone and find collectibles and bugs. You are often tasked to create errors in the system by using one of your powers: you can remove items, duplicate them or alter their colors.
I didn’t hate the gameplay, but the main attraction here for me was the humor and the world. It’s very imaginative — and even captivating.
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Backfirewall does many things right. First and foremost, it’s a comedic game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s also a decent platformer in a unique world. I could not predict where the story would take me next – that alone makes it stand out, which is no small feat.
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