Act: Firefly [by Cornutopia]

Game Review: Firefly
Release: March 16, 2003
Genre: Action
Developer: Cornutopia
System Requirements: DirectX9, Moderate 3D specs, 400mhz CPU
Price: US $15.00

My first real video game memory dates back to when PacMan had just come out for the Atari 2600. I was probably around 9 or 10 years old at the time. One the Atari 2600, everything was of course very block based. PacMan offered only one board that increased in difficulty until you eventually lost all of your extra men and died. I remember playing it at a friends house on their TV in the front room. I got in a groove and an hour later was still playing the same game. My friend's family had never seen anything like it. No matter how fast the ghosts were I got out of the way. The time for me to go home had come and gone, and I played on. Over an hour and a half later my luck finally ran out. Still, it was the sort of thing that legends are made of. Everyone of my friends quickly heard about it. I'd managed to stay alive at PacMan for ever.

The biggest problem with that game was that after I had finished my climb to greatness I didn't even want to see the game any more. What was the point? I've watched from the sidelines, checking out the occasional clone, but none have really done anything to change the premise into something more interesting. Mousetrap required more strategy and provided some short-term fun, but it was still just somebody munching dots.

Firefly is a new PacMan clone that doesn't aim to change the concept of PacMan. Still the graphics of the game are good enough and clever enough that you may not immediately realize you've been tricked into playing PacMan.

You control a lone Firefly who moves about collecting glowing eggs while avoiding what appear to be hornets and butterflies. As with PacMan of old you have special power-ups that you can get that allow you to overwhelm your enemies, making them incapable ghosts for a short period of time.

In addition to the basic power-ups there are also two more power-ups. One turns you into a ghost, a sort of novel switch of perspectives. While a ghost you unfortunately cannot walk through walls, but you can walk through your enemies. The only trouble is you move so slowly while a ghost you may find yourself wishing you'd avoided that power-up. The other power-up puts you enemies in blocks of ice. While they are fun to look at all frozen inside their blocks, you have to be careful not to touch them because frozen or not, these enemies are still able to destroy you with a single touch.

Firefly has several different board types with different graphics for the walls and the floors. Each is interesting to see, and is enjoyable as you try to find your way through the literal maze that is created for you.

Created with a younger audience in mind, you may find yourself getting bored of Firefly quickly if you are a hard-core gamer. Still, with its well-drawn graphics and characters, I'm sure most gamers will find themselves much more interested in Firefly than they may realize, certainly much more interested than they would be in a typical PacMan clone.

Graphics: 8
All the effects and graphics in this game are nicely done. Certainly this will turn your head for just a moment to check out the graphics. The light that surrounds your character as you move about the board helps to enhance the firefly feel to the game, and the little particle bits of light that come off your firefly when you have the empowerment power-up give the feeling of watching fireflies at night. Graphically the game is top-notch and will keep you entertained as you watch.

Sound: 7
The background sound leaves a bit to be desired. The version we played was the downloaded version, so we haven't had the opportunity to hear the music that is available only on the CD version. Each of the sound effects is nice, and the chirping crickets in the background does help add atmosphere to the game. However, the lack of a soundtrack really hurts the overall cohesion of the game.

Game Play: 8
One of my least favorite things about some PacMan clones is the difficulty to actually play the game. For some of the games turning becomes some sort of art form that few can master. That is certainly not the case with Firefly. You'll feel in control from the beginning of the game and should have no trouble getting your character around as you move.

Options: 6
The game takes a hit here. Honestly, you don't need a lot of options in a PacMan game, and there aren't many here to speak of. Still, some more speed options, two-player play, or joystick control would have been nice. Hitting arrows to turn is fine, but using a joystick would have kept my fingers happier. Also without more speed options, a turbo speed boost would have been a fun limited-ability to have.

Concept: 6
Not really much has been added to the PacMan concept over the last 20 or so years. it remains about the same game with Firefly. Of note are the much improved graphics and the few power-ups, but Firefly doesn't come across as any type of original.

Fun: 8
This game is intended for kids, and I think that they will thoroughly enjoy it. The graphics are colorful, and the characters are all friendly and non-intrusive.  There are 40 different level maps, which should keep you interested and guessing for a long time.  Being able to play levels in a random order is also a nice touch that increases the longevity of the game. I honestly would have given the game a higher fun factor, but I too often found myself bored due to the game speed being too slow. A game speed setting about two notches above the "fast" speed setting already in the game's options would have been a nice addition. Ms PacMan was great because it was so fast. That extra speed would increase the game's intensity and I think extend the games enjoyment to the older generation.

Overall: 7
I debated back and forth on the overall rating between an 8 and a 7. If you average all the numbers above, then it appears to be no higher than a 7, but the game is compelling. I believe that the younger target audience will find Firefly a wonderfully fun time waster that brings old-school classic gaming into their lives without them even realizing it. While they are enjoying the "coolest new game they've ever seen," I'm sure their parents will watch over their shoulders remembering some of the awe they had when they first played video games as a kid. Likely the kids will soon be trying to get their parents away from the computer as Dad relives old cherished memories on a well-executed update of a classic.Added: July 19th 2003
Reviewer: The Mole
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Related Link: Cornutopia Website
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