Backfirewall_ is a Tragicomic Adventure I Still Don't Know How To Feel About
No joke, this may be one of the hardest reviews I’ve written so far.
Usually, when coming out the other side and sitting down to write one of these, I have points of interest to talk about. The way this story beat is told; this mechanical distinction that makes the game memorable. Backfirewall_ has both all of this and none of this. But, this isn’t helping you understand now, is it? Let me explain.
A self-proclaimed “tragicomic adventure”, you play as a personified “Update Assistant” app inside a smartphone, with your task simply to perform your function of updating to the new OS10. Of course that will mean you will become immediately redundant and die, so when self preservation kicks in, you’ll join up with the old OS9 to do everything you can to avoid fulfilling your duty. What follows is a story with larger than life characters, a tragedy or two and some whacky hijinks centred around what it would mean if smartphone apps had a mind of their own.
The 6-8 hours you’ll spend with the game appears at first to aim for Portal with a side of Talos Principle, with a handful of “cheat codes” allowing you to interact with each first-person-led level’s conundrums - delete boxes to sneak around obstacles, change the colours of door locks from red to green to gain access, that sort of thing. All the while OS9 will be in your ear, giving you context for your actions and performing setup for numerous jokes for you to knock down and laugh at.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? I thought so too! The premise behind just about everything here is wildly inventive and incredibly clever. In some ways, it is pretty great - but the thing is, for almost every thought provoking idea presented, it doesn’t quite get there. There are a lot of very interesting “what ifs” presented as story beats, but they ultimately end up as punchlines instead of poignant moments. Ultimately, I think comparing it to titans like Portal does this game a disservice, despite the game evoking that comparison itself.
All the way through Backfirewall_, I was begging for there to be something further to grasp onto, something more I hoped the game would try to say about its really cool premise. I wanted the impact of apps going rogue and not performing their functions, the philosophical conundrums behind “retiring” old software, the idea of user privacy and app access to different types of user data,hell even the idea of explicitly non-gendered beings building their own trans-adjacent identity, all to be explored more fully. All of this is touched on in one form or another throughout the story, but it’s mostly used as context for propelling the pilot forward and punchlines for jokes, rather than really grappling with the realities of how we use these devices so tied to our everyday lives.
But, maybe that’s me trying to ascribe too much to a game that isn’t really about that - it’s a setting for a story about many other things, things that are just as important. There is a lot of existentialist-driven thought behind the barrelling-towards-doom plot beats this game hits. In the face of untimely death outside our direct control, maybe all we really can do is laugh while the tears poor down our cheeks.
The moment to moment sits similarly in this vein, where the gameplay ideas sound a lot more interesting than they are in reality. The idea of being able to delete, edit, duplicate and gravity shift world objects opens a world of possibility. Unfortunately certain actions are only available on certain objects, narrowing your path to a very linear one. Gameplay is prescriptive rather than systemic - it’s one solution, and not much else can be done until you find that single path forward.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing, though the joy you find is less through interactivity and again, more about the jokes that come along with it. A perfect example would be when you visit “Wi-Fi”, the area of the game that translates to a complicated, bureaucratic, byzantine post office. The first half of the level’s “bit” is your running around to different booths, collecting forms, stamps and all sorts, just to get get through a knee high barrier which, in any other game, you could easily jump over. The final punchline of the joke has you using your abilities on the form at the reception desk, which is legitimately funny - but also not very interesting mechanically.
There is one twist on an ability toward the end that could have really flipped the script so to speak, but unfortunately it too is used as an A to B function rather than to solve puzzle solutions creatively. But much like when it comes to the thematic ideas the game presents you with, I may be searching for something that was never intended to be there - this is not a first person puzzle game, it’s a narrative one with puzzle-like interactivity.
Despite everything already mentioned, there are some genuinely cool and clever aspects to Backfirewall_ - the comedy and characters are easily the top reasons to come to this game. The characters themselves are excellently done, even if the voice acting can be a bit hit or miss depending. Alex is an easy standout as an interesting a complicated app, with their story and agency worthy of following along with.
A lot of the twists on phone apps are well thought through for their presentation and comedic value as well. The idea of the “shows” is an excellent one which is worth not spoiling. A particular favourite of mine through the Art Gallery section involving “algorithmic recognition” is one I am not going to forget any time soon.
I don’t usually go into technical issues here either, but I feel it would be remiss of me to not mention issues I ran into. There was a section of the game where I saved and quit the game, then was unable to re-load the save - the loading screen simply hung on trying to jump back in. Thankfully the devs provided access to their tools so I could chapter hop away and just re-do that chapter rather than the whole game, but that’s not something others will have access to. I was promised a day 1 patch would fix up this issue, but to be safe I’d recommend not saving and quitting in the back-area where you meet Frank.
The genres this game plays in are ones where you need to be spectacular to gain attention, and I’m worried Backfirewall_ won’t hit that high bar. Which is a shame, because again, there’s so much tantalising possibility here, as well as some genuine clever moments and jokes on display.
Is it a recommendation? Yes, but it’s one couched in expectation setting. Don’t go in expecting a Portal or a Talos Principle, where the gameplay is novel and clever and the philosophy is intense and asks you to question what you know. This is a comedic, tragic, plot focused game first and foremost, with a likeable bunch of characters amid a unique premise - focus on that instead, and this indie project with plenty of passion behind it might just tickle your funny bone.
Disclaimer: a key for Backfirewall_ was provided for review purposes. A physical press kit was also provided by the publisher.