Physics-based platformers have become a thing these days thanks to game engines making it palatable for developers to mix and match a lot of technology that wasn’t available during the 1990s with sprite-based artwork from that bygone era. What we get is a mixture of new-school physics with old-school graphics. One such game is Sneaky Bastard’s Wildfire, which is similar to but not quite like Nolla Games’ Noita.

The big difference between the two is that the elemental magic in Wildfire is a lot more uniform and structured, where-as Noita was a lot more free-form and rogue-lite, letting gamers experiment with all kinds of wacky effects.

However, if you wanted something with slightly more traditional platforming puzzles and combat, Wildfire offers up an experience that seems to capture the sense of questing and adventuring from old-school platforms, but with the ability to manipulate the elements in unforeseen ways that can make for some inventive looking solutions for emergent problems.

As you can see, the game features a number of different quest types as you fight back against those trying to burn your village down. I’m shocked you get to play as a guy, and that even with the two-player co-op you’re two dudes going against what appears to be a bunch of violent warrior women. Odd, but okay.

Some of the quests involve rescuing villagers, taking down enemy strongholds, or reaching specific destinations.

You can see that the two-player cooperative mode allows you to mix and match your abilities in order to progress and that helps give the game some sense of levity and fun as you experiment with a wide variety of ways to solve or overcome various obstacles.

It’s not reinventing the wheel and it doesn’t need to, but if you’re interested in this physics-based platformer themed around pyromancy, you can look to get your hands on Wildfire starting May 26th. The game is currently available for wishlisting right now over on the Humble Bundle page.