Billy Blazes debuts on the GBA with his latest fire rescue adventure. Fires are erupting all over Sky High City, a mountain resort, and many people have been stranded and need rescuing. Armed with plenty of fire-fighting gadgets, Billy knows no fear and doesn’t hesitate to plunge right into the most heated action.
Rescue Heroes Billy Blazes is a platform game designed for the youngest players ages four-seven. Kids will use a variety of gadgets to not only put out fires, but to also help Billy get across hazardous areas and jump across chasms. These gadgets include a fire hose, a single axe, a double axe that also has a hook for sliding, a grappling hook and a ladder. In the easy Rookie mode, these gadgets are all available from the beginning of each level, but in the Advanced Mode, they will have to be collected along the way.
When starting the game, kids will choose to play either a New Game, Training Mode or to enter a Password for a saved game. The training mode lets players practice maneuvering Billy and using his gadgets in a timed trial, which can be played in a single-player or two-player in alternating play. A new game asks players to choose a Rookie or Advanced player difficulty setting, and the password mode lets kids enter a saved password to continue in later levels.
There are eight levels, each of which is fairly short. Each level has the same basic goal, find and rescue all the trapped people, and then find the exit lift. After each successful completion of a level, a simple arcade race is played that involves Billy riding in some type of racing craft, putting out fires and collecting tokens. If a certain number of tokens are collected, Billy earns extra fire hydrants that replete his water hose in the next level.
This is a platform game and Billy will be doing plenty of running and jumping, but refreshingly for a young children’s game, there are no baddies or bosses, just hazards that are for the most part aren’t too difficult to handle for most kids. With the rookie level, Billy has an inexhaustible supply of water in his water hose, and the fires don’t hurt him even when he steps right into them, despite the flashing icon of Billy. The only way to “die” is to fall off a cliff, and these incidents are avoidable. In the advanced mode, things are a little more tricky and kids will need to be alert to avoid fire bombs that fall from the sky, and other hazards like generators, gas tanks and more, that can cause big trouble if hit by Billy’s water hose.
The controls are very responsive, and simple to learn. The “A” button handles the jumping and the “B” button the action. The gadgets are cycled through using the “R” and “L” buttons. Controlling Billy as he jumps is very simple and the gameplay is very forgiving. Also, there is excellent detection of hazards, Billy has to get right on top of things to get hurt. The only problem with the action are a few “blind” jumps, that sometimes cause Billy to land right in a fire that players aren’t able to see before jumping. But this doesn’t happen too often.
The animation and scenery are great and visually appealing. The fires and other hazards are clearly drawn and easy to see. Everything is bright and colorful, on the GBA SP, anyway. The music fits well with the adventure rescue theme and the sound effects are perfect.
Finally! A young children’s video game that has actually been designed for young children. Instead of trying to garner a wide range of ages in a schizophrenic manner as too many of these types of games attempt, this game is single-natured and knows its audience. For the youngest who’re just beginning on a handheld, this is a perfect choice. Playing as a rookie ensures that even the most inexperienced player can be a winner, and have lots of fun, too! For more of a challenge, the advanced mode is more difficult and while still forgiving, requires more thought and skill.
The adventure theme of putting out fires and rescuing people is nicely done,
and will engage the kids’ interest completely as they work through the levels.
The arcade levels are not as well-designed, and basically involve shooting water
nonstop from Billy’s hose to avoid the fire hazards while collecting tokens.
More variety here would have been better, with some different mini-games a
welcome break from fire-fighting. The game itself is somewhat short, too, and
kids at the upper age range may not want to play the game through again too many
times. However, for the younger ones, repetition is not a problem, as five year
olds don’t mind repeating anything ad nauseam.
While this game at first glance appears to be more of a “boys” game, girls will have just as much fun with it. An excellent choice for parents who want a gentle, fun handheld game for their young children. Kudos to WayForward and Vivendi!
Gameplay: 8.5
The game’s excellent design and focus on making it enjoyable for children ensures a great gaming experience. Children will feel satisfaction from their success and not frustration, as is too often the case with kids’ video games.
Graphics: 8
The animation is well-done, and kids will enjoy the look of the game as they battle blazes.
Sound: 8
The music is just right for the theme, and while parents will probably get tired of the music, the kids won’t.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
The rookie level is very easy, but the advanced mode is more difficult especially on the later levels, but still wholly playable.
Concept: 8
Wow, what a concept! Making a kids’ game that’s actually for kids!
Overall: 8.6
This is a great children’s game, and thus stands out from the mostly mediocre crowd of children’s video games. The only other GBA games I’ve seen personally that are as well-designed for this age group of four to seven are Dora the Explorer Hunt for Pirate Pig’s Treasure and Barbie Groovy Games. The only reason this game didn’t rate a higher rating was the questionable replayability for kids in the upper suggested age range and the shortness of the game, plus the sameness of the arcade levels. Otherwise, great job WayForward and Vivendi!
