Firefly Hero Review

Firefly Hero is the latest addition to the well known action puzzler genre that has found a comfortable home on the iOS App Store. It's easy for most of these games to get overlooked as copies and knockoffs, but Firefly Hero takes the action puzzler in a slightly new direction and the result is both entertaining and original.

It will be no surprise that this game centers on a firefly (though it is not quite clear what makes this firefly any more heroic than any other). The game consists of guiding this firefly in order to collect the stars scattered throughout each level. As most winged insects, the firefly in Firefly Hero possesses the uncontrollable urge to fly itself into bright lights. Perhaps it is this reckless pursuit of bright lights -- no matter what stands in the way -- that makes the firefly heroic. This is also how the firefly finds its way through the each level to collect the stars. Each level includes strategically places light bulbs that illuminate, one at a time, with a touch. The firefly then flies in a straight line in the direction of the light bulb that is currently lit. Carefully switching which bulb is lit will guide the firefly safely to each star.

Having no direct control over the firefly gives this game a unique feel, and it's refreshing not having to battle any gravity or physics tricks to complete a level by pure luck. Controlling the firefly by directing it via light bulbs works very well and it keeps the controls simple and manageable. No touchy sliders or virtual joysticks; no need to worry about touching the wrong thing at the wrong time with a too-big thumb on a small screen and messing the level up by accident.

Throughout the game's 75 levels new mechanics will be introduced. Some bulbs can only be lit once. Others can only be lit at certain times. Fans will blow the firefly off its course. Web weaving spiders and spore shooting flowers also add some moving hazards which further complicate the game. Levels do reload quickly, though, so even if a spot is particularly tricky multiple tries don't be come cumbersome. And if there is a level that just doesn't seem possible at all, there is always the option to skip the level and move on to another. The lure of achieving a golden leaf rating on each level also provides some added incentive for replay.

The art of Firefly Hero is clean, simple, and easily recognizable in the heat of light directed flight. This really saves on confusion as the levels become more crowded and complicated. Firefly Hero is a great game that can be enjoyed in quick sessions of a few minutes or in longer extended sittings. The gameplay is unique, and it shouldn't be discounted as "just another puzzler."