MOBILE GAME REVIEW
Go! Go! Rescue SquadIt's on fire |
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Everybody likes to play the hero every now and then. That's why so many games put you in the shoes of superheroes, or plumbers who have to save princesses from oversized lizards.
If you want to be a hero in real life though, your choices are more limited. To hanging around disused mine shafts waiting for someone to fall in so you can then rescue them, for instance. Or waiting by suicide hotspots hoping you might be able to talk someone out of jumping.
Or, of course, you could just get a job as a lifeguard or a fireman - the latter of which is what Go! Go! Rescue Squad is all about.
Before you drift off into any fantasies about throwing appreciative women over your shoulder though (men), or firemen spraying hoses about in a manly fashion (ladies), I should point out that this game isn't a realistic representation of doing the heroic job for real.
Instead, putting out fires is all part of solving puzzles in each level, and you do it by lobbing a fire extinguisher right into a flame. A technique we're not sure the Pocket Gamer health and safety officer would approve of.
The point of Go! Go! Rescue Squad is to rescue all the people - named the Darwins - from each level. You do this by getting them to one of the exit doors in the level - a process hindered by flames sprouting all over the place, and also by ladders, sheer drops and other hazards.
In some levels you just have control of one firefighter, while in others there are multiple ones scattered around the level that you can switch to at any point. Doing so introduces a whole new level of strategy into a level, since you can throw Darwins and fire extinguishers to another firefighter to catch.
The Darwins themselves also come in a few varieties. While regular Darwins simply wander about the flames looking a little alarmed but waiting patiently to be rescued, 'Screebs' run about the place and are prone to falling from great heights or into flames given the opportunity.
Less of a liability are the Funzies - best described as have-a-go hero types. They will pick up fire extinguishers and put out fires for you. They can also climb ladders - but they can't do that while holding a fire extinguisher. Just one of the little problems that'll have you staring at one of Go! Go! Rescue Squad's levels for many minutes trying to work out how to get around it.
And that's what the game is all about. Levels generally only have one way through them, and moving one of your firefighters into the wrong position so they then can't return to a place they need to be will completely ruin your efforts.
Thankfully, the game's designers have included a 'rewind' option in order to erase the frustration this would cause if you had to restart every time this happened, which means you can undo any move with ease. It's a brilliant inclusion, but comes with a penalty - the more rewinds you use, the lower your overall rating will be at the end of a level.
Rescue Squad is a truly inspired game and one that will easily keep you playing for weeks thanks to its whopping 64 levels. They're not easy levels, either - and this is the biggest criticism we have with the game. Plain old head-scratchingly hard puzzles we could deal with, but there's too much emphasis on pixel-perfect throwing of fire extinguishers and doing so before a Screeb throws himself into a fire.
In later levels, you'll be using that rewind option over fifty times - this is definitely more of a game for those who like to repeat something again and again until they nail it.
As well as the game's basic levels, there's more - like bonus levels where you chuck the Darwins around to collect coins, and super tough Danger Rooms, which take away your ability to rewind.
Its relentless difficulty level aside though (and lack of help option for when you're properly stuck), Rescue Squad is the perfect puzzle game. It's fun, original and as moreish as an opened tube of Pringles. Your phone needs this game on it.
Go! Go! Rescue Squad |
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One of the most addictive puzzle games you'll find for your phone. Go! Go! Rescue Squad has it all - devilishly difficult puzzles, originality and playability galore
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C2MChap | 18 May 2009
Thanks for the kind words PG - it's a great game and I'm glad you liked it. Obviously, I would like your review as I work at Connect2Media, but I thought it was balanced, intelligent and precise.
Wait till you see the iPhone version - that's going to be a lot of fun too.
Go! Go!
Mikayla | 18 May 2009
Need cheats!
Some levels are way too dificult!
Anyone?
Joined:
May 2007
Post count:
838
I believe there are some in Westminster at the moment, arf arf etc.
Reasoner | 20 May 2009
I have a big problem in this game. I am stuck on Zargoman's Lab on the lesson: "Switches & Shutters'. When I am going to throw the fire extinguisher and throw it so it will block the gap, then it doesn't work. I have been throwing at least 100 times where it says I have to do it, but the gap ALWAYS close. Can anyone help me out please?
GrahamGoring | 21 May 2009
You stay standing on the switch while you're waiting for the extinguisher to land, right? Only if you start walking as soon as you throw it then the door will shut before the extinguisher gets there. If it's closing OVER the extinguisher, though, then that sounds a smidge more buggy to me.
Joined:
Sep 2007
Post count:
30
Go! Go!'s makers have kindly given us a walkthrough to the game, which you'll now find in the tips section. Check it out if you're stuck!
Ben | 21 May 2009
I'm stuck at the same place. So, what should we do?
emma | 22 May 2009
thats where i'm stuck! i don't get why its closing over the fire extinguisher.
Reasoner | 24 May 2009
It closes over the fire extinguisher even though I stand on the button. I really lite the producers to fix that bug and give me a free working version.
Joined:
May 2009
Post count:
15
Hi All - Seen this problem and I am looking into it now. Could ou (Reasoner) please confirm which handset you are playing the game on?
Thanks
