Wildfire News

Wildfire is now on sale at its biggest discount yet - 25% off! This discount will continue throughout the Steam Winter Sale through to January 5.

We'll be running a developer broadcast on the Steam Store page throughout the sale which sees us attempt to achievement hunt the first half of the game - tune in to see some of the more outlandish tactics you can employ in Wildfire's early game, or if you need help achieving optional objectives like speedruns, no detections, or no kill playthroughs!


Sneaky Bastards recently sat down with the Dev Diary podcast to discuss the six-year-long journey to creating and releasing Wildfire, which began all the way back in 2013. Check out the full episode by searching Dev Diary in your podcast player, or get direct access to the episode here:
[h2]> Listen to the Dev Diary Podcast <[/h2]


Wildfire has had a number of additional reviews go live since release - here's a selection of quotes from them. We're thrilled to see so many critics and players discovering the game and indulging in the sneaky, mischievous playstyles Wildfire offers.

"The love of Thief, and even more recent stealth gems such as Mark of the Ninja shine through in Wildfire, but it’s the game’s own systems that help it to stand out amongst its peers."
- Player2

"It caters so well to those who love stealth games or those who crave mayhem ... Wildfire is a must-have of 2020!"
- 5/5, Game News

"When it all comes together, Wildfire is a triumphant stealth game that’s a lot of fun to play."
- GameSpew

"The various uses of your three elemental powers works well in adding a puzzle element to the stages and makes each stage feel chaotically fun, while the stealth emphasis and lack of focus on killing makes the endeavor feel fresh."
- Worth Playing

"The clever use of the environment and the many unique elemental powers makes sneaking through this beautiful world a total blast. Whether you want to go like medieval Snake like I did or wreak total havoc with your powers, the choice is yours."
- PurePlayStation

"...There is a deceptively deep stealthy adventure on offer."
- TheXboxHub

"...A challenging 2D stealth platformer that does stealth well."
- GameSpace

"...Will keep you on the edge of your seat as you set up elaborate sequences of events and laugh whenever you see enemies get snagged in one of your traps."
- VideoChums

"Once I finished the game, I handed my son a second controller and we embarked on the adventure together. What I found was pure chaotic humor. When we finally stopped laughing between goof ups, we played catch with fireballs as father and son. That is until my son lit our pet bobcat on fire."
- Nintendad

"As players wait, crouched in the tall grass to pick the pocket of guards as they walk past and then burn the ground behind them, it's hard not to be reminded of more cinematic mainstream hits like Assassin's Creed."
- CBR

"Wildfire still fulfills its pedigree: an immersive stealth sim made by ardent fans who just want to share their love with the world."
- Screenrant


For now, that's all from us! We hope you all enjoy the update, and we'd love to hear any feedback you have over at the Discussion Forum. You can also be a part of the community:

[h2]> Join The Sneaky Bastards Discord < > Follow us on Twitter @WildfireGame <[/h2]

Happy Holidays from everyone at Sneaky Bastards - and so long, 2020!

Sneaky Bastards is thrilled to announce that Patch v1.02 for Wildfire is now live! This patch contains some major performance improvements across the board, and addresses numerous raised from player feedback. Additionally, we're excited to participate in our first major Steam Sale by offering 20% off Wildfire throughout the Halloween Sale event! Be a spooky witch and get up to some elemental mischief this eve! Finally, we've also released a playable demo which gives you a unique accelerated look at a hand-picked selection of levels and elemental powers from throughout the game.





The patch notes for v1.02 are below, and you can also read them combined with the previous v1.01 update here:

[h2]> Read the full patch notes here <[/h2]

Graphics and Performance

• Global performance improvements and optimisations
  
• Fixed an issue that caused dedicated GPUs not to be used to render the game, in systems that also contained an integrated GPU
  
• Slightly improved the performance of the fire fluid dynamics simulation effects
  
• When Dynamic Fire Effects are disabled, the resulting fire visuals will now more closely emulate the full fluid dynamics effects
  
• The game will no longer experience slowdown when breaking a lot of wooden objects in rapid succession
  
• Steam Screenshot function now correctly works on all systems
  
• Fixed a graphical error related to the Embrace Items Meteor Shard showing a green circle
  
• Fixed an issue that caused vines thrown at gates to be drawn incorrectly
  
• Vines thrown at single tile high corners will now correctly draw their single corner sprites
  
• Incorrectly aligned objective arrows at the edge of the screen now show the correct angle
  
• Meteor shards are no longer invisible when playing with Character Outlines disabled
  
• Water fountains no longer display a red outline when water can be embraced from them
  
• An issue which caused the dripping animation to not follow wet guards has been fixed
  
• Korean text when confirming an upgrade to spend points on no longer goes outside the menu button
  
• Russian text when highlighting an ability's cost on the Abilities menu no longer overlaps
  
• Russian text when highlighting an empty Meteor Shard slot no longer goes off-screen
  
• Russian text in menu buttons when reloading a checkpoint no longer goes outside the button boundaries
  

Crash Fixes

• Fixed a crash that occurs after the generator is disabled in the Palace Laboratory
  
• Fixed an issue that caused duplicate Kickstarter lockets to appear in New Game+ and cause crashes when finishing a level
  
• Fixed an issue that caused duplicate Meteor Shards to appear in New Game+ and cause crashes when finishing a level
  
• Fixed a crash that occurred when throwing ice at explosive barrel piles
  
• Fixed a crash caused by restarting the game while being smelled by a bobcat
  

Controls

• Gamepad joystick icons redesigned for increased clarity
  
• Increased the pickup radius for Meteor Shards, and prevented players from dropping held objects while trying to pick them up
  
• The Embrace Fire prompt no longer shows when aiming at a closed tesla coil with the Embrace Element gamepad cursor
  
• An incorrect control prompt in the Ice tutorial has been fixed
  
• The right-hand camera pan arrow now correctly disappears when no longer panning the camera
  
• Instances in which incorrect controller prompts for closing a coffin were showing have been fixed
  
• When using a controller, an issue that caused the gamepad cursor to not appear when aiming directly up or down has been fixed
  
• The player will now face the correct direction when first throwing a chicken in the tutorial
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the player sprite to face the incorrect direction in certain situations with Accessibility Mode enabled
  
• Fixed an issue that caused the player to repeatedly mantle when mantling up ice blocks
  
• Fixed an issue in which the player would enter a coffin hiding state without being inside a coffin after certain conditions
  

Player Abilities

• The Rejuvenate ability no longer restores grass in the first water tutorial; as such fires will no longer infinitely propagate across rejuvenated grass
  
• Ice can no longer be created in the same place as coffins
  
• Ice created in water will now naturally melt away over time
  
• Reloading a checkpoint after dying inside a Bubble will no longer cause the player's position to be affected by that Bubble after reloading
  

AI Behaviour

• Enemies who spot the player at the edge of their vision range will correctly detect the player much more slowly
  
• Enemies who are frozen no longer get suspicious about lights turning off
  
• Villagers now correctly walk out of exit doors to be rescued
  
• Rigel is no longer trapped by the player's Vine Trap
  
• Enemies trapped in Vine Traps can no longer be picked up if sleeping or dead, until the trap ends
  
• An issue that caused villagers to disappear when carried into crawlspaces in City 4: Tower Prison has been fixed
  
• Enemies no longer say dialogue related to panicking about fire when attacked with water while the Hydrophobia meteor shard is equipped
  
• Villagers following the player while above or below the player will no longer turn in place
  
• Fixed an issue that made villagers wait too long to enter checkpoints or open exit doors
  
• Fixed an issue that caused archer's arrows in flight to not pause when picking up a meteor shard
  

Levels and Environment

• Terrain changed in Caves 4: Deira Falls to prevent players unlocking the second checkpoint shrine without fire
  
• Tutorial text for the locked gate in Forest 6: Dubra Trench now correctly disappears once the gate has been bypassed
  
• An issue that caused a softlock in the opening chicken tutorial has been fixed
  
• An issue which caused the player and villager to get stuck in the Rejuvenate Spirit Trial has been fixed
  
• Meteor shards in levels no longer get caught in bubbles
  
• Fixed an issue that caused falling snow to not create new snow piles to hide in when immediately next to one another
  

Audio

• Fixed additional cases where duplicate music tracks could be played at the same time
  
• Fixed a spoken vocalisation that was still playing when the audio option was turned off
  
• Fixed certain footstep sounds playing outside of the set volume level
  
• Footstep audio effects when walking through burnt grass and creating audio disturbances are now louder
  

Save Data

• A separate save file backup has been created when the player begins New Game+, which preserves their old progress in the map before looping into New Game+. This file is available in C:\Users\[NAME]\AppData\Local\wildfire
  
• An issue preventing Spirit Points from correctly being allocated on beginning New Game+ has been fixed
  

You will now find the link to a playable demo on the Steam Store Page for Wildfire. This demo contains the full opening tutorial, plus three levels which have been specially selected from throughout the game to give you a compressed idea of the depth and complexity that Wildfire reaches. Additionally, a special set of elemental powers is on offer to play with throughout those levels, allowing players to get a quicker sense of what a fully powered player could be capable of. Finally, the demo is fully playable in two-player local co-op, or across Steam Remote Play!


In celebration of this massive update's release, we're excited to participate in the Steam Halloween Sale by offering 20% off Wildfire! If the game has been sitting on your wishlist for some time, or you've already bought it and haven't convinced your friends to take the plunge, now is the time to do so! This sale only lasts for the Halloween weekend, so don't miss out!

Before we go, we'd like to draw special attention to Stealth Docs' in-depth YouTube video examining the stealth mechanics and elemental gameplay of Wildfire. Stealth Docs is a brilliant channel that dives deep into classic and modern stealth games, and we couldn't be happier to be compared to such great titles as Thief, Dishonored, and Mark of the Ninja:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


For now, that's all from us! We hope you all enjoy the update, and we'd love to hear any feedback you have over at the Discussion Forum. You can also be a part of the community:

[h2]> Join The Sneaky Bastards Discord < > Follow us on Twitter @WildfireGame <[/h2]

All of us at Sneaky Bastards would like to think everyone who has bought and played Wildfire so far! We’re thrilled with the reception, and have loved watching the Let’s Plays and livestreams coming out of the community. So we’re excited to share the details of our first major update to the game, which is now live!





The biggest component of the update is our first patch for Wildfire - v1.01 - which contains over 100 fixes, tweaks, improvements, and changes. We’ve taken all of the time since launch to address every issue that’s been raised, as well as introduce some much-requested improvements. We’ll highlight some of the biggest changes below:
[h2]> Read the full patch notes here <[/h2]

• For gamepads, the Drop Held Object button has been removed from RT/R2, and placed onto B/Circle, while the Interact button remains on RT/R2
  
• Reduced the time it takes to go from a standing start to full sprinting speed
  
• Slightly reduced the early unlock requirement curve for Fire, Water, and Earth abilities
  
• Fire Jump no longer consumes your fireball when activated
  
• Players can now embrace water from snow piles in the Mountains environment
  
• Swordswomen who attack the player up against a wall will now allow the player a small window to sprint and escape after the player recovers from being attacked once
  
• Advanced Enemy Patrols option for New Game+ added to Gameplay Options menu. Enable this to cause enemies to patrol a wider area for increased challenge in New Game+
  
• An issue that prevented Spirit Points earned in Forest 1: Iria Plain from being added to the player's total has been fixed, and those points have been retroactively granted to players who have completed that level's challenges
  
• The Optional Objective and Main Objective have been switched in Mountains 5: Medo Subpeak
  
• Additional water and earth elemental sources added to City 4: Tower Prison
  

To celebrate this update going live, Wildfire is currently on sale for 10% off! This sale will run for one week, until July 17.


This update also brings some Steam Community items for you to unlock! We have added one Badge for you to craft, through seven trading cards that will drop while playing - each card featuring new art from Wildfire’s environment and terrain artist. Crafting this badge will allow you to receive one of three profile backgrounds, or one of five emoticons themed after the enemy AI states in the game.

Something unique we’re doing with our trading cards is including a new, original piece of poetry across their descriptions. Players will recognise Wildfire’s poetry as telling the history and lore of the world, and by collecting each trading card and reading them in order, you’ll be able to piece together a new poem not previously found in the game.





We’d also like to let everyone know that Wildfire’s Official Soundtrack is available for purchase! This soundtrack contains 17 tracks from the game that have been exclusively mixed from the in-game dynamic music format, into entirely original compositions that are only found on this soundtrack itself.
[h2]> Wildfire Soundtrack on Steam <[/h2]
Visit the soundtrack store page for more on what’s included, and to listen to a sample of selected tracks.


We’re overwhelmed by the reception of the game from critics and reviewers, and we’d like to take a moment to round up some of the reviews that have appeared since launch with a shout-out:

“A charming 2D stealth platformer bursting with chaotic energy”
- 4/5 Stars, NME Magazine

“Wildfire, in all its compact cuteness is a dedicated game to the craft of engagement and lateral thinking, all while keeping things equal parts fun and challenging.”
- 9/10, Ausgamers

“The mechanical depth that Wildfire brings is unlike anything I’ve seen in recent memory.”
- 9/10, Checkpoint Gaming

“Wildfire Is a Stealth Game of Thrilling Unpredictability”
- 4/5 Stars, Slant Magazine

“For those wanting something new in the genre, Wildfire has nice and crispy tricks up its sleeve.”
- 4/5, Hardcore Gamer

“Wildfire manages to become the most mechanically imaginative 2D platformer since Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight.”
- 9/10, Well Played

“[Recalls] some of the best aspects of genre titans like Assassin’s Creed and Hitman with the immersive elemental effects of Dishonored”
- 4.5/5 Stars, Screen Rant

[h3]Social Links[/h3]
For now, that's all from us! We hope you all enjoy the update, and we'd love to hear any feedback you have over at the Discussion Forum. You can also be a part of the community:

[h2]> Join The Sneaky Bastards Discord <[/h2]
[h2]> Follow us on Twitter @WildfireGame <[/h2]

Wildfire has officially released! You can now play our debut stealth game, where you control the elements and everything burns.



Use your elemental powers to start fires, freeze water, and move earth as you outsmart superstitious enemies in this mischievous 2D stealth game. Take back your home and rescue captive villagers along the way; manipulating the environment to help you and harm your foes.



In a world where magic has all but died out, you’ve been branded a witch by villainous forces who fear your elemental power. Outsmart the superstitious armies of the Arch Duchess as they hunt you through lush forests, deep caverns, and over frozen mountaintops. Find and free your fellow villagers from captivity, then lead them to safety to reclaim your home.

We look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on the game, and thank you so much for playing!

- The Sneaky Bastards team

We'd like to share the most significant update in Wildfire's development yet. We have officially hit beta, which means the game is feature-complete. In real terms, this means the entire game is playable from start to finish. Is the game itself finished? No - while no new content is being added, we're still taking time focusing on quality assurance and bug fixes from here on out.

It's difficult to show you images and GIFs of this progress, as a majority of the advancement has been made in the final levels and endgame. For that reason, we're choosing not to spoil anything, as we have some great locations, interesting new mechanics, and a few big surprises hidden away that we'll let you discover for yourself.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

In our previous post, we mentioned that we had partnered with a publisher to get over the finish line. We can now reveal that publisher is Humble Bundle, and in the above trailer you can see that Wildfire is just one of the new games that has joined the family - we're thrilled to be among such amazing, top-tier company.

We know you've been waiting years to hear a release date, and we still can't reveal anything just yet. But we'll have some more news to share next week. Still, we can't wait for you to get your hands on the finished game, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thank you for your support,
Dan