Wildfire is your basic real-time strategy with an... unusual twist. Instead of controlling a race or group of people as you tear across the land destroying your enemies, you control firefighters as the world around you is set ablaze. You will need to summon firefighters, helicopters, bulldozers, pump trucks and more in order to stop the fires from taking out the entire map. The humans come in three different flavors: grunts, smokejumpers and backburners.
The grunts will be used mostly to build areas to let your troops rest. They can also dig firebreaks and do a lot of basic work, although in general are not the best men for the job when you need to battle some of the more intense flames. Smokejumpers are better at digging firebreaks and cutting down trees, and they can go straight to the problem areas by parachuting in. And then there are the backburners. These were probably the most interesting characters in the game. You use them to burn the fire’s fuel before the fire can actually get to it. You can also use various vehicles to dig firebreaks quicker, or pump massive amounts of water or other chemicals into the fire from the air. These vehicles will be instrumental in controlling the fire.
While you command your troups, you will have to control many factors like the wind speed and direction, as well as if the fire is moving up or down a hill. Knowing how the fire will react to these conditions will let you stay a step ahead of the flames, and hopefully put them out quickly.
The game also touted a large amount of Smokey the Bear propaganda. Just about every time you’re turned around you’re either getting tips about the best ways to survive a fire, or how to prevent fires with a Smokey seal next to the tip.
