Kill It With Fire: Heatwave

PC

I’ve no idea if this one will end up buried, but I hope it won’t, based on the strength of this lengthy and satisfying demo. A demo long enough that had it been released as a full game for a few quid, I’d have whole-heartedly recommended it here to buy. As it is, this spider-killing madness is completely free.

If you are deeply offended by a game about the murdering of defenseless spiders, then join my son too, who was most outraged by the concept. Right up until he watched it for a bit and then was laughing along too. I mean, it helps that the game is played using weapons like frying pans, clipboards, and most importantly, fire.

In each of the three levels included in this preview, you are moving about the rooms of a house, looking for spiders to splat, alongside a host of other tasks. But the act of looking for them is just about as scary a thing as I can remember in any game I’ve played. Because just about every single object in these domestic settings can be picked up, rotated in your hand, and then thrown across the room in absolute terror when you find there was a spider hiding on the other side of it.

But do this you must, unless you want to just burn absolutely every cupboard, fridge and table first and foremost. Which you can, for the most part. But it’s far more thrilling to pick up each cereal box, each can of drink, and then turn it around in cringe-inducing fear. Nothing… noooothing… nooooooothing… nooth-SPIDER!!!!!

There are a ton of other things you can do, as listed on your default weapon/clipboard, like smashing enough crockery, burning various household objects, and in quite the contrary turn, tidying up the tools in a garage. There are bonus challenges too, like the near impossible task of shooting five spiders with a handgun in a minute. Oh yes, guns! There are guns too. There’s a shotgun. For spider killing.

That’s the joy here. Absolute mayhem, that childish glee of completely wrecking a house in the process of doing something so reckless. And yeah, I do feel a bit sad about the wanton spider death that results, and kind of wish it could have been a more malevolent spidery alien species or something to justify my destruction. Maybe someone can mod that or something.

The full game comes out next month, and if it doesn’t get the coverage it deserves, I’ll be back here with it then. You can wishlist it here. (My failed litmus test of “Has RPS covered it yet?” means things aren’t promising, although PCG had a poke back in April.) But honestly, just this free demo will keep you happy/horrified for a fair while.

• Casey Donnellan Games / tinyBuild
• Steam
• Free demo
• Official Site

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