Preview: Fires are the least of your problems in firefighting sim Embr
Skirting the line between fast-paced fun and buggy stress.
Games don’t need a “message” to be gratifying or meaningful, but Embr: Über Firefighters grabbed my attention with its satirical premise. You’re a gig economy worker in a world where social services like firefighting no longer exist. Your semi-employed character hangs out in a dirty alley waiting for notifications about nearby fires; the more people you rescue, the higher payday and in-app rating you receive.
Elevator pitch aside, this title falls into the same category of stressful, physics-based co-op games as Overcooked and Human: Fall Flat, though it differs with its first-person camera and destructable environment. It certainly succeeded in stressing and challenging me, but not always in ways the devs likely intended. Weird physics proved far more dangerous than fire in the dozen or so hours I’ve played.
As an Early Access title Embr will receive plenty of updates and new content in the coming months. It’s also likel…