Fire (Game & Watch)

Not to be confused with Fire Attack.

Classic version of Fire in Game & Watch Gallery 4

Fire's Classic version (top) and Modern version (bottom) from Game & Watch Gallery 4

Fire (originally released in North America as Fireman Fireman)^[1] is a Game & Watch game released as part of the Silver series on July 31, 1980, and later as part of the Wide Screen series on December 4, 1981. There are remakes of it in three games of the Super Mario franchise: Game & Watch Gallery, Game & Watch Gallery 3, and Game & Watch Gallery 4.

Gameplay[edit]

Classic version[edit]

The Classic version of Fire from Game & Watch Gallery

People jump out of a burning building and fall down to get rescued. The player, controlling two men carrying a life net, must bounce the people off the life net to get them to the ambulance on the other side of the screen. If the two men catch a person, the player earns a point; people who have been caught bounce and must be caught again. People fall at different speeds depending on where they are. As time passes, more people jump from the burning building, and they eventually fall faster. If the two men miss one of the falling people, the person gets injured and runs away, and the player receives a miss. If the player reaches 200 and 500 points, any misses they have are removed, and the people freeze to make it easy to get them before they continue falling. The player receives a Game Over when they have three misses. In Game B, people jump out from two floors of the burning building, making the game harder.

Modern version[edit]

The Modern version of Fire from Game & Watch Gallery

Mario and Luigi attempt to catch Toads, Yoshis, and Donkey Kong Jrs. after they jump out the window of Princess Peach's burning castle. The catch is that different characters fall at different speeds: Toads bounce the highest, while Donkey Kong Jrs. bounce the lowest. Yoshi Eggs also appear and contain either a Bob-omb or a Moon (a Super Star in the first game); the eggs break open when they are caught or hit the ground. The player receives two points for catching an egg. If a Bob-omb reaches the carriage, everyone, including the Mario Bros., runs away as the carriage explodes, and the player gets a miss. If the Mario Bros. catch a Moon, the player receives five points. At 200, 500, and 700 points, Peach appears and blows a kiss, sending out a heart for Mario or Luigi to catch to remove a miss. Music is also featured in this version, with the tempo changing depending on the speed of the game. In the Game & Watch Gallery 4 version, the time of day changes every 200 points collected.

If the player selects this game in Game & Watch Gallery 4 yet does not start playing it, a humorous sequence plays. In particular, Mario and Luigi catch a Toad sent flying to the left and a Yoshi sent flying to the right, only to narrowly stop when discovering their next "rescue" was in fact a Bob-omb, which detonates inches from them, and are then forced to flee as a dozen Bob-ombs are raining from the sky.

The Modern version of Fire from Game & Watch Gallery 4 (sunset)
The Modern version of Fire from Game & Watch Gallery 4 (nighttime)

Controls[edit]

Game & Watch Gallery[edit]

(left and right): Move
: Move left
: Move right

Game & Watch Gallery 4[edit]

: Move
: Move left
: Move right