A Multiverse Threat to Your Home
I’m afraid I have to begin with some bad news. Not content with simply invading your homes, there is in fact a spider horde hell bent on taking over the multiverse. That’s right, gone are the days where the eight legged menaces are confined to homes and workplaces, this is a full attempt to command and conquer.
It was over four years ago when I reviewed Kill it With Fire and I had a great time with it. I’m delighted to get my hands on the sequel which comes with the scope of a big blockbuster story that aims to expand on the original game in many ways. Yes, KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 elevates things to an “avengers level” threat.
However, things begin with the air of the familiar (if you have played the first game, that is). Scuttling and squeaking arachnids lie in wait around your bedroom, ready to leap out as you use your ever trusty motion detector to uncover their hiding places. It doesn’t take long for the “rug pull” in KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 which reveals the situation is rather more dire this time around.
One of the big differences is the hub area, which is in fact the interstellar space craft “HSF Vindicator”. With the guidance of the (rather sassy) onboard computer called D.A.R.W.I.N., one of your first jobs is to fire up the portal to travel to different worlds across the multiverse and wipe out the spider menace. Well, you are the Exterminator after all.
Various sections of the vessel are locked, and you’ll need to collect crystals of “Compound X” to access them. As you may well have guessed, these precious fragments can be acquired by ticking off the objectives listed on your trusty clipboard (which doubles as an effective melee weapon for squishing spiders).
From Wild West Tower Defence to Cybercore Carnage
This gives KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 a much more “open world” feel that also carries through to the individual levels. This is the case when you travel to the Wild West, and find a town under siege by a train which arrives at the same time each day, filled with spiders. Protecting the town works as a tower defence mini game, requiring you to organise the indigenous cacti in an effective defensive formation, as well as gather important resources.
Or take the Cybercore, a digital realm where tickets and tokens can be earned by completing mini games with different themes. Whether it’s a fun take on Dance Dance Revolution (with spiders), a test of your reflexes or simply squishing the eight legged pests exclusively with melee weapons, it’s a sort of digitised fun fair where points mean prizes (and a means of escaping). As opposed to just the locations differing in the first game, KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 is bolder and experiments with different gameplay types too.
Unlike in the first game, you can’t complete all objectives during a single visit. Instead, travel between the various worlds is necessary before completing these, which in turn will unlock your reward. When revisiting previous locations you’ll also be able to access new areas as you gather more Compound X.
An example here is tracking down the various wanted spider outlaws across each dimension. I found one loosely based on Clint Eastwood, who let out a high pitched “waaaaaaaah” and kind of charged at me before I squished it. Hilarious and a little tragic at the same time.
The spiders themselves have a few new tricks up their sleeve this time around too. Some will fire webs to obscure your vision, others will explode upon death and then there are the morph spiders. These critters scramble your motion detector, effectively rendering you blind. As soon as you pick up a seemingly inanimate object which the spider is disguised as, it will morph back into a spider and scuttle off, accompanied with a loud bong sound to strike fear into your heart. I jumped a fair few times thanks to these pests.
45 Ways to Slay
It’s a good job then, that the Exterminator also has plenty of new toys this time around. Make that 45 weapons and gadgets in fact. There are loads to play around with, from the humble frying pan, to shotguns, rocket launchers, drones, remote controlled tanks, explosive snacks and lots more besides.
The Exterminator will even gain the ability to shrink down and grow eight legs, thanks to the spider potion. It’s a neat little trick, and despite being crucial to completing some objectives, felt underused overall as a mechanic in the campaign.
My favourite, go to option however, was the newspaper. Not only good for accuracy, it also throws up a spinning front page in the style of classic films, complete with a random headline. It’s the little additions such as this that make KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 an awful lot of fun to play.
Your main objective is usually to squish as many spiders as you can find and doing so will unlock new areas and enable progression. A quick press up on your D-Pad will equip your clipboard, which tracks all current objectives. Each level contains many different tasks which will require you to find things, destroy things and of course, squash things.
From time to time other challenges are found out in the wild. One which recurs is avoiding a sinister, stalking spider statue that moves whenever you turn your back. Keeping your eyes on it, the challenge is to put out several candles to make it crumble into pieces. Another one is a bit like the floor is lava, but instead it’s a dangerous mist filled with, well I’m sure you can guess. You’ll need to get around jumping from platform to platform, or climb quickly to avoid the rising mist. These fast paced sequences break up the gameplay nicely.
Multiverse Multiplayer and Clunky Controls
However, there is a downside. It’s in these challenge scenarios where the controls are exposed as somewhat cumbersome. Sprinting is necessary here but sometimes you’ll move slowly, unable to sprint, seemingly at random with no indication as to why. This means you’ll slow right down, and be unable to clear certain jumps. Perhaps the exterminator gets exhausted quickly, but some sort of stamina bar would help illustrate this better.
More generally switching and cycling through your impressive armada of weapons is clunky too. There’s a quick bar you can assign weapons too, but otherwise you’ll need to go into the menu. A wheel would have worked better to keep things fast and frantic during combat situations.
Aboard the “HSF Vindicator” you can upgrade items and create equipment from blueprints found in the field. A little mastery is usually required before you can upgrade, so it’s a good idea to experiment with as many different weapons and items as you can. A good shout for an early upgrade is to your motion detector, as it will then pinpoint where secrets in each level can be found, which are tricky to spot without it.
Although not an entirely new gimmick, KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 introduces cassette tapes which act as diary entries, fleshing out the story a little during each level. Given the narrative mostly makes way for full on war with the spiders, this is a welcome little bonus. Who doesn’t like collecting things after all?
Bolder, Braver, and Brilliantly Chaotic
KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 also introduces multiplayer, meaning you can grab up to three other friends to help you beat the campaign. Or, if you enjoy playing as a spider, you can do just that in the Spider Hunt mode. This is a PvP, spiders vs humans showdown which takes place over many locations, some of which may be familiar to fans of the original game.
KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 deserves credit for building on what made the first game so much fun to play. Despite some rough edges, there’s clearly been an effort made to flesh out the spider exterminating fun, and for the most part it pays off.
Important Links
Save the Multiverse from a Spider Horde in KILL IT WITH FIRE! 2 on Xbox, Game Pass and More – https://www.thexboxhub.com/save-the-multiverse-from-a-spider-horde-in-kill-it-with-fire-2-on-xbox-game-pass-and-more/
Download from the Xbox Store (via Game Pass if you like) – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/KILL-IT-WITH-FIRE-2/9MXHL3TT792F
