They Always Run
They Always Run
Game
Game2021
Nuclear Blaze
Developer Deepnight Games
Nuclear Blaze is action-adventure game developed and published by Deepnight Games. It was released for Windows through Steam on October 18, 2021, and was launched for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on April 28, 2023. In the game, players take control of a firefighter investigating a military facility. The firefighter must use their hose to put out the fires located inside, while searching for survivors and… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
220 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 19, 2026 · last updated Oct 19, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
94
LovedLoved
181 positive · 11 negative
95% range 90–97%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 181 | 11 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 2 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Overwhelmingly Positive
485 of 510 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
94% recommend · 178 yes, 11 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 189 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (917 of 952 positive).
Players praise the game's tight controls and firefighting mechanics. [1][2][3] Some reviewers find the gameplay repetitive or clunky. [4][5][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
Just another over hyped game. Extinguish flames in a specific order to be able to leave a room and access the next one. Learn when something is going to fall on your head so, you won't die and restart the map. Find one cat per map in a secret area to save it. Clunky. Not really interesting. Not too bad. Just not good. Just another average pixels arcade game. The positive is you play a fireman. There is not too many …
- [1]
This game is a double whammy. I love it for the tight controls and excellent gameplay. My 3 year old son loves it for Kid Mode. - THIS GAME IS THE BEST FIRST GAME FOR BEGINNING PLAYERS. Kid Mode is amazing! My son is just starting to play video games and this game is his go-to game. He struggles with general stick movement and pressing a button and the stick at the same time. However, he has learned how to complete …
- [4]
Its not a bad game but its just ok. Its kind of boring and repetitive. All you do every level is put out fires and flip switches. Its more of a puzzle game than I would like it to be having to solve the only path each level will let you go with sequence of button presses and switch flips. The platforming is slippery and floaty and sometimes it eats your jumps or you'll slide of platforms, its not that great. …
- [13]
Really fun but very short. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to beat the game on the normal mode. There's an additional hard mode with some extra content and more challenging rooms but since one of the big mechanics is faster spreading fire (which I don't think is that fun any way) I wasn't interested in it. Definitely recommend on a sale.
- [10]
A short, fun, simple, yet €9.99 price tag isn't deserved for the amount of content you get. One full run realistically takes around one hour. Base mechanics feel well thought out, and the overall pacing of the game is great, same as the soundtrack and pixel art.
Summarised from 34 of the 216 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Nuclear Blaze talk about tight controls and polished gameplay; those who didn't talk about gameplay can be repetitive and boring. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
According to the review aggregator website Metacritic, the PC version of Nuclear Blaze received "mixed or average" reviews, while the console versions received "generally favorable reviews". Shacknews praised the soundtrack and the accessibility provided by the difficulty options, but said that the game was on the shorter side. Jeuxvideo.com praised the artstyle and atmosphere, and appreciated that the game could be played by children and adults, but disliked the short playtime.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 220 · most liked firstSébastien Benard was making a firefighter video game called Nuclear Blaze, and decided he wanted his three-year-old son to be able to play it, too. But making a "Kid Mode" is more complex than simply making it "easy." My story at Crossplay: patrickklepek.substack.com/p/the-surpri...
neutral · AI labelView post →Week 33: Digital: - Pepper Grinder - Warm Snow - Cookie Cutter - Nuclear Blaze - Bassmaster Fishing - Castaway Physical: (the Yugioh game got damaged during shipping and I need to buy a new one.)
neutral · AI labelView post →4D Golf is the most mind-fuck game I've ever played! The end of the game threw me for a loop https://store.steampowered.com/app/2147950/4D_Golf/ Nuclear Blaze is a short but action packed. The art style is also amazing! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1662480/Nuclear_Blaze/
positive · AI labelView post →Games: - Annalynn - Let's Build a Zoo - Super Kiwi 64 - Nuclear Blaze - Retro Mystery Club - Unsighted - UnderHero - Potato Flowers in Full Bloom - PowerSlave Exhumed - Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore
neutral · AI labelView post →Just another over hyped game. Extinguish flames in a specific order to be able to leave a room and access the next one. Learn when something is going to fall on your head so, you won't die and restart the map. Find one cat per map in a secret area to save it. Clunky. Not really interesting. Not too bad. Just not good. Just another average pixels arcade game. The positive is you play a fireman. There is not too many games like that and it is the reason why I bought it. There is one with a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Short but challenging fire extinguishing game. Doesn't take long to finish even NG+ but still well worth it. Works perfectly on Steam Deck as well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a double whammy. I love it for the tight controls and excellent gameplay. My 3 year old son loves it for Kid Mode. - THIS GAME IS THE BEST FIRST GAME FOR BEGINNING PLAYERS. Kid Mode is amazing! My son is just starting to play video games and this game is his go-to game. He struggles with general stick movement and pressing a button and the stick at the same time. However, he has learned how to complete Kids Mode by himself. Just watching him squeal with joy as he puts out…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is soooooo good! Pixelated fire fighting - something I never thought I would want in my life, yet I just want to keep playing. Graphics are gorgeous, gameplay is tight. There is a real challenge here too, but the developers put in the ultimately thoughtful accessibility settings with a difficulty slider. You can literally set the percentage of difficulty as you also set whether or not you want water to be more accessible. Every developer should think of how to make their game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its not a bad game but its just ok. Its kind of boring and repetitive. All you do every level is put out fires and flip switches. Its more of a puzzle game than I would like it to be having to solve the only path each level will let you go with sequence of button presses and switch flips. The platforming is slippery and floaty and sometimes it eats your jumps or you'll slide of platforms, its not that great. Sometimes you get hurt by fire that doesn't look like its there or you'll dodge roll…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nuclear Blaze is honestly just... fine. It looks pretty, the music is great and the gameplay is plain alright. The difficulty is quite consistent until the final 2 levels where there is a big spike, and the overall game is quite short. It's honestly one of those games where you're not missing out on anything by not playing it, and me struggling to even write anything about it in this review says enough. Worth it on sale if you've already played every other good platformer on the market.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A fun, easy little game (on the first playthrough, anyway). Despite what the store page claims, this works fine on the deck with Proton Experimental.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I do not understand what is overwhelmingly positive about this game. Maybe it was my expectation going into the game with a overwhelmingly positive that set the bar far too high. I know this isn't a long game but it's really quite 1 dimensional and clunky. Normally I am fine with simple gameplay but simple and boring are not the same thing and this feels really lacking. I'm fine with never finding out what happened. And don't forget to find the hidden cats.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My favorite genre is young person explores an island, so my favorites are: A Short Hike Alba: a Wildlife Adventure Lil Gator Game But I also like: Olli Olli World (skateboard) Ooblets (farm and dance) Nuclear Blaze (firefight) Kaichu the Kaiju Dating Sim
neutral · AI labelView post →8/10 - A wonderful 2D platformer in which you go into a secret military facility as a fireman to save cats from the fire. Simply great!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Idea of the game is great but execution is questionable. Game on normal has maybe one or two moments where there's some real action. Other than that it's a walking simulator. Hard mode is hard because there are turrets that shoot at you. In the fire fighting game. Turrets. Really? Story is the best part but for me easter eggs and 4th wall breaking killed the mood. Extra ending mentions dev being lazy and to be honest I think it relates not only to that ending but the whole game. It's a shame…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nuclear Blaze was released 3yrs ago, time flies! As a big thank you to the community, the DRM-free version of the game will be 80% off just today & tomorrow! ♡ itch.io/s/137231/nuc...
neutral · AI labelView post →Really fun but very short. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to beat the game on the normal mode. There's an additional hard mode with some extra content and more challenging rooms but since one of the big mechanics is faster spreading fire (which I don't think is that fun any way) I wasn't interested in it. Definitely recommend on a sale.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Have a ton of games already, but I picked up *Nuclear Blaze* and *Streets of Rogue* on the cheap. A week prior to the steam sale, got a good deal on *River City Girls 2* and *Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries* on Fanatical, $15 for both together.
neutral · AI labelView post →This has been a good game, it's pretty short with 23 levels, will take around 2-3 hours on first playthrough and it has been an interesting journey. The firefighting tactics, putting out multiple fires simultaneously under pressure and level design has surprised me. Although, I have to say, game has a very tiny bit of jank in movement and checkpoints are a bit brutal. I'm looking forward to Hold My Beer mode in future to see how the dev has shaken up things to add more difficulty.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is great, but after having my save partially reverted 4(!!!) times and losing progress on a few levels i have to leave a negative review unfortunately. I finished playing a level and returned to the menu before closing the game, and it keeps reverting my save and losing progress on the missions I played in that session.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Check out the new review of Nuclear Blaze for Switch! thegamehoard.com/2025/08/26/n... #gaming #videogames #indiegames
neutral · AI labelView post →A really, really good 3h game, I had a lot of fun for one evening! Props to the devs, the game plays super well and doesn't outstay its welcome. Loved it (reminded me of another favorite of mine, Carrion)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I thought the game was decent overall, but I wouldn’t recommend it at full price. It’s quite short and includes some frustrating design decisions. One-hit deaths are already a challenge, but combining them with a save system that sends you unnecessarily far back feels outdated and needlessly punishing. Without that, my total playtime would likely have been much shorter. The firefighting gameplay was a highlight for me, creative and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the addition of combat detracted…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A short, fun, simple, yet €9.99 price tag isn't deserved for the amount of content you get. One full run realistically takes around one hour. Base mechanics feel well thought out, and the overall pacing of the game is great, same as the soundtrack and pixel art.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nuclear Blaze looks cool, and thankfully it's pretty cool to play too. There's a bit too much "juicing" going on, with excessive slow-mo screen shaking, but if you can get over that you'll find a lovely action game of putting out fires. It has two main difficulty modes: The first time through, then a second harder mode with a slightly different route. There's also a full suite of accessibility filters that allow you to completely undermine the difficulty if you wish. Amazingly the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredibly satisfying little firefighting platformer.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Possibly one of the most hidden Gems on Steam! A truly fantastic find.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. Unfortunately, it is very short. You can finish it in 3 hours. You can go for New Game+ (Hold My Beer mode) which will be basically the same, but harder (for example, you will also need to avoid turrets). The only flaw of this game is that without mouse aiming, it is more difficult than necessary (on Hold My Beer mode especially). Luckily, developer added lots of options to adjust difficulty settings.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Severe lack of content. It's cute and plays alright but feels a bit unfinished and end boss was prob thrown together as a joke. 2.8h and no reason to replay it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve long had a soft spot for games that simulated firefighting. Something about the putting out of fires is pleasing, similar to the itch Powerwash Simulator scratches I guess. In any case, Nuclear Blaze is here to scratch that itch too, but with a platformer vibe going on. It’s a short and sweet game, but dense with gameplay, secrets to find (cats), and a “hold my beer mode” (basically a new game plus). I loved it, no surprise it came from a dev who worked on Dead Cells.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nuclear Blaze is A 2D firefighting game with excellent pixel art and lighting. It features destructible environments and looks rad as hell, why haven't I played this yet?! store.steampowered.com/app/1662480/...
positive · AI labelView post →Fun little game, and so very different from everything else in the 2d platformer space. About 2hrs of content in the base game, but there's a NG+ that ups the difficulty massively and adds new areas, and I haven't finished that yet.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An awesome little adventure platformer. It won't take up a huge amount of your time, but its at a good low price (and goes on sale for even lower pretty regularly). The levels are nice and contained so if you only have a little bit of time you can do a level or two, or if you're able you can burn through the whole game (didn't mean for that pun). I highly recommend it and hope that a follow up occurs some day as I think it has a lot of potential in that way too. Note: Even though this says…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The amount of firefighting games are kind of small and this is a nice addition to the roster. Good fire spreading mechanic that gets realistically frustrating and drives the urgency forward. There is something ominous going on in the story and it paces itself just enough to make one want to continue on and see what's going on. Also plenty of kitties for those that love them. Easy recommendation!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Despite it's short length, this is a wonderful experience filled with charm, great art design, and fun gameplay mechanics. I really hope there’s a sequel that expands upon the wonderful foundation the developer has built.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Elden Ring dodge roll through chair :):):)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very impressive 2D platformer, that targets a fantasy not represented a lot in games. The controls are super polished, and there is a smart narrative twist that will keep you playing until the end. Honestly, that's a banger.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sorry but nah. Out of the gate this game is fun, pretty straight forward, and stupid easy normally. And then you play on Hold My Beer mode and the utter clunky controls really shine. Not sure it's worth any additional frustration to bother with but maybe I'll come back later. Edit: I'm kinda salty at the moment as I ragequit it. I might review this review later.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Started a game of Nuclear Blaze. Good fun so far but did hit a spot where I had to use the options to add extra armor because it otherwise seemed impassable. The mechanics do seem random in spots. Also the addition of moving enemies might not be great but will stick with it.
neutral · AI labelView post →A unique 2D firefighting platformer from the creator of Dead Cells, featuring devastating backdrafts, exploding walls, and expected cat rescues. Battle your way through a mysterious government facility, striving to keep the blaze under control. Snag Nuclear Blaze at 87% off on Gamesplanet: https://ggd.deals/d/oeDDfS3 #NuclearBlaze #PCGaming #GameDeals #IndieGames
neutral · AI labelView post →The Overwhelmingly Positive reviews don't lie. Nuclear Blaze is a true hidden gem and a wonderfully unique, perfectly paced mix of platforming, logic, and firefighting action that feels like a Metroidvania meets Super Mario Sunshine via Burning Rangers. Well worth the price of admission.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I wasn't really aware of the story or anything before checking 'Nuclear Blaze' out, I just really liked the cover art I saw for the physical release and thought the idea of a 2D platformer where you take on the role of a firefighter was an interesting enough idea. You are a firefighter who is released in the middle of a forest taking out fires that are ablaze all throughout this mysterious building. Traversing through taking out these fires only makes the mystery stranger not just because of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Picked up Nuclear Blaze oN sale and what a great little indie firefighting game! Impressive presentation and customizable gameplay! Even though it is done in under two hours make sure to play the directors cut 'Hold my Beer' mode to get a different experience and another couple hours out of it!
positive · AI labelView post →A short, action-packed platformer featuring SCBAs and SCPs, where personal safety comes second to saving cats.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a great game! thank you so much for this adventure <3 Runs great on steam deck btw :steamhappy: SPOILER HERE: I loved the mystery. The notes gave away too much imo. For example, I would have loved to encounter the wasps and read about them afterwards 🙃😄 Small critic for a little masterpiece 🤗
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I went back to finish Nuclear Blaze and after dying to the boss many times, I died when I beat him. The achievements popped. And I've been fighting him over and over again trying to finish the game. Its not really a hard fight, I just don't want to be patient
neutral · AI labelView post →Brilliant little gem of a game from the creator of the phenomenal Dead Cells. It deserves the 96% positive reviews, the product is almost flawless: looks nice, has a cool story and dialogues although bare bone, and the platforming puzzles are really well designed. The core mechanic which involves fighting fires in various ways is also very clever and satisfying. I completed the normal mode in an hour and an half, but it has an additional mode and some secrets to find so I might give it another…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very well-made indie game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A short little fire fighting based puzzle platformer. Worth a buy when on sale
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's short by all means (somewhere between 2-4 hrs to 100% it) but just a great firefighting romp the whole way through. The plot oozes enough mystery without overdoing things. Was actually fun constantly trying to put out fires that multiply as you juggle other things. The game mechanics are really solid and enjoyable which holds it all together. The first run through is pretty straight forward. The second additional run through the game with hold my beer mode was excellent as it gives you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A charming little game with stunning pixel art and neon colors. I enjoyed playing. The gameplay is straightforward: you control a firefighter who enters a deserted underground lab, navigating through several short and independent areas, each last between 1-5 minutes. Your mission is to extinguish all the fires, read scattered notes, and if you're patience you can discover hidden rooms where you rescue cats. I also found one secret room with Dark Souls reference. Pros: The standout feature…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really fun game, my only complaint is that it feels like- at the very least 25% of a "full" game. In other words- I wish the game was longer! 😄 It's slightly more puzzly that I would've preferred, but thankfully there's plenty of difficulty options available to suit your play style. The only time I changed it was the final boss because ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. And speaking of the difficulty options, every single one of them would've made for excellent upgrades in a much bigger game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →63. Nuclear Blaze A post on Bluesky made me aware of this game and it's right up my alley. You play as a lonely fireman, who gets trapped in a broken down, secret government complex and now you're literally putting out fires left and right.
positive · AI labelView post →Short, but fun experience. Great implementation of difficulty, which determine the layout of the levels!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Check out the new released DEMO game Nuclear Blaze video and others on my youtube channel OrangeKatsharon 😸 #playstation #psgame #nuclearblazegame youtu.be/XP6i1ZUNECo?...
neutral · AI labelView post →Game has interesting plot: Ordinary firefighter, while doing his job, accidentally enters the mysterious government facility. Unfortunatelly I have problems while playing game on controller (Windows 7) 1) Firefighter faces left any time he is idle 2) Firefighter auto-climbs up the ladder when he is near it (No such issues when playing on keyboard) Minor complain: Not always obvious if you will get hit by fire, That bonfire on the right does not seem to hurt me…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nuclear Blaze is a fun firefighting game set in an SCP facility. The pixel art and music are really impressive, and there's lots of cool ambiance such as the color tint changing based on the volume of fire nearby. I died a lot playing through it, but the stages are well contained with frequent checkpoints so you're never set back much. The difficultly is also highly adjustable, and the game even encourages you to adjust it for an experience you'll enjoy. The main campaign is ~2.5 hours, and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Extremely recommended!! We gotta save the cats!! LET'S GOOO!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More people need to know about this game. It is short yes, but the mechanics and atmosphere are perfect. If this was a full 20-hour experience, it would be explosively popular. Despite how short it is, there is also a hard mode to test your skill as well as collectibles. Overall 10/10 worth your money
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game, tight gameplay with lovely visuals and soundtrack. It's on the shorter side (I completed first playthrough under 2h) but it's definitely worth it on a sale. And I for one am tired of huge 80h+ games atm so this was a great experience and change of pace for me.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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