|
Fire is a silver type Game & Watch video game unit that was initially released on the July 31, 1980. The game is one of the best selling in the Game & Watch series selling an astonishing (albeit estimated) 1,000,000 copies worldwide. A rerelease for the game was made for the Wide Screen units, which sold 200,000 more units that the silver edition. This particular version of the game was released on December 4, 1981.
Gameplay
In the game, you'll control two separate characters holding a stretcher of some sort. In the game, people are jumping out of a burning building, and your goal is to get them to safety by using the stretcher to bounce them into an ambulance, with most taking more than one bounce to get there.
Technical specifications
The following are the specifications for the original Game & Watch. Note that in subsequent re-releases minor changes may have been made that alter these statistics slightly.
| Technical specifications | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | Width: 95 mm Height: 63 mm Depth: 11.5 mm |
| Weight | 51 grams. This is with batteries. The weight without the batteries is unknown. |
| Battery | Two Alkali-Manganese batteries (LR43 or SR43). |
| Battery life | With the clock, the battery lasts an estimated 6 months with LR43 batteries and 12 months with SR43 batteries. If the user plays the game only one hour a day, the system would last for six months on LR43 (battery life with SR43 is unknown). The user should notice when the battery's life has been depleted when the screen's display is hard to distinguish. |
| Input | Left button, right button, Game A button, Game B button, time button (displays time), ACL (allows user to change the time displayed). |
| Temperature | Ball works properly in temperatures between 50° and 104° Fahrenheit (10°-40° Celsius). |
| Clock accuracy | The average daily difference is an estimated 3 seconds when under adequate temperatures (see above). |
Other versions
Mirrored Fire
Fire was initially supposed to have the building on the right side and the ambulance on the left, though a problem occurred while manufacturing the game and everything was mirrored. Because it didn't alter the gameplay too much, Nintendo released the game anyway, as explained in the Game Boy video game Game & Watch Gallery 3. In fact, the original Fire isn't present in Game & Watch Gallery 3, as Nintendo included the version of the game that was supposed to be released.
Nintendo included an explanation of the issue in the game:
- This is "Fire," introduced in Game & Watch Gallery 1. Don't you think something is wrong with it? The truth is, this "Fire" is reversed left to right. This version was planned to be released as is. The LCD designer happened to make it incorrectly. Nevertheless, the game was just as playable. It was released as it was. So far, it seems OK. This "Fire" is now hidden at Gallery Corner."
Game & Watch Gallery series
Fire has been present in three of the Game & Watch Gallery video games, including Game & Watch Gallery, Game & Watch Gallery 3 (the reverse version of the game, as mentioned above), and Game & Watch Gallery 4. In each of these games you could play the original and a remake featuring Mario characters (Mario and Luigi were the heroes of the remade version). The characters that jumped out of the building were replaced by Yoshies, Toads, and Kongs.
e-Reader version
In 2002, the e-Reader was developed for the Game Boy Advance. It would allow you to scan cards imprinted with codes on them so that you could play those games. Most of the games released were remakes of previously released video games, some of which were Game & Watch games, including Fire.
Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. Melee for the GameCube, Mr. Game & Watch's Up B move would cause the two characters from Fire to pop out of nowhere and shoot Mr. Game & Watch upwards to bring him back to safety. In fact, the name of this move is Fire, the same as the game it originates from. This move was also present in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. Along with this move, one of the multiple different stages featured in Flat Zone 2 was based around the stage from Fire. Players could even jump on the trampoline.
Merchandise
When the games were popular way back when, Nintendo produced a variety of stickers based on four different Game & Watch video games, including Octopus, Manhole, Parachute, and of course Fire. They all came together in a package and were assumed to only have been released in Japan. They went under the name of "Game & Sticker", supposedly referencing the "Game & Watch".
Also released was a ruler that featured designs from Fire. Other rulers included Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. Basically, this ruler looked exactly like a Game & Watch video game with a ruler at the bottom.