Up In Flames is a physic-based game where you play the role of a young dragon, Baff, who must battle a host of enemies in order to save his friends from captivity. Available for Windows 10 PC, the game has decent graphics and seventy-five levels of play. Up In Flames does have an Angry Birds feel about it, as you aim Baff's fire breath at his enemies and their forts.
Up In Flames isn't an overly taxing Windows 10 game, but does require a little planning and strategy to make every shot from Baff count. All in all, the free gaming title is an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Up In Flames welcomes you with a simple main menu that has options to access the game's settings, visit the costume store and jump into gameplay. Options include settings for sound/music and to reset your gaming progress. Unfortunately, the sound/music settings are not saved as you exit the game. This means every time you launch Up In Flames you are greeted by the catching jingle, which requires you to scramble to hit the mute button.
Gameplay is spread across three worlds (a fourth is in development), each with twenty-five levels of play. The levels and gaming worlds are progressively unlocked and increase in difficulty as you advance through the game.
Prior to the first level of play, a tutorial window appears to highlight the gaming mechanics. Any time a new feature becomes available, a new tutorial window appears. The gaming screen has Baff positioned on one side of the screen and captured dragon friend or friends scattered about the display. The captured dragons can be protected by an assortment of obstacles and/or angry wolves, sharks or gorillas (could be abominable snowmen).
The mechanics of gameplay require you to tap on Baff and drag your touch backwards to reveal a targeting trajectory. The further you drag back from Baff, the more power is behind your shot and shifting your touch up or down adjusts the angle of your shot. When you have everything set to your liking, release your hold to let Baff spit out a ball of fire.
When a fireball hits a crate or enemy, they burst into flames and the fire can spread to adjacent crates or wolves. Some levels have stones or iron structures that can be toppled over by the fireball but are fireproof. In addition to the obstacles in your way, some levels have springs that bounce the fireball around, increasing the damage your shot has.
The goal of each level is to destroy all the enemies and free any captured dragons (hit the cage with a fireball). Some of the freed dragons can aid your efforts while some hinder things. For example, one dragon absorbs and re-direct your fireball shot while another dragon type consumes the fireball.
Gameplay with Up In Flames isn't overly difficult to pick up and get the hang of. The early levels of play are a bit on the easy side, but the difficulty does increase as you progress through the levels. To add to that challenge, Baff has a limited number of fireballs at his disposal. This creates an element of strategy in that you need to choose your shots carefully to maximize their impact. The fewer shot needed to accomplish the goal, the more star you earn in the final score.
As Baff works his way through the gaming levels, costumes become available to unlock. These costumes allow Baff to dress up as a cowboy, rock star and more. These costumes are a nice bonus and give the game a little depth.
While well suited for Windows 10 Mobile, Up In Flames is only available for Windows 10 PC. The free gaming title has colorful, nicely animated graphics with plenty of gaming levels to keep you busy. The gaming levels offer a nice mixture of difficulties and Up In Flames comes across as a fun Windows 10 game to spend a little down time with.
